Day: October 11, 2003

I really didn’t think we’d see a bench-clearing brawl at Fenway until at least game 4, or more likely game 5. I figured, y’know, get a brawl in game 3, gives you nowhere to go drama wise…unless of course the crowd mood gets progressively uglier and by game 4 or 5–particularly if the Yankees keep winning–frustrated and berserk fans start storming the field, figuring the only way to end the rivalry is with their bare hands. You can just imagine one of the fans acting like the Inspector in “Young Frankenstein,” growling, “A riot…is an ugly thing! And I think it’s about time that ve had vun!”

I’m of two minds on Martinez. On the one hand, he sure didn’t help himself between plunking that guy and then pointing at his head (I’m not sure what he was shouting: Maybe “We all have this buzz cut, so shut up!”) On the other hand, when you’ve got Don Zimmer coming at you like a rhino, you’re hip deep in Kobayashi Maru territory. If you defend yourself, it’s, “Bullying strong young athlete lays smack down on senior citizen.” If you backpedal or run, it’s “Gutless strong young athlete runs away from senior citizen.” From watching it, it looks to me like Martinez didn’t actually throw him down. Zimmer was moving like a freight train. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Martinez grabbed his head and aimed it to the side and down, and Zimmer’s own momentum did the rest. It wasn’t a bad martial arts move, actually. But, jeez, Zimmer could have broken a hip or something at his age. On the other hand, at his age he should know better. Martinez should have known better. The whole lot of them should have known better.

I’m reminded of old Casey S. shouting “Can’t anybody here play this game?!”

PAD

The internet is hotwired with items about Bill Jemas being on his way out at Marvel.

Frankly, I’m feeling kinda guilty. I know I shouldn’t, but I am. Because from a creative point of view, Jemas took his first major hit because of me.

I threw down the challenge to the company in an endeavor to keep “Captain Marvel” alive. This led to the publication of “Marville.” Up until “Marville” was published, Bill Jemas had some degree of creative cred thanks to his name being attached to several indisputable Marvel hits. Then “Marville” came out and it was…how to put it delicately…not successful. If I hadn’t issued my “But I Digress” challenge, who knows? “Marville” might never have been published and Jemas might never have fallen so badly on his face in his first solo endeavor.

PAD