Northern Reflections – A Night on the Town

I’ve got a daughter who turned three in April. She’s great. My wife just gave birth a month ago to a second daughter. Also a great kid. What they aren’t is conducive to going out. I’m not complaining here – I wouldn’t trade my kids for anything in the world – just pointing out that my leisure time is severely limited these days.

So, when I heard that Stella Ella Ola (the band that I blogged about here a couple of months ago) was playing a bar that’s a 15-minute walk from my house, I asked my wife to call her mother in for babysitting duty, and we were all set for a night on the town. But here’s the thing about kids: they rarely cooperate.

My three-year-old woke up the morning of the show saying she didn’t feel well. Then she wouldn’t eat much breakfast. Then she spewed what little she’d eaten. Fuck. So, my wife called her mother and cancelled. Not that she’s not a capable babysitter, just that we didn’t feel comfortable saddling her with a newborn and a sick kid.

And then it was decision time. Do I go it alone? Do I cancel? Fuck canceling. I went. What made that decision pretty easy for me happened a couple of days before. I’m bouncing all over the place here, but bear with me. I’m in my mid-30s, and, like I mentioned, I’ve got the two kids. Add the job on top of that, and you know what? I’m tired. All the time, I’m tired.

So I decided to send the band a Tweet to find out how late a night we were in for. (The Facebook event page said it was a 9:00 start.) The response? They’re probably going onstage around midnight. Dear lord, I can’t handle that shit. I Tweeted back, sending my regrets, and…you know what? I’ll just quote the actual exchange here:

Me: @_StellaEllaOla_ What time are you guys taking the stage on Saturday? Have you got an opener going on at 9?

SEO: @psychofish77 because of dinner crowd, first band - Dangerband - on around 11. We go on around midnight. Hope to see you there!

ME: @_StellaEllaOla_ Might have to revisit the idea. We're very old, you see. I was hoping you'd be on by 10 or so.

SEO: @psychofish77 shoot! That be a shame. But you young at heart and it weekend - so maybe?

Me: @_StellaEllaOla_ Definitely maybe.

At this point, I was resigning myself to just skipping the show and dealing with the disappointment. Then the next day, out of nowhere, unsolicited, unasked for, unexpected, this happened:

SEO: @psychofish77 got an idea- we're going to do first set around 10. Then Dangerband around 11. Then us again! Works right?!!!

So yeah. The headliners decided to go on two hours early to accommodate one fan bitching about being old. How phenomenally cool is that? (Very.) Of course, that’s the kind of offer you don’t pass up, so I committed, then the kid got sick, then I decided I was going alone. I think that puts the story back on track.

At about 9:00, I head out. Get to the Merchant Ale House at 9:15 or so. Order a beer, find a free WiFi connection, fuck around on the Net for a bit as the band’s milling about at the front of the bar. Then one of the band guys makes his way over, calls me by name, sits down next to me at the bar, orders a beer, and starts shooting the shit. Really nice move. This is Jake. He mentions being in another band from Montreal, and I’m immediately excited, because I know that two members of Hollerado – the Montreal-based band whose debut album I reviewed here – are in Stella Ella Ola. When Jake confirmed that was indeed the case, I was blown away. Hollerado has become one of my favourite bands over the past year, and here I am sitting in a bar down the street from my house with their drummer, just having a casual conversation (wherein I probably came off like a total fanboy).

Jake plays bass in Stella. He introduced me to Stella’s drummer, Vince, and I later met Jake’s brother (and Holleradian), Nick, as well as the band’s lead singer, Anne, when I was buying a t-shirt from them. All really friendly people, and all really happy to talk to a fan about their music.

I also learned that the opening act, Dangerband, were on the same label as Stella* and Hollerado (Royal Mountain Records), as is Topanga – the band that sound guy for this gig (whose name escapes me because I’m a terrible human being) is in. Jake called it nepotistic, but it struck me more as an incredible network of support. It really reminded me of the stories I’ve heard about the Seattle scene in the early 90s, where bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden helped each other out and supported each other instead of going the usual route of tearing each other down. It’s the mentality that everyone can succeed with some help, rather than one band succeeding by stepping on the others. Seeing the network made me respect what these guys are doing even more.

So, at about 10:30, Stella goes on. And you know what? They were every bit as good as I expected. I was beaming the entire time they played, and I was disappointed when they were done. I don’t know what else you can ask of a band.

Not long after Stella finished, Dangerband took the stage. After Stella’s set was over, both Jake and Vince had recommended that I stick around to watch them, and since my kids were in my wife’s more than capable hands, I was happy to oblige.

I’d seen Dangerband come into the bar earlier in the night. They were pretty hard to miss. They were by far the youngest people in the place. To me, they looked like teenagers, but I’m a terrible judge of such things. They’re more likely in their early 20s. In any event, the people in Stella had treated me like gold that night and requested that I stick around, so I did. Out of respect. I figured maybe I’d sneak out halfway through what was sure to be a noisy, sloppy set.

Then HOLY FUCK ARE THESE GUYS GOOD happened. Apart from the high level of talent, which is clearly evident, these guys are consummate professionals. They worked the cramped stage in perfect unison. Every move, every note – just incredible. Obviously, I was impressed. Not to take anything away from Stella, who were awesome, but I expected them to be awesome. They haven’t been playing together for a long time, but they’ve all been musicians for a long time. No reason they shouldn’t be good. But these “kids”? They absolutely blew me away.

Dangerband played a tight set, then Stella came back on and played their set again. And you know what? It was every bit as good the second time around. Oh, and by the way, the cover charge for this performance: $0.00. Name me a place where you can get entertainment this good for free.

And that’s the story of my night on the town. Stella and Hollerado cemented me as a fan for life, and I plan to do everything I can to promote them, Dangerband, Topanga, and the rest of the Royal Mountain Records ensemble. It’s great people making great music. There’s no reason in the world not to support that.

Hollerado has free tracks available here: http://www.hollerado.com/

Stella Ella Ola has free tracks available here: http://stellaellaola.bandcamp.com/

Topanga has free tracks available here: http://musicoftopanga.bandcamp.com

Dangerband has free tracks available here: http://dangerband.bandcamp.com/

Download them. Listen to them. Follow these guys on the Twitters and the Facebook. Keep an eye out for local shows and upcoming album releases. There are a lot of big things coming from this extended group in the near future. Don’t miss out.

*I've been informed that Dangerband is not with Royal Mountain Records. There's a possibility that I made that error because I did no research whatsoever to write this blog. I apologize if anyone was put off by the misinformation.

---

As always, I’m still very open to “Blog-on-demand.” If you’ve got something you want me to spout off on, just let me know.

Have fun. Play safe.

Your pal,

~Hodgey

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2Hot's iMPACT Recap July 5th, 2012

iMPACT Recap July 5th, 2012


Brought to you by AYDS!!


iMPACT is LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVE!!


And I’m back, bitches!!!


It’s the network’s only TNA fan here with YOUR iMPACT RECAP!!, Now cue MY Music!


-Remember how on last week’s show last week there was a bunch of wrestling slathered in shitty storylines and headshaking nonsense?  Thankfully I don’t, because I managed to get BJ and the Bear to feel my pain and recap it  so I didn’t have to. 


-If I may... I’d also like to send a special message to Thom Roper.  If you sandbag in the ring as much as you sandbagged my recap two weeks ago, you’ll be jobbing in Ring of Honor in no time.  Keep up the good work, budday!


-Let’s get to some Wrasslin, shall we?


-TONIGHT!! Rookie Sensation James Storm will take on Clown College graduate Ed Hardy in a BFG Match!!


-I hear music!  Every Segment Whatshisname has decided to come down to the ring.  I’m guessing this has something to do with Chris Youknowabyss and Renowned Chicago Lawyer, Joseph Park.  Or maybe he’s just forgotten who he is again.  That Alzheimer’s is a sonofabitch.  He has apparently decided to join twitter so you can all follow him @2hot2k.  He also wants a piece of the Park.  You already know the backstory here and not just because it is a modern day classic.  So the short version is that Park and Whatshisname are going to lock up next Thursday even though there is a PPV in 4 days and this feud has been going since February.


-Backstage, Hulk Hogan wants Triple A Austin Aries to give up his belt but all Aries wants to talk about is his sweet jet pack.


-I think there was some segment involving AJ and that whore he knocked up but my eyes started to burn so I was forced to look away.


-At the 14 minute mark of the show, we finally have our first match.  And lucky us, it’s a Television Title match between RBD and Recently Defeated Crimson.  This is your classic textbook random TV Title match.  Lots of explosive action in this one.  The finish comes seemingly randomly when RBD hits a Dominator and gets the three count.  This was without a doubt the (first) match of the night!  5 stars for live burials. 

-There are some post-match shenanigans when some hooker prances out to the ring and starts making out with Earl Hebner.  Oh SNAP!  That’s no hooker!  That’s Madison Rayne!! You know, just the other day I was thinking, “you know what will save TNA and take it to the next level?”  “Putting your 63-year-old head referee in a major, on-camera storyline involving sex.”  Goddamnit TNA!  Get out of my head!!!


-Meanwhile, back in the ring, “Crippled” Chris Sabin has hobbled on crutches out to the ring to tell us about what’s in store for his future.  He’s wearing shades if that counts for anything...  He goes in to this long speech about how everyone is telling him he should retire when we are mercifully saved from this snoozefest by the Ravishing One.  Bobby Roode comes out to the ring to tell us all that the X-Division is all risk and no reward before he knocks Sabin off his feet and stomps his mangled knee for a while.   Thank you, Bobby, for saying what we all think.  Thank you.


-Meanwhile, back in the ring, it’s time to BRING EVEN MORE SPOT MONKEYS!!  This edition of Spotfest Weekly features Dakoda Darsow (yes, that Darsow) taking on Flip Casanova.  I feel like I’m playing an unmodified version of Total Extreme Wrestling 05. (Fuck you, nerds.) Super sick spot in this one when Casanova does a complete 360 degree backflip and lands, seated, on Darsows chest.  The ending comes when Flip (and I use that term loosely), attempts the same move from the top rope and nearly kills Darsow when he botches it and basically stomps on Darsow’s neck.  He gets the three count and advances toward the X division title I guess?  This match was full of sick spots.  It had to be the match of the night.  5 stars for stretchers over substance.


-Backstage, someone off camera is holding a mic and asking a couple hookers some questions about some kind of Tag Match?  Oh wait, those aren’t hookers, Its Tara and Bev Tessmacher.  They’re just DRESSED like hookers.  Anywho...  The two babble on for a few minutes but I just skip ahead to where they start making out.


-A video package reminds us that CancerFace got a job because of Gut Check.  Thankfully the video package was almost as long as the Gut Check segment.

-Meanwhile, back in the ring, it’s KNOCKOUTS TAG MATCH TIME!! Tara and Betty Tessmacher take on Gail Kim and Madison Rayne.  As the match is starting, Tenay lets us know that Gail is getting a title shot next Thursday on iMPACT.  I wonder if he knows there is a PPV on Sunday because neither announcer has even uttered the words more than twice so far this episode.  Strange knockouts action in this one with Gail busting out some ninja smoke bomb and hiding outside the ring while Maddy took a pounding to rival the one Earl is going to give her later.  As if the point didn’t need more driving home, Maddy received finishers from both Tara and Bernice.  But she did look especially hot while doing so, which is why this was the match of the night.  5 ample stars.


-A video package reminds us that Up and Comer James Storm still thinks he sucks.  But he doesn’t think he sucks as bad as Ed Hardy so he’s going to fight him later. Later TONGHT!!

-Meanwhile, back in the ring, it's AJ out to deny his manwhoring ways.  In the interest of my own sanity, I’ll boil this segment down to brass tacks.  AJ is going to fight Kristopher Daniels in a Last Man Standing match at Destination X.  This is really the first segment they talked about the PPV so I guess that’s good.


-Backstage, Hulk Hogan is babbling on about some inside stuff that no one cares about when some guy wearing a too-big red bandana but not being a Mexican comes in and says “were not cowards” and then starts hucking playing cards at him and yelling “Next week, Esse!!!” It was weird.


-It looks like it’s a Spotfest Weekly Double Feature because we have another X-Division “tournament” match.  Now BRING BACK THE SPOT MONKEYS!!  This so-called tournament doesn’t seem to have brackets or anything resembling structure but I guess even having advanced storytelling of any kind is a novelty on this program so we’ll let it ride this time.  Anyway, this match features Black Guy You’ve Never Heard Of taking on White Guy You’ve never heard of.  Big spots blah blah blah, very exciting, blah blah blah, sick spot, blah blah blah, black guy wins!  Match of the Night!  5 stars for blah blah blah.


-A video package reminds us that Austin Aries will be going for the World Title this Sunday at Destination X.  It also reveals that Aries likes to bike around, shirtless, wearing a tiny backpack.  I guess that's his jet pack?  Not that there’s anything wrong with that...

-Meanwhile, back in the ring, IT’S MAIN EVENT TIME!! The Young Phenom James Storm takes on Ed Hardy Brought to you by Beautytone Paints and Stains in a Bound for Glory match.  Lots of back and forth action in this one.  At one point, Taz gets in to a dissertation about how the Twist of Fate can be hit out of nowhere but a Superkick out of nowhere requires some set-up.  I never would have thought that but I guess that’s why he does colour commentary and I write snarky satire.  There was lots of back and forth hard-hitting action in this one.  The ending comes when Storm takes much too long setting up a Superkick out of nowhere and gets hit with a Twist of Fate for his trouble.  This was a fast paced and exciting match.  It was certainly the match of the night.  5 stars for convolution.

-After the match, a very strange thing happens when Taz and Tenay actually spend some time running down the card of Destination X.  I’m frightened and disoriented.  I don’t know what to make of all this organization.

-Meanwhile, back in the ring, Hulk Hogan is here and he wants Aries out to relinquish his X Division Title.  He’s also here to spew a bunch of inside shit that no one cares about yet again until finally Ravishing Bobby Roode comes out to save us from the pain.  He reminds Hogan what a boring old joke he is until Triple A Austin Aries comes out to remind him that he’s going to take his belt on Sunday.  Great stuff all around here.  Now if they had have done this segment at the beginning of the show instead of the end, it would have been even better but one step at a time I guess.  This show was, honestly, a solid outing with a bunch of silly bullshit mixed in.  I am genuinely looking forward to Sunday.  I haven’t been able to say that for a while.


Anyway...

That happened.

You can follow me on Twitter at @2hot2k, or send your questions or comments to mnfscott@gmail.com 


See you on the Male Bag with your Destination X Recap!!


Your Pal 


2HoT

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Wait 'Til Next Year - Episode 22: Creeped Out

In this episode, Nate and Solly get you ready for the MLB All-Star Game by discussing this year’s American League and National League rosters.  Who’s in?  Who should be in?  And why the current voting system is a joke.  They also discuss the retirement of the Trainwreck....er....D-Train, Dontrelle Willis.






On a side note, this is the first episode that was completely edited by me.  If there are any issues, let me know.

Download it at Flawedcast.net


Find it on iTunes


Listen on Stitcher


Discuss here!

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2Hot's iMPACT Recap - June 21st, 2012

iMPACT Recap June 21st, 2012


Brought to you by BRAWNDO, the THIRST MUTILATOR!!


iMPACT is LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVE!!


Hey Fuckers!  It’s the network’s only TNA fan here with YOUR iMPACT RECAP!!, Now cue MY Music!


-Remember how on last week’s show a young up-and-comer returned to the ring to set his sights on reaching the top, and the world’s greatest curtain jerker was given a week to decide whether or not he wants to be the actual main event, or continue to flounder in the undercard.  You don't?  Well you'll be sorry!


-It’s OPEN FIGHT NIGHT and HULK HOGAN is HEEEEEEEERE!!!


-Tonight, we have open fights, the BFG series, and Gut Check!  How can this show only be two hours?!?  Hogan is in the ring begging for change, and he says that all that stuff that happened to Sting last week will never be spoken of again.  I not so secretly wish that was how they ended every show every week.  It really is the best use of Sting at this point.  Apparently Hogan is also waiting for an answer from Triple A, Duuuuude!  Aries comes out and the iMPACT zONE fANS start up an Austin Aries clap clap clapclapclap chant and he reminds them that he already knows his name, unlike Every Segment Whatshisname.  So instead of taking option A or B, Aries lets us all know that the standard now is that at Destination X every year, the X division champ will have the option to give up his title for a World title shot, oh and Aries is going to fight Bobby Roode at Destination X.  This of course brings out the Ravishing one, and he wants to tell all you ugly, stupid, Florida fatties, to shut your mouths and let the ladies see how a real man cuts an opening segment 20 minute promo.  Aries tells Roode that since it’s open fight night, the two should get in the ring RIGHT NOW!  This, of course, causes words to come to blows (not that kind, you pervert). As Aries and Roode and are being separated, Mr Kenderson decides to poke his mic in to their business.  He doesn’t really have anything to add except to change the subject and say that he’s going to win the Bound for Glory Series.  That’s funny because I didn’t realize he’d changed his name to James Storm. 


-Mike “The Spoiler” Tenay tells us to pay attention to the graphic that explains the points system for the Bound for Glory series.  As if this show wasn’t great enough already, now we get to do math too?!?  I love it when TV gives me homework!


-Meanwhile, back in the ring, Mr Kenderson is still here and he wants to challenge someone to a Bound for Glory Open Fight Night Open Fight Glory Challenge. Or something like that...  Anyway, he’s calling out Kristopher Daniels because he thinks outing adulterers is wrong.  Since Kris can’t refuse, it’s on!  This is your typical Bound for Glory challenge match with lots of hard hitting action.  Mike Tenay reminds us that you can use social media to let everyone know what you think of #impactlive.  Incidentially, this week I used my twitter account, @2hot2k, to let Hulk Hogan know exactly how awesome I think it is that he hired his smart and thin and talented daughter to handle running the Knockouts division.  Her wealth of experience is going do unbelievable things to, I mean for, that division.  While I was rambling there, Mr Kenderson hit a Mic Check on Kris and got 7 points worth of pinfall victory.  This was, without a doubt, the flimsily premised match of the night.  5 questionable stars.


-Back stage, the She-hulk has gathered all the Knockouts to decide who should get a title shot.  I seem to remember a less cunty version of this segment happen two Open Fight Nights ago with the actual Hulk Hogan and a bunch of duuudes.  Brooke lets all the ladies know that she is in charge and she isn’t going to take any of their bullshit.  She decides that Madison Rayne can’t have a title shot because as the longest reigning Knockouts Title holder of all time, she’s already held it too long, and is eliminated.  What an uplifting segment!


-Robbie E is in the ring figuring that since he is such a douchebag, he should have a BFG match.  He intelligently decides that he should open it up to anyone.  Thankfully,  Kurt Angle answers the call, comes out to the ring, tears Robbies leg off, and shoves it up his ass.  Thank you Kurt.  Thank you so much.  You made this the Match of the Night.  5 Squishy Stars.


-This week, The Gut Check Challenger is a Woman??  She also doesn’t know how to spell Taylor.  Oh and she had cancer.  She decided to become a pro wrestler because she saw it on TV, and also she had cancer.


-Magnus is here and he takes 10 minutes to tell us he isn’t gay, he’s just English, and that he wants to challenge AJ Styles to yet another BFG match.  By the way, Bound for Glory is in OCTOBER! Which means we are going to get BFG matches for the next four and a half months!  Isn’t that awesome!!  Continuitizing like a muthafucka!  This is just the kind of match you’d expect from two guys with secrets in their closets.  Lots of high impact maneuver and stiff shots.  The ending comes when the KK come out and distract AJ, allowing Magnus to hit his totally straight finisher and get the pin.  This was a solid outing from Magnus and it was also the straight up singles match of the night.  5 firm stars.


-It’s Gut Check Time!!  Backstage Jeremy Borash is in the ring to introduce “Cancer Girl” Taeler (see what I mean?) Hendrix!  She gets the pleasure of trying not to injure Tara!!  Lots of hot knockouts action in this one.  Hendrix manages to keep her chemo wig in place throughout the match but still ends up eating a Widows Peak and goes down to defeat.  This was probably the best Gut Check match by far.  It was easily the Gut Check match of the night.  5 stars for medical science!


-Backstage, Every Segment Whatshisname has found Renown Chicago Lawyer Joseph Park and wants him to know that he‘s sick of seeing him and that he’s sick of seeing Chris Youknowabyss. He says that if he sees either again, they aint gonna be seen by anyone else evah.  I wonder if Whatshisname knows he can be sued for uttering threats.  Maybe a renown Chicago lawyer should point that out to him.


-In the ring, Evil Foreigner, Samoan Joe is here to let us know that he wants to kick things off tonight by fighting this new, hot young talent, James Storm.  The show started an hour ago but I’m not gonna split hairs with a submission machine.  Regardless, Country Superstars, Montgomery Gentry, signal the arrival of James Storm.  He tries to let Joe know that he wants to be serious for a minute... but Joe just starts throwing educated feet.  Is it weird that his feet have more education than his brain does?  So far tonight, everyone who’s called someone else out tonight has won their match.  Unfortunately he called out a kid on the rise to superstardom so after ten minutes of hard hitting action, he got sweetchinmusicked for his troubles. A bad night for Joe, and a match of the night for us! 5 stars for upsets?


-A video package recaps all the sordid shenanigans between Dixie and AJ so I don’t have to.


-As if that segment wasn’t uplifting enough, we find ourselves back in the office with the Hulkstress, still trying to determine who gets a title shot against Brandy Tessmacher tonight. She gets all cunty with ODB and decides that ODB doesn’t need to be on TV for a while.  It’s just the kind of feel good television that’s really going to take this company to the next level.


-In the ring, Whatshisname is here.  He asks the audience if someone for the love of god could tell him who he is.  He too wants a BFG match tonight.  He wonders who he should challenge.  He decides he wants to get all biblical up in here so he challenges “The Pope”, DiAngelo DiNegro.  Whatshisname doesn’t even wait for DiNegro to finish getting ready before jumping him from behind and laying a lashing on him. Pope manages to battle back just in time for Chris Youknowabyss to show up.  The interloper takes a couple of shots from Whatshisname before chasing him back in to the ring, just in time for the Pope to segregate his head from his neck with a clothesline.  DiNegro wins!  On the surface, this match may not have seemed like much but if you go beyond skin deep, you’ll know this was the match of the night.  5 stars for adding a splash of colour to this storyline.


-Hulk Hogan is back stage following a cloud of smoke all the way to Bob Van Damn and Ed Hardy.  He must have got a contact high because he decides that the two should wrestle tonight as the main event from last month.


- Up next, we get to see half of the country video Vanilla Sky was forced to shoot with Montgomery Gentry because the only thing better than having to watch a country video is having to watch half a country video then cutting it off to drive traffic to a website.  Very clever, TNA!


-It looks like Mickey James is going to be taking on Brenda Tessmacher for the Knockouts title.   It’s very difficult to defend your title against an opponent you just found out about moments ago.  Almost as difficult as it is to get heat in a match that has no reason to happen.  Lots of great Knockouts action in this one.  The two put on a botched chain wrestling clinic.  James dominates most of the action but late in the match Brigitte manages to mount a comeback that culminates with her nearly killing Mickey with a roll up.  Betty retains.  This was an outstanding and fast paced match, easily the Knockouts match of the night.  5 stars if you grade on a curve.


-Finally it’s Main Event Time.  This Up In Smoke Bound For Glory match features Ed Hardy and Bob Van Damn.  They had the very same match a month or so ago but they were as high then as they are now.  Oh yeah, and Hardy wins again.  Tonight, just as it was a month ago, we have your match of the night.  5 stars for Deja Vu.


-What do you mean the show isn’t over.  It’s only 2 hours, right?  Are you sure?  It feels like an eternity.  Thank God nobody sends ME letters...


-Oh right, lucky us, we get to witness AJ and Dixie unburden their souls in the middle of the squared circle.  It was a lot of muttering for 15 minutes or so about how we don’t have to do this and about how we don’t owe anyone an explanation before some other random chick comes out and basically says that she’s a pregnant crack head and they were just trying to protect her secret even though no one has ever heard of her.  Kaz and Kris run to the ring to attack AJ because they are as outraged and flat out flabbergasted at the depth of stupidity this company can reach as I am.


-I am literally sick with rage right now.  I am not sure at this point if you will see another iMPACT recap from me.  I don’t think I can take one more minute of this.




Anyway...


That happened.


You can follow me on Twitter at @2hot2k, or send your questions or comments to 2hot@flawedcast.net


See you next week??


Your Pal 


2HoT

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The View From Down Here - Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads.

I haven't really been posting much lately, because, truth be told, there hasn't been much worth writing about.  But with the MLB amateur draft recently finishing up, and the Cubs' signing of Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, I decided now would be as good a time as any.  I talked about this briefly with Solly on "Wait 'Til Next Year", but I can expand on it a little more here.

As Cub fans, we are always looking towards the future.  But it's hard not to be legitimately excited after Soler's signing, even more than just the usual Cub fan optimism.  

In the past, the old regime would try to plug holes by buying aging veterans who were past their prime, or call up prospects before they were ready (see Pie, Felix). Previous ownership would never commit to a full on rebuild.  But with this year's Cubs eating a good portion of Carlos Zambrano's contract, letting Aramis Ramirez walk, and reportedly being willing to eat a good chunk of Alfanso Soriano's albatross contract, Tom Ricketts has made it obvious that this is not your father's Cub front office.

In the next three years, this organization will have added elite level talent in Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Soler, and Albert Almora.  They also still have, the top holdover from the Jim Hendry era - Brett Jackson.  They will likely have the top pick in a very impressive draft next year and likely one to two additional B to A level specs from trades this season.  Not to mention, they will have shed every terrible contract on the books.  Plus, they will have additional revenue streams from the Wrigley remodel, All-Star Game cash (rumor is they will be getting the 2016 All-Star Game to celebrate 100 years at Wrigley Field), and they will be gearing up for a Cubs network.  It's not hard to believe that by 2015, the Cubs could have an outstanding lineup for years, led by the following core group:

SS - Starlin Castro: It's hard to believe that Castro is still only 22 years old and not even in his prime.  Last season, he became the youngest player ever to lead the National League in hits with 207. He has hit .300 or better in both of his full major league seasons and is currently hitting .302, but believe it or not, he's still a work in progress at the plate.  He could stand to work a bit more on his plate discipline, but he could also easily develop more power as he gets older.  Add to the fact that his defense has been steadily improving each season, and you can see why Castro, already a perennial All-Star, is one of the pieces the Cubs will be building around.

1B - Anthony Rizzo: Originally drafted by the Cubs' triumvirate of Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, and Jason McLeod when they were all running the show in Boston, Rizzo has been acquired by Hoyer and McLeod both in San Diego (for Adrien Gonzalez) and now in Chicago (for Andrew Cashner).  Considering the level of talent that has been given up for him both times, it's obvious the Cubs' brass thinks the world of him.

Rizzo is obviously the minor leaguer closest to being called up to the big club.  In fact, it will most likely happen sometime in the next couple weeks. (If Rizzo is called up before Saturday - June 23 - he will become a free agent in 2017 instead of 2018.  If you don't think that plays into the Cubs' decision about when to promote him, you're sorely mistaken.)  The 24-year old has been tearing up Triple-A pitching all season, leading all minor leaguers with 23 home runs heading into play Monday. He is batting .364 with 59 RBIs and a 1.170 OPS.  (Not to mention he's a lefty.)  All this goes along with Gold Glove caliber defense.  Seeing those numbers, it's easy to become giddy at the thought of Rizzo manning 1B for years to come.

LF - Brett Jackson:  Brett Jackson is the next in line to be called up after Rizzo.  If I were to venture a guess, I would say it will probably be in September.  Currently a centerfielder that has been compared to Bernie Williams (although he is likely to be moved to LF once Almora and/or Soler make the big league club), Jackson has the tools to put up good all around numbers and be on the verge of making the All-Star game every year, but I wouldn't expect him to be a perennial participant.  Jackson's strikeout rate is a little high for the current brass' liking, so there is even a possibility that he could be moved in the off-season if they think they can improve the future of the organization.

2B - Junior Lake: Signed out of the Dominican Republic 3 months after Starlin Castro, Lake is currently a shortstop for the Class AA Tennessee Smokies.  Rumor has it that the Cubs view last year's top draft pick, Javier Baez, as a third baseman, Lake's other natural position, so it is likely that Lake will begin to get some work at 2B before too long.  While still fairly raw, he has made great strides in every level of minor league ball after he has been promoted, and currently has a line of .301/.357/.818 with 4 HR, 7 doubles, and 2 triples in 143 at bats.  His ability to get on base and to hit to all fields should have Cub fans salivating for his eventual development.
 

3B - Javier Baez: Another shortstop, this one currently playing for the Class A Peoria Chiefs, Baez has the skill set and power to be moved to the hot corner before too long.  As a high school senior at Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, FL, Baez hit .771 (64-for-83) with 22 homers, 20 doubles and six triples.  With a glaring lack of impact bats in the farm system, it's easy to see why the Cubs made him their first round selection last year.  If the Cubs truly do view Baez as a third baseman, look for current third base prospect, Josh Vitters, to be traded in the next couple years.


CF - Albert Almora: Considered one of the most well rounded prospects in this year's amateur draft, the Cubs took Almora with the sixth pick overall.  Because of his all around athleticism, many scouts have compared him to Carlos Beltran.  The Cubs would be absolutely thrilled if he lives up to that potential.


RF - Jorge Soler: Along with current Oakland A's outfielder, Yoenis Cespedes, Soler was considered a top flight prospect when he defected from Cuba earlier this year.  In fact, there are several scouts that would have put him as a top 5 pick in this year's amateur draft.  While he is a centerfielder right now, his age and height make it possible that he could easily be moved to a corner outfield spot by the time he is done growing.  If his power swing develops as expected (and he has already shown flashes of video game type power at the plate), he could hit like one, too.  With a possible left to right of Jackson / Almora / Soler, the Cubs could have one of the most feared outfields in a few years.

Now, most likely, not all of these prospects will pan out.  Not to mention, the players they get back in a Ryan Dempster and/or Matt Garza trade this season could jump in front of some of  these guys (although, those will most likely be trades for more pitching).  But, even if only half of them produce at the expected level, the Cubs are going to make Robert Zemeckis look like a genius.

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2Hot's iMPACT Recap June 14th , 2012

iMPACT Recap June 14th , 2012

iMPACT is LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVE!!

Hey Fuckers!

It’s the network’s only TNA fan here with YOUR iMPACT RECAP!!, Now cue MY Music!

-Remember how at Slammiversary, some guy made an open challenge because no one cared enough about  enough in 16 months to him to give him a meaningful feud?  And remember how James Storm returned to TNA and was all “If I can be serious for a minute...” and then kicked the guy’s head in to the balcony seats?  Yeah me neither.

-Tonight on iMPACT we’ll see an OMG ULTIMATE X MATCH FOR THE X DIVISION TITLE TONIGHT!  We’ll also see the return of the Bound for Glory series.  There will be a big BFG Gauntlet match TONIGHT!  And TONIGHT Mr Kenderson will take on Ravishing Bobby Roode for the TNA World Title. TONIGHT!!!

TONIGHT!!!

-Bring on the SPOT MONKEYS!  The Ultimate X match features Chris Sabin, Zema “The Paralyzer” Ion, and of course, the champ, Triple A Austin Aries. TNA cares about enough about its talent to give the challengers the Ryback treatment and have them already in the ring when it’s time for entrance music.  A company that’s hemorrhaging cash doesn’t want to go wasting electricity and pyro on entrances for people who need no introduction.  Good thinking TNA.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Ultimate X match variation, it’s like a Ladder match without ladders, or a Money in the Bank match without a brief case, or a variation of the “on a pole” format except without a pole. The match begins and progresses about how you’d expect.  A combatant would hit his high spots then get out of the way for the next to do the same.  This cycle would repeat for about four and a half hours.  During the match, Mike Tenay reminded us that every time he sees Zema wrestle, he is reminded of how Jesse Sorenson broke his neck in a match with him.  No Tenay, Jesse didn’t break his neck, Zema broke Jesse’s neck.  You blame the victim better than Chris Brown you classy, classy man.  I would have thought this would have been a great time to have someone finally go over Aries so that he can move on to the main event picture.  Chris Sabin, having been in 15 Ultimate X matches and won 6 of them, would seem like the logical choice.  But obviously it’s much MORE sensible to let Aries win and keep the belt on him while the division slowly atrophies beneath him.  So of course this is what happened.  Since matches like these benefit so greatly from long buildups where there are clear reasons why each participant is present, this is obviously the overbooked, gimmicky surprise match of the night. 5 intact spinal cords.


- Since wrestlers always cut better promos after their matches when they are out of breath, Triple A Austin Aries grabs a mic after successfully defending his X Division title. He reminds us again that no matter when he wrestles, it’s always the main event because he still doesn’t know what main event means.  He tells us he’s the greatest man who ever lived.  He tells us that he’s grown tired of the X Division and that he is also tired of how slow everyone moves in this company.  This is of course triggers Hulk Hogan’s 45 minute entrance.  Hogan comes out to the ring and starts babbling a bunch of boring, inside shit that no one cares about.  A Hogan chant gets going and Aries says “He knows his name.”  Classic!  The bottom line is that Aries can have a world title shot at Destination X, but he has to relinquish the X Division title in order to have the shot.  Hogan gives him one week to decide.  I am a bit surprised about this.  Shouldn’t they be having this discussion once Destination X has already started?  All this pre planning is frightening...

-LATER!  We’re going to hear from Sting!   This graphic means it’s important!

-Somewhere back stage, Renown Chicago Lawyer Joseph Park is holding court iiff youuu wheeeel, when Every Segment Whatshisname shows up demanding that Park reveal the location of Chris Youknowabyss.  Whatshisname flips the table over and you film nerds will recognize this as a metaphor for the tables turning in this story line as once it was Park looking for his brother, and now it’s that other guy trying to find him instead.  Are we sure Orson Wells isn’t writing this?

-In the ring, it’s time for another championship match!  This time it’s the TV title on the line as RBD takes on another Ro...HOLD THE DAMNED PHONE IT’S SUPER MEX, HERNANDEZ!!!  This is your textbook Big man Vs Big Man match from two tag team specialists.  Lots of smashmouth action in this one with one big power move after another. For no particular reason, RBD hits a dominator out of nowhere and gets the three count.  Champ retains.  This was easily the match of the night if for no other reason than it had no one named Robbie in it.  5 stars for keeping it fresh.

-A video package is kind enough to recap the storyline between Kaz, Kris, AJ, and Dixie so I don’t have to.  After the package ends, Dixie is backstage telling AJ that if he wins his match tonight, she’s going to give him head.  At least I think that’s what she said.  I wasn’t really listening.

-IT’S BFG Gauntlet Match time!  It kicks off with AJ and Ed Hardy.  The two go back and forth for a while with AJ using his patented offense and Hardy choosing to employ drunken style (obviously).  After some undetermined interval, BVD comes out to the ring.  We take a commercial and when we come back, Magnus, and Whatshisname have entered the fight also.  It turns out that participants can be eliminated by being tossed over the top rope.  This sounds familiar...  Also, the winner gets 20 points!  I think the points must be used to buff stats or something.  I can’t see why else they’d need them.  Oh and Kurt Angle is here now and no one has been eliminated.  Like 30 seconds after he gets there, the Pope IS HERE!!  DiAngelo DiNegro has entered the competition.  LOOK AT ALL THE GUYS!!  From out of nowhere, Chris Youknowabyss is here!  He grabs Whatshisname and drags him over the top rope, eliminating him from the fight.  We go to commercial again and when we return we are greeted with having a Robbie in the ring, and BVD unceremoniously eliminated.  Soon after Kristopher Daniels enters the ring and does his best Kane impression, eliminating both AJ and Angle.  The Evil Forigner Samoan Joe enters the ring, thankfully taking out his frustration on Robbie E, eliminating him from the match.  The off colour quote of the night comes from Taz when he says “Look at these two guys banging out here!” James Storm comes out next and I guess last and starts cleaning house.  He finally wins when he sweetchinmusicks Samoan Joe over the top rope.  This was a fantastic outing for the young up and comer.  This is a big win that is really going to go a long way towards moving him in to that main event picture.  This was easily the Royal Rumble err, I mean, BFG Gauntlet match of the night!  5 elevating stars.

-Since wrestlers obviously always do their best promos when they are out of breath after their matches, James Storm gets on the mic.  He lets us know he wants to be serious for a minute...  He reminds us that he spent the last 6 weeks at home crying and complaining about how much he sucks, but then he saw a couple episodes of iMPACT and realized that you really don’t have to be that good to fight in TNA so he has set his sights on becoming the World Heavyweight Champion.  He knows he has to pay his dues first though, being the young upstart that he is, so he’s going to go through this Bound for Glory nonsense and hope that he finds Ravishing Bobby Roode at the end.

-Speaking of Ravishing Bobby Roode, he’s backstage staring off in to space for some reason when he is approached TMZ style and asked what he makes of all this.  He lets us know that he thinks this James Storm guy has a good look, and lots of potential perhaps, but if he thinks he’s ready for a title shot, then he has another thing coming.  Oh and while we’re at it, Roode reminds us that later tonight he’s going to tell all you fat ugly sweathogs to shut your mouths and let the ladies see how a real man punishes an asshole.  I think I saw a video of that one time...

-Slow pan on Christy Hemme...  The long bangs are really working for ya... Oh, and it’s Knockouts time!  This match features Madison Rayne taking on Brooke (Don’t call Me Miss) Tessmacher.  I learned earlier today from my close personal friend Scott Steiner that The She-Hulk Brook Hogan has decreed that Brooke Tessmacher is not allowed to use her actual real first name as her wrestling name because this company is only big enough for one Brooke apparently.  Granted that Brooke is approaching Orton-like dimensions... I knew bringing in the Hulkstress was going to be amazing.  Anyway, there is lots of hot knockouts action in this one with B-Tizzle controlling the majority of the offense.  The ending came when Brooker T killed Rayne with another new finisher.  This was by far the match of the night.  5 stars for pseudonyms...

-Back stage, the actual Brooke Hogan gets all cunty with Gail Kim and basically tells her that she’s taking her off TV.  It’s really uncomfortable and it makes me feel really awesome and hopeful about the direction the Knockouts division is taking...

-Sweet merciful heaven, this show is almost over because it’s MAIN EVENT TIME!!  Backstage Jeremy Borash is in the ring for the official introductions.  Surprisingly Kenderson doesn’t make a fuss about it.  The match starts off at a frenetic pace.  It manages to maintain the pace for most of the match.  Lots of big spots and near falls.  Roode spends a lot of time working on the neck and upper back of Kenderson, according to Taz, this is presumably softening him up for the world’s most devastating fisherman’s suplex.  The pace picks up as we approach the end when again Roode busts out a Crippler Crossface.  I guess he just uses it now.  He’s Canadian so I’ll allow it I suppose.  Kenderson gets out of it once but Roode manages to lock it down again and this time, Kenderson is forced to tap.  This was an outstanding match and I am happy to see a great Canadian champion starting to use a killer of a finisher.  This was without a doubt the match of the night.  5 crippling stars!

-Just when you think the show is over, THIS IS STING! makes his way out to the ring to talk about how shocked he was to find out that he was the first inductee in to the new TNA Hall of Shame,  I mean Fame.  He’s blathering on thanking people when three identically dressed, masked men come out and beat the living crap out of him.  I guess dreams really do come true...

Anyway...

That happened.

You can follow me on Twitter at @2hot2k, or send your questions or comments to 2hot@flawedcast.net

See you next week!!

Your Pal

2HoT

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From the Porch: Seattle

Well, rats, Giants lose 2 out of 3 in Seattle to the last-place AL West team. Friday night was a typical Ryan Vogelsong start; he always has his shaky moments and gets himself in trouble but pushes through it. He went seven innings, as he always seems to do, and got the win. He's 6-2 with a 2.29 ERA. On offense, Melky and Buster had homers; Melky's cooled down, but how can you complain?

Saturday was this year's typical Lincecum game; he gave up two homers in the first inning and then looked like his ol' self for a while; Giants scratch back and give him a lead and he blows it immediately. 2-8 now with a 6.19 ERA, amazing.

And Sunday was a Father's Day pitching duel, Madison Bumgarner was great, going 8 innings and giving up only a run, but Felix Hernandez was great for the Mariners as well. Giants had what they needed -- bases loaded with one out in the 9th and their best hitter, Melky, up, but he struck out on three pitches.

On now to more interleague against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cain coming off his perfecto goes against old Giant Jerome Williams. TV: 7 p.m., CSN-BA.

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FTP: Sweepless to Seattle

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Astros 6, Giants 3 at AT&T Park; SF takes series 2-1

HOU (27-36) 014 000 010  6 8 0

SF (36-28) 000 201 000  3 7 0

WP: Rodriguez (6-4)

LP: Zito (5-4)

SV: Myers (16)

HR: Downs (4), Martinez (7); Belt (3)

Rodriguez: 6ip 6h 3er 2bb 3k 3.35 era

Zito: 5ip 5h 5er 3bb 3k 3.61 era

In the NL West: Arizona-Texas and San Diego-Seattle tonight. Dodgers off. Giants 4 back.

Comments: Damn, damn, damn. Why in the hell can't the Giants just go ahead and destroy these horrible teams? No idea. But there might be a clue in Barry Zito's performance, three walks in the third and then a grand slam. Christ. Tampa Bay is a wonderful team with a $40 million total payroll; Giants have two pitchers who make that (Lincecum and Zito) together and add up to pretty automatic losses. Fan-friggin-tastic. I guess a minor offensive highlight in Belt hitting home runs in three games in a row, his first three of the season.

Baseball quote of the day: "Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it." (Bill Terry)

Next game: Giants at Mariners, 7:10 p.m. PDT Friday, June 15 at Safeco Field. Vogelsong, RHP (5-2, 2.26) vs. Vargas, LHP (7-5, 3.90). TV: Suckwad low-def channels all around.

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