Put Me In Coach....

I'm ready to play. Seriously. I am. After watching last night's EPIC loss to Baltimore, loss isn't even the right word...epic COLLAPSE to Baltimore, I can't help but wonder about all the woulda, coulda, shoulda's about the game. The rain delay, why was Masterson left in after the HR, the super short leash Francona had on Delcarmen, the general lack of energy on the Sox part....I guess these kinds of things happen, even that disasterous, to every team, and at least it happened in June and not, say, October....but I digress...

I just signed up for this great volunteer opportunity at Fenway on July 18th, it's with the Jimmy Fund. Each year they have a Fantasy Day at Fenway, usually during the All-Star break, that is billed as such:

Want an insider's view of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox? Enjoy activities, contests, Sox expert panel discussions, tours, and much more during this fun-filled day.

Hit one out of the park! Catch a fly ball in Fenway's famed left field! Run the bases like your Red Sox heroes! Watch all of the action from the stands like the Fenway faithful!

It should be fun, I get a free t-shirt out of it, didn't have plans that day, and get to help the Jimmy Fund! Everybody wins!

Today was the rubber game for the Sox/Orioles series, and it seems like they're picking up right where they left off last night - sucking. a lot. Beckett had a horrendous 1st, 2nd and 3rd inning and the O's took advantage to currently make it 5-1 Baltimore in the top of the 8th. Oh well, at least they have tomorrow off. Hopefully this won't come back to bite them later in the season...

Monday night (after a great dinner with Andrew, Dev and Rachel) I ventured to see Chéri at the Kendall. I had heard pretty good things about Michelle Pfeiffer as an aging courtesan during the Belle Époque in Paris. She takes a young man, Chéri under her wing to teach him how to be a man, and how to treat a woman. Kathy Bates gives an excellent supporting turn as Chéri's mother, a retired madame living well off her earnings from her younger days. Stephen Frears, director of The Queen and Frost/Nixon has a knack for these kinds of period(ish) films and makes them shine even if the script is somewhat lack-luster. Penned by Christopher Hampton (who adapted Les Liasons Dangereuses in the early 90's and translated Yazmina Reza's Art and God of Carnage), Chéri was quite interesting in that gender roles are completely reversed, he is the one that is being used, wears silk pajamas, and is portrayed as weaker, while she is clearly the domanant force in their relationship. It was also different that there were quite a few close-ups on Pfeiffer where she clearly was not afraid to show her age. The actual dialog however, was a little too dry. I also appreciated, and liked a lot, Alexandre Desplat's score - he has a very destinct style, and I can immediatley tell after hearing only a few notes/bars, It's awesome. The sets and costumes were quite beautiful, as was the stunning beachside retreat Pfeiffer escaped to for the middle 3rd of the film. Somtimes (only sometimes) I wish i lived back then. It was a nice, quick movie to see on a week night, nothing substantial, but nice to look at. Grade: B