Best Television Shows 2018 (April-June)

January-March is here.

1. The Americans (FX)
2. Barry (HBO)
3. Killing Eve (BBCA)
4. Cobra Kai (YouTube Red)
5. Arrested Development (Netflix)
6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
7. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
8. AP Bio (NBC)
9. Billions (Showtime)
10. Silicon Valley (HBO)

The Americans, without question, is one of the 20 greatest dramas in US television history.  It finished its run with a final half of its last episode so good it, on its own, vaults to the top of the list.  Barry and Killing Eve, two shows mixing comedy and drama, both about contract killers, come in next.  Cobra Kai was the biggest and most pleasant suprise we'll have all year; my brother Joe passed away 4 years ago, periodically there will be something in sports or culture that would have been targeted just for him - this is that.  Arrested Development is on my Mt Rushmore for all time sitcoms; I loved its largely panned 4th season - this, however, was more than a little disappointing, and, as the back half of its season is still ahead, we'll see where it lands at year's end.  Kimmy Schmidt has settled into being the Titus show, anything that isn't Titus scoring starts to get shaky.  Nine-Nine and the newcomer AP Bio are top line funny network sitcoms.  Billions is a soap, but a fun one - and Silicon Valley had its weakest season and looks to be near the end of its effectiveness.

Other than Goliath, which is dropping today, and GLOW, which hits at the very end of June, I've watched everything I'm going to see through the first half of the year. So, if there's a show over these 6 months that doesn't appear on either of my lists, it ain't gonna, absent shows like MLB Now, the best sports analysis show on television, which I'll work in as soon as it makes sense.

Athlete of the Month, June 2018

May is here.

Kevin Durant.  Runners-up: Alex Ovechkin, Steph Curry, Justify

Halfway home in the race for the 2018 Athlete of the Year:

     January: Nick Foles
     February: Yuzuru Hanyu
     March: Azura Stevens
     April: Arike Ogunbowale
     May: LeBron James
     June: Kevin Durant

Are These My Favorite 100 Movies?

I don't have a running list of my favorite movies; there's no good reason for that, given my propensity to obsessively keep running lists for decades.  Sort of off the top of my head, I decided to create a "here are my 100 favorite movies".  I stopped at 80 to allow for my recollection to be refreshed of movies that I'm just currently overlooking.  Like 10 years ago in this space I discussed an Entertainment Weekly piece about the top 100 movies over the past 25 years, this is done without reflection of that. 

This is not in order of preference and there is zero claim that these are the best movies ever made. 

Midnight Run
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Absence of Malice
Annie Hall
Wrestling With Shadows
Saturday Night Fever
All the Presidents Men
Adaptation
Better off Dead
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
American Movie
The Princess Bride
A Fish Called Wanda
Rocky
Raising Arizona
Blood Simple
Fargo
Goodfellas
Short Cuts
Swingers
Jackie Brown
Three Kings
Being John Malkovich
Election
Rushmore
You Can Count on Me
Memento
High Fidelity
Bowling for Columbine
Anchorman
Boogie Nights
Pulp Fiction
Clerks
Creed
Reservoir Dogs
Do the Right Thing
The Social Network
Before Sunrise
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Bull Durham
Broadcast News
ET
The Color of Money
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Die Hard
Godfather
Godfather II
The Fisher King
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Graduate
The Grifters
Adventureland
500 Days of Summer
When Harry Met Sally
The Wolf of Wall St
Groundhog Day
Heathers
The Usual Suspects
Tootsie
This is Spinal Tap
The Thin Blue Line
House of Games
Glengarry Glen Ross
Stop Making Sense
Silence of the Lambs
The Last Picture Show
Leaving Los Vegas
Roger & Me
Bob Roberts
Risky Business
Lost in America
Short Cuts
The Player
Norma Rae
The Accidental Tourist
Manhattan

3 Titles. 4 Years

If you've been rooting for this team since Joe Barry Carroll; it's a hard to fathom turn of events.

Hey, We're 60 Games into the 2018 MLB Season

Each year, at the 40/60/80 game mark I redo the end of season team predictions and select All Stars.

Last year (and I think it's the same this year) there are 32 roster spots for each team.  20 position players, 12 pitchers, at least 3 of those are relievers (in practice, you'll note many more relievers than that are usually chosen, but not by me). 

AL East
1. Bos 101
2. NYY 99
3. Tor 81
3. Tampa
5. Balt

AL Central
1. Cleve 92
2. Min 81
3. Det
4. KC
5. CWS

AL West
1. Hou 99
2. Sea 88
3. LAA 82
4. Oak
5. Tex

NL East
1. Wash 92
2. Atl 88
3. Phil 84
4. NYM
5. Mia

NL Cen
1. Chi 93
2. Mil 89
3. StL 87
4. Pit 
5. Cin

NL West
1. LAD 86
2. Ariz 82
3. Col 82
4. SFG 80
5. SD

NL
C F.Cervelli Pit 2.2
   W.Contreras Chi 2.05
    B.Posey SFG 1.9

1B F.Freeman Atl 3.3-MVP
     B.Belt SFG 2.3
     J.Votto Cin 2.05 

2B S.Gennett Cin 2.55
      J.Baez Chi 2.05
      
SS T.Turner Wash 2.2
      B.Crawford SFG 2
      
3B N.Arenado Col 2.9
      T.Shaw Mil 2.45
      K.Bryant Chi 2.2

LF B.Nimmo NYM 2.15
     M.Kemp LAD 2.1
      C.Dickerson Pit 1.95

CF L.Cain Mil 2.65
      O.Herrera Phi 2.4
       AJ Pollack Ari 2.15

RF N.Markakis Atl 2.65     
      
SP A.Nola Phi 3.45-Cy
     J. DeGrom NYM 3.35
     M.Scherzer Wash 3.3
     M.Mikolas StL 2.1
     M. Foltynewicz Atl 2.05   
     G.Gonzalez Wash 3
     P.Corbin Ari 2
     K.Freeland Col 2
     T.Ross SD 1.3

RP J.Jeffress Mil 1.85
      J.Hughes Cin 1.8
      K. Barraclough Mia .85

AL

C A.Romine NYY 1.4

    M.Stassi Hou 1.15

1B J.Smoak Tor 1.75

      M.Moreland Bos 1.5

2B J.Altuve Hou 2.15

      J.Lowrie Oak 1.95

SS F.Lindor Cle 3.5

     A.Simmons LAA 2.7

     M.Machado Balt 2.45

      C.Correa Hou 2.4

3B J.Ramirez Cle 3.6

     M.Chapman Oak 2.35

     

LF B.Gardner NYY 2.2

      E.Rosario Min 2.15

CF M.Trout LAA 4.5-MVP

RF M.Betts Bos 4

      A.Judge Cle 2.95

      G.Springer Hou 2.45

      M.Haniger Sea 2.35

DH   JD Martinez Bos 2.45

SP J.Verlander Hou 3.7-Cy

    C.Kluber Cle 3.4

     G.Cole Hou 2.35

     B.Snell TB 2.35

     C.Sale Bos 2.25

     S.Ohtani LAA 2.2

     C.Hamels Tex 1.6

     M.Boyd Det 1.65

      J.Shields CWS .9

      

RP  K.Herrera KC 1.95

      C.Kimbrel Bos 1.55

      A.Chapman NYY 1.55