I know this is necessary to start building the new Disney Springs, but it really sad to see the Comedy Warehouse get torn down. I had so many good memories at that place.
Month: July 2013
As you might expect, Aaron Hernandez was a topic:
> **TOM BRADY**: … I have moved on. I’m focusing on the great teammates I have who are committed to helping us win games. The only thing I care about is winning. Nothing is going to ever get in the way of that goal. I’m just excited to report to camp and see what we can accomplish as a team. The fate of our season will be determined by the players in our locker room—nothing else.
Pretty much what you would expect Brady to say. [^fn1]
[^fn1]: As a side note, I like this new little feature of Peter King’s [newly launched website](themmqb.com).
Of course, Virginia A.G. Cuccinelli wants to keep people who are *known sex offenders* from coming off the sex offender registry, but the *NY Daily News* tries to twist the story so that it seems like he wants to criminalize certain types of sex between consenting adults.
You would think Gruber would have [learned to actually read a story and check the source](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/07/23/dubai-case) before just spouting off.[^fn1] Oh well, at least he does Apple news well.
[^fn1]: This is a good example of how far-left liberals think. They seem some crazy headline about a conservative and just decide it *must* be true without actually checking it out. Unfortunately, in the internet age, false stories can spread like wildfire.
I really like David’s take and his recommendations. I would like to add one more recommendation: **Remove apps with In-App purchases from the “Top Free Apps” listing.** I do not care if they are listed in some new category, but they should not be listed with apps that are actually free. Being listed there just gives them a change to sucker more people into buying costly in-app purchases.
Dave Cameron:
> The last couple of years of this deal probably aren’t going to look so great, as Pedroia is unlikely to still be a good starting second baseman in his late thirties. However, the price for the first few years is so low that the overall deal should be a net positive for the Red Sox. Pedroia’s a star who has never been paid like one, and with this deal, he never will be. But he’s going to spend the rest of his career in Boston, most likely, and that is probably more important than maximizing his earnings.
To me, the most important part is that Pedroia is going to spend his whole career in Boston. The fact that the deal makes good financial sense it the proverbial cherry on top.
Good. Pedroia has earned this extension, and, as a Red Sox fan, I am glad to have him in a Red Sox uniform through 2021.
Categories
My 2nd Half Predictions for 2013 Red Sox
At this point in the 2013 season, the Red Sox currently sit at 60 wins and 41 losses, good enough for first in the A.L East and the best record in baseball. That leaves 61 games to determine how the Red Sox end up. First, a quick prediction about the current series with the Tampa Bay Rays:
* The Rays will win 3 out of the 4 games
* As a result, the Rays will be first in the A.L. East when the series ends.
Personally, I am fine with that. I think this Red Sox team will be comfortable chasing the first place Rays than having to constantly fend them off. More importantly, I think the Rays are peaking now, and that they’ll cool off before the end of the season.[^fn1]
My overall, second half, predictions are pretty boring, since I [agree with everything I said on opening day](https://johnkiv.us/2013/04/01/my-opening-day-predictions-for-the-red-sox-2013-season/):
* 90+ wins
* 2nd or 3rd in the A.L. East
* One of the 2 A.L. Wildcards
I think, even with their current pitching-related injuries, they can manage this. Of course, if they make some monster trade, they could win the division, but I would prefer they keep their prospects and just see what this year’s team can do.
[^fn1]: I still think they will win the division, however.
Categories
San-Diego Comic-Con 2013 Recaps
Here are some of my favorites:
* *Bleeding Cool’s* [126 Things learned at SDCC](http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/07/23/one-hundred-things-we-learned-at-san-diego/)(* Includes this tidbit “5. We may get more than one Captain Marvel book next year from Marvel Comics, they have big plans” and this interesting observation “73. Princess Leia cosplay is no longer in vogue and has been replaced by women dressing as the Doctor, or the Tardis.”
* *The Beat’s* rundown of [mainstream media coverage](http://comicsbeat.com/sdcc13-watchtower-mainstream-media-edition/) of this year’s Comic-Con.
* Tom Spurgeon’s [final thoughts](http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/a_few_final_ish_thoughts_on_comic_con_international_2013/) on Comic-Con 2013
Of course, there is also [The Comic Reporter’s Collective Memory](http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/collective_memory_comic_con_international_2013_2/) post if you want to find more.
This *might* help cellphone use in the park[^fn1], but it definitely will not help the fact that AT&T is pretty much useless in most of the state of Florida.
[^fn1]: I really doubt it will. There are just too many people.
Categories
Report: A-Rod trying to make a deal
Of course he is.
Categories
The Case for Lotso
> Perhaps Lotso was just the victim of a broken heart that could not be mended. Hear us out for a second while we make the case for poor old Lotso…
I love [Oh My Disney](http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2013/07/22/the-case-for-lotso/) so much.
Ryan Braun, after his first PED suspension was overturned in 2011:
> I am very pleased and relieved by today’s decision. It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side.
Ryan Braun today:
> As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.
Braun is a liar, a cheater, and a fraud. 66 games does not seem like enough after his act over the past couple of years.
I am one of the current 246 members of Ben’s site, and have been one since he first started with non-ad supported paywall. I support the site because I think the non-ad supported model has allowed Ben to write better, more in-depth, reviews and articles than the previous ad model allowed.
If you think you might be interested in reading quality writing, from a independent voice, check out a few of my favorite Ben Brooks pieces:
* [Private v. Public Networks](http://brooksreview.net/2013/04/first-class-baby/)
* [The Transporter (the device, not the movie)](http://brooksreview.net/2013/07/transporter-2/)
* [Coffee Shops trying to run off “WiFi Hobos](http://brooksreview.net/2013/07/coffee-shops-look-to-oust-laptop-hobos/)
* [Why Kickstarter’s Apology to the “Seduction Guide” Fiasco was not Good Enough](http://brooksreview.net/2013/06/good-for-nothing-chickenshits/)
* [Tips on Writing](http://brooksreview.net/2013/05/on-writing/)
If you like what you read, then consider [signing up for a membership](http://brooksreview.net/members/).
As always, Tom’s thoughts are extremely interesting and well worth reading. Some of my favorites (with a little commentary from me):
> the one mainstream comic about which I was asked “Is that actually good?” more than any other: that Batman ’66 one. Second place: Saga.
I would Tom’s assume the answer on both of those is *Yes*.
> literally nothing that happened in the show business end of the con penetrated into discussions in the comics world… I can’t remember that ever happening before. I guess a Superman/Batman announcement and that fun actor that played Loki showing up in character were the two pop-culture moments from the show…? I’m not entirely sure. Maybe the fact that Avengers 2 will feature Dickish Robot Overlord Ultron in a verison of that latest Marvel event series. It does seem that 2015 is shaping up to be the movie year that sprang from my 11-year-old head Lathe Of Heaven style.
Interesting. I would have assumed that the entertainment news would dominate the entire show floor.
> I really enjoy the part of my Comic-Con weekend that allows me to see a whole bunch of panels in succession, or at least parts of them, but that tends to come way early in the show weekend now.
My fear is that, by the time I can get out to San Diego for a Comic-Con, it will be impossible to see *any* of the panels without waiting *at least* 4-5 hours in line.
Categories
Harry Marks’ Takedown of The Verge
This is Harry Marks at his best. Take a couple of minutes and go read the whole thing.
Justin gives a great summary of everything involved. His concluding section is especially strong:
> The vulnerability isn’t Baliç’s. It’s Apple’s. He just discovered it and Apple deemed it severe enough that their response was to take down their entire developer program until they can close the hole.
> I’ve been incredibly vocal about the inconvenience that the downtime has caused me, but knowing how big of an issue it is, I’m fine with Apple taking their time to get the fix right.
> I am not fine, however, with them trying to paint themselves the victim of malicious intent when in reality it looks as though someone properly reported a vulnerability in their code to them.
> No one comes out of this looking clean, but it could have been a lot worse if a more dark hacker discovered the vulnerability before Baliç.
Now we wait and see what Carolina and the NCAA have to say about the matter.
Categories
Jon Lester: ‘I don’t have an injury’
Hopefully, this little extra time off is what Lester needed to get his head right.
> [Dan] Didio “spoiled” the panel by talking about Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner on Harley Quinn’s upcoming comic, and the premise that artists are going to “audition” for drawing the comic in the hands of Harley Quinn seeking her own title, with Harley’s commentary throughout. Each artist, 18 in total, will be featured on one page as Harley comments and deliberates her choice.
This sounds like something pre-New 52 Harley Quinn would do. *Maybe* this is a positive sign for the new book.
I guess if the Red Sox are going to have *all* injuries at one position, the bullpen is better than some other places.