Links and Such

A big week for baseball records - Barry Bonds hits number 756 - Tom Glavine wins #300 - Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run at age 32, youngest ever to reach that number... It's all impressive. Controversial of course, at least Barry - I myself am not too offended by his (alleged) cheating. True or not, it seems to have been extremely widespread in the 90s and early 00s, and the game as a whole condoned it - even encouraged it, really - and I mean fans as much as owners, players, executives. Sosa and McGwire were the toast of the country in 1998 when they were going after Maris, and who thinks that was steroid free? I'm not all that excited by Bonds hitting 756 - it doesn't change his place in history: he was going to be one of the top 5 players of all time anyway, this makes him top 3, which is probably right anyway (Ruth and Mays get 1-2, I say.) I cared a lot more when Bonds set the single season record. I was always annoyed that McGwire broke the record - I wanted a real player to do it. Griffey would have been very cool; I could live with Sosa... when Bonds did it I was thrilled. I feel something like that now - whether Bonds played fair or not, it is right that the best player of the generation should hold the records. Ruth to Aaron to Bonds - with Mays not far off - sounds about right.

Speaking of records - there's lots of talk (like in the link above) about Glavine being the last 300 game winner. That, I say, is nonsense. I think it is more or less certain that at least one other player active today will win 300 - some set of the host of good young pitchers are going to stay healthy and pitch into their 40s for perpetual contenders (Josh Beckett? Verlander or Bonderman? Philip Hughes? Peavy or Sabathia or King Felix?) and win 300 - I'd say it's a safer bet than saying any active player will catch Bonds (and A-Rod is a good bet to catch Barry.) I'd say it's more likely that 2-3 active pitchers get to 300 than that none do. They'll do it like Don Sutton, but 300 is 300.

Meanwhile, back on the Film Front: Item! Camille Paglia declares the Art Films Dead! Oh no! Her evidence? She hasn't been to an art film in 35 years! Can't argue with that logic.... I admit, I am a little relieved - perhaps this means Bruno Dumont is a bad dream. Though I was looking forward to seeing more Pedro Costa....

What else? Don't forget Damien Arlyn's 31 Days of Spielberg (now at The House Next Door as well.) Jim Emerson asks Who Matters? Girish hosts a long discussion of Bergman and Rosenbaum. David Bordwell lauds Edward Yang, and Charles Wang, co-head of Salon Films, supplying film equipment in Asia. And again - a John Huston blogathon without many contributions is a John Huston blogathon waiting for contributions!