Top 20 of 2008: Upper Deck Tony Romo

One of my favorite players in the NFL is Tony Romo. You've already seen a realistic McFarlane Sports figure on this list, now comes the Upper Deck Urban Vinylz Tony Romo.

The figure is about 10 inches tall perfectly capturing the stylized rendering of artist Sean "Cheeks" Galloway. Galloway is great, and so are these Upper Deck figures. Besides being incredibly stylized and cartoony, there is also an impressive level of detail. Small touches like the blue label with players last name which appears on the back of the Cowboys helmets were a nice touch. I might be one of the only fans (geeks) to find this impressive, but whatever. Love these figs.

Lars and the Real Girl

In my tour of movies I haven't seen, I tuned in to Lars and the Real Girl last night. The same way I was extremely impressed with The Kingdom last week I must admit to being incredibly surprised at how much I enjoyed Lars.

Ryan Gosling as Lars, the young man suffering from a delusion disorder who thinks he is in love with a real girl doll, was absolutely amazing. Kelli Garner as Margo and Emily Mortimer as his sister in law were also great. After his performance in Half Nelson and now Lars and the Real Girl, Ryan Gosling is easily one of the finest young actors in Hollywood.

If you haven't yet seen Lars, give it a whirl, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Top 20 of 2008: Sith Infiltrator with Darth Maul

I love Legos. I love Star Wars... specifically the sith. This is another perfect toy marriage. Great toy line, great franchise. Perfect toy.

The story behind this set is even better though. My wife was in Boston for a photo shoot. While killing time in the mall she calls me and says they have a Lego store. I excitedly ask her to visit it for me to see if they have any exclusives. Lo and behold she finds a Sith Infiltrator with Darth Maul. The same set that sells for over $80 on ebay she found for list price... absolute insanity. She not only brought this set, but a set of humans for Scrappy and I to play with. Yeah, she's awesome.

Surprise Shower

The fine folks at my current workplace (oh no I'm not supposed to blog about that place) invited me out for a burger tonight (at the wonderful Wall Street Burger Shoppe) where they had set up a impromptu baby shower for my wife and I.

We received a great Superman outfit for the baby (cape and all) as well as an awesome Yankee outfit... does my future son need anything else to where. I don't think so. Long live Superman... long live the Yankees.

Thanks to my co-workers who helped me forget my rough day with fine beer, great burgers and their great company. I was very touched, and thank them greatly.

P.S. As we get home, we found 3 packages from my wife's family in Chicago. So many more adorable outfits... I can't wait for that little guy to be born and home.

Fantasy Land

Just completed my first fantasy draft of the upcoming season. I missed the first few rounds because I was at the grocery store, but overall, I'm very happy with the team. I have a proposal on the table to trade Aaron Rodgers and Ladanian Tomlinson for Tony Romo and Jerious Norwood. On paper the trade seems crazy, but I love Romo and my Cowboys... the deal may be too tempting to pass up. I'll post up the rest of the squad later on this week.

Top 20 of 2008: Cobra EELs

I love G.I. Joe toys.... a lot. My favorites have always been the naval specialist. Hence Wet Suit is my favorite Joe of all time. I also have always had a soft spot in my heart for Shipwreck, Deep Six, Torpedo as well as the Cobra EELs.

This is the best ever version of the EELs from the 25th Anniversary line. With all its accessories on it has an uncanny resemblance to the Joes Wet Suit (probably why I like this figure so much). So much so that my wife suggested I buy a second EEL and have her repaint it as Wet Suit. It was a great idea, but these figures proved to be such a hit that they became quite collectible. A repaint never happened, and a Wet Suit has been included in the Assault on Cobra Island 7 pack that has been released (I have not yet purchased). This figure was tricked out with accessories, had great articulation and color scheme. Great figure all around.

Top 20 of 2008: Snake Eyes Mighty Mugg

One of my favorite toy lines of the past few years are Mighty Muggs. As my readers know, my favorite toy line of all-time are the G.I. Joes. This figure was the perfect marriage. Characters from my favorite toy line in a new great style.

When these figures were announced, I was ecstatic. Simply put, I love Mighty Muggs. Each one is a great piece of plastic art. I ran out of the house early on Christmas Eve to pick these up on the first day of release. My wife has a pic of an euphoric me as I came home with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. This Snake Eyes piece is no exception. Its incredibly done. Greatly painted, great accessories, and as the package says 100% Awesome.

The Kingdom

I just saw the movie The Kingdom by Peter Berg, starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. I know I'm like two years late, but I finally pulled off the cue and gave it a whirl. I must say, I really liked.

The thing I kept wondering was, why wasn't G.I.Joe just like this. A realistic portrayal of U.S. problem solvers to a terrorist problem. Real detective work, lots of hands on realistic fighting by a team of specialist. This movie is what G.I. Joe should have been.

The Streak Ends

Earlier this week my blogging streak ended at 20 days in a row. It was by far the longest consecutive string of posting for me. Some days brought multiple blogs, but most only had one.

The last few months, as work got busier, my blogging output lessened. I believe I had just one post in May and another one in June. That turned as I started to be more proactive, work started to slow a bit, and I made more of an effort.

I will continue to make an effort, while trying to be timely and informative.

Favre Un-retires (again)

In what has become a summer time tradition, Brett Favre has un-retired again. This time he joins the Minnesota Vikings. He passed a physical earlier this afternoon and signed on for a chance to lead this very capable team to the Super Bowl.

He's a definite upgrade over Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. He is also backed by Adrian Peterson the best running back in the game, and the best back Favre has ever handed off to. The Vikings won their division last season. This move puts them in the same spot in my eyes. They should be able to fight off a very game Bears team and have about 11 wins and a trip to the playoffs. With their strong defense, this could be a team that makes a lot of noise.

Bernard Berrian should see a big rise in his production. 70+receptions 1,100 yards and 10 TD's should be reachable. The other player to see a big bump should be Vishante Shiancoe. He should climb to 50-60 receptions and close to 600-700 yards. Maybe not a starting fantasy tightend, but a solid backup and bye week alternative.

Top 20 of 2008: Indiana Jones

One of my favorite movies of all time is Raiders of the Lost Ark. Its a brilliant film created by the genius minds of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

When figures based on Raiders were announced I knew I would want an Indy. My only Indy figure at that point had been the exclusive Disney World figure. Which most collectors know was a pretty flat version of the character. As previews for the figures were released I found myself falling in love with the Deluxe version of Indy on the horse. I hunted and hunted this figure down (my wife often says that I enjoy the hunt almost as much as the figures themselves). Multiple visits to Target and Toys R Us bore no fruit, so I finally had to give and order online.

I was incredibly pleased with the figure that was delivered. The holster with gun, the whip, the perfectly sculpted jacket and hat, the articulation in elbows and knees (which allow Indy to sit on said horse) all make for the best Harrison Ford figure ever.

Top 20 of 2008: Tony Romo

One of my favorite NFL Players is also one of my favorite toys of 2008. Tony Romo.

Although last season ended disappointingly this figure did not. McFarlane Sports continues to put out some of the top figures on the market. Season after season McFarlane toys are on point. As a fan of the Dallas Cowboys I try and pick up every Cowboy released. When this Romo was announced I excitedly snatched him up. This figure is sculpted perfectly, and has nice touches like Romo's huge wristband with a limited playbook. That's what I love most about McFarlane toys, the spot on touches. These figures have a higher attention to detail than anything out at the moment.

As an aside, I just want to say that I expect good things from the Cowboys this season. Especially Tony Romo. I expect him to step up and be the unquestioned leader of the squad. Without the large personality of T.O. there should be no one there to challenge him. 3,800 yards and 25-30 TD's are to be expected as well as a trip to the playoff (and hopefully a playoff win, it's been too long).

Top 20 of 2008: Wall-E

My favorite movie of 2008 also provided one of my favorite toys... Wall-E. My daughter actually got me this for Christmas.

This line of toys actually was created to appeal to the younger consumer, so it's a pretty simple figure. Articulation in the head and arms, as well as wheels for movement basically make up the figure. The color scheme captures the character perfectly as well. If you haven't seen this film, please do so, it was easily my favorite film of 2008 and this was easily one of the top toys.

Wednesday Comics

One of my favorite things in comic stores over the past few months has been Wednesday Comics. DC's oversized homage to the classic newspaper strips of yesteryear.

Not only is the size great, but the mix of characters is amazing. You have everything from DC top tier characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Supergirl) to middling characters (Hawkman, Demon, Catwoman) to lesser known characters (Kamandi, Metal Men, Deadman, Metamorpho) all in one single series.

The series also contains some of the top comic talent in the world. Lee Bermejo, Risso and Azzarello, the Kuberts, Gaiman, Allred, Steelfreeze, Paul Pope all contribute weekly installments.

Simply put it is the best thing on comic shelves today. The book I go to first in my pull list. I'm hopinh DC continues Wednesday Comics after this initial 12 weeks are done

Irredeemable

When Irredeemable was announced, I must say I was extremely intrigued by the premise. It was basically a story of what would happen if a superman felt betrayed by the public and simply tired of them and decided he was going to take over. He knows everyones secrets and desires, and is the most powerful man on the planet. He simply couldn't be stopped.

At the time I thought it sounded nice but I couldn't afford to add another book to my pull list. Then, a small week happened at the same time that the very affordable Irredeemable TPB was released. This book collected the first 4 issues for less than $10. I figured why the hell not, I've always been a big fan of Mark Waid's.

What I was treated to was a multi-layered story delving into the descent of an iconic super power (Plutonian) who felt betrayed by humanity and decided he had had enough. Hero, villain and civilian all worried (rightfully so) for their place in this new world. The story seems like a natural extension for Waid, based on the storytelling groundwork he laid in Kingdom Come and Empire (two of my favorite mini's of the past 20 years).

I was thrilled to have brought this title, and am now wondering, what title do I drop to continue to buy the next amazing chapters in the Irredeemable saga?

Top 20 of 2008: Lego Indy

One of the best things about Indiana Jones and The Curse of the Crystal Skull was that it re-raised public awareness of Indy and allowed new great figures to be created. One of these series was the Lego Indy series (which was also followed by a Lego Indy PS2 game).

As soon as I saw this figure I knew I had to have it. It was based on my favorite Indy film (The Last Crusade) and came packed with Indy's dad (Sean Connery) on a motorcycle with sidecar. Easily one of the best and most fun figures of the year.

Top 20 of 2008: British Bulldogs

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I was a huge Wrestling fans. Especially of tag-teams in the middle to late 80's.

One of the best teams of that generation was the British Bulldogs. They were a mix of technical groundwork, power and aerial moves. Comprised of Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid they took the WWE by storm from Stu Hart's Calgary Stampede promotion. They were only tag team champs once, as injuries shortened Dynamite's career.

This two pack was part of the Classic Superstars line from Jakks Pacific. It came packed with Matilda (their bulldog valet) as well as a World title belt for Davey. The real-life Bulldogs, and their plastic figure counterparts will always be amongst my favorite teams of all-time.

Top 20 of 2008: Darth Talon

One of the best expansions of the Star Wars brand has been the Star Wars Legacy title published by Dark Horse Comics. Hasbro in always looking for more material to create into action figures jumped all over this series and added characters from this comic into the Expanded Universe line.

As a follower of said series I was looking forward to a figure based on Darth Talon. I mean come on. She has all the earmarks of a great character. Sith, check. Female, check. Sith markings, check. She is like a badass combination of Darth Maul and Aayla Secura. It all adds up to one amazing figure.

BlueJays Redesign

An article on ESPN.com sparked some interst in redesigning awful sports uniforms and logos.
In this aticle, ESPN went on to list the 10 worst logos and uniforms in all of sports. On this list was the uniforms of the Toronto Bluejays.
The main complaint of the writer of the piece was that the Blue Jays current uniform (below) has little to no blue and does not embrace the Canadian heritage of the team. I thought this could be a quick and easy fix, so I threw together these redesigns.
I’ve always been a fan of the sleeveless uniform (kind of like a sweater vest) So I created a sleeveless look which would have a blue trim, as well as be worn with a blue t-shirt underneath. The Jays current logo (which I like a lot) would run across the front of the jersey. I also added a maple leaf with the player’s number centered within. Th back of the jersey was kept clean. Simply a players number with a slight gray drop shadow, I detest names on the back of baseball jerseys, so I left them off.
The hat has a modified logo on it. I ket the BlueJay head with the letter J and placed it within the maple leaf. I also left the front panel of the hat white while the rest of the hat would be blue.
The pants have a simple blue belt, with a blue thin stripe down the leg which leads to the blue high socks.
For the logo itself, I really wanted to incorporate the Maple leaf. It’s a minor change to the logo, but one I think helps play up the fact that this is Canada’s only MLB team

Noooooooooo Joe!

Last weekend marked the opening of the first ever live action G.I.Joe film. The fanboy in me was completely geeking out. While the skeptic in me totally knew this would be awful. Every preview I saw made me realize this wouldn't be the Joe I grew up with, still I couldn't resist.

I was able to talk my very expectant wife (34 weeks along) and my good buddy into going to the midnight showing with me. There is a movie theater close by the office, and I typically work late on Thursday, so everything was in allignment. I would finally get a chance to watch Snake Eyes versus Storm Shadow on the big screen, in live action.

Then the movie started... and my excitement level quickly waned. Let me preface my review by saying I'm a huge Joe fan. HUGE. I own 600 or so of the figures, and have just about every comic ever produced. I revere the classic 80's cartoon, which was such a huge piece of my childhood. I even liked the G.I. Joe Resolute that aired recently on the cartoon network. If done right, I love just about any version of G.I. Joe. This movie misses on a lot of levels.

First off, it seems the writers of the movies disregarded just about every piece of Joe history. This I simply don't understand. If you are going to make a movie out of one of the greatest pop culture series of all-time, why not use more of the source material. I love Snake Eyes and his mythology. To basically toss out the love story between he and Scarlett, to make use of a ridiculous Marlon Wayans, is a huge slap in the face. Also to have Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes meet as children is a huge mistake. We have to believe they could be brothers (a relationship forged over them being in a war together i.e. in the original Joes, SE and SS fight as teammates in Vietnam), and that Snake Eyes loses his whole family which leads him on a path to self discovery that leads him to the Arashikage dojo in Japan. Having a poor boy looking for a meal in Japan simply doesn't carry the same weight. Also while on the subject of Snake eyes, having him not speak because of a vow of silence is absurd. In the comics, he loses his voice while protecting Scarlett. Furthering the notion that the two of them are in love, and that he would do anything for her. All huge missed points in the film.

The other really huge problem I had with the film was Cobra Commander. Basically everything about him was awful. From his being the Baroness' brother, to being disguised as Dr. Mindbender (or whatever generic evil doctor that was), to his awful costume at the end (how do you forego the simple majesty of Cobra Commander's two iconic costumes. Either a hood or a shielded helmet... they had two options... argh). All things that missed the boat.

Another huge problem I had were the accelerator suits. They were simply not needed Joe's were always soldiers pushing themselves to their limits while battling an evil, ruthless terrorist organization. While I enjoyed the scene more than I thought I would (I was more put off by Scarlett's motorcycle riding which was ridiculous), I thought the suits were not needed and out of character. It was clearly the best action scene in the whole film, but it was superfluous and not G.I. Joe. Give me the same exact scene sans Scarlett on the motorcycle and the crazy suits and you have a scene literally pulled out of the old animated series.

With those broad strokes out of the way, lets take a look at some of the individual characters.

Duke: Channing Tatum was completely wooden, but believable when he was quiet and simply fighting like a soldier.
General Hawk: Dennis Quaid was fine as the Joe leader. It was actually pretty close to both the cartoon and comic.
Heavy Duty: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje used a ridiculous and unnecesarry accent. He would have been much better served using his own voice and sounding more like he did on Lost, as opposed to simply sounding lost with an awful accent.
Ripcord: Marlon Wayans was a complete waste. The movie did not need his comedy interjected within it. A bit player on the show and comic, he was given way too much play. If you needed to give Duke a buddy, why not go with Flint or his brother, Falcon.
Scarlett: Rachel Nichols was the closest to being spot on. She fought well, was smart and loving, was badass with a wrist mounted crossbow and was a red head. Short of her relationship with Snake Eyes, she was the character they most got right.
Snake Eyes: Ray Park did a great job with the physical aspects of the film. We learn very little about SE and they completely ruined his backstory, but Park does a great job with the action scenes. The mask on the costume was awful, but everything else was designed well.
Breaker: Saïd Taghmaoui was fine as the tech expert on the team. We learn little to nothing about him, and thats fine. He had one of the best geek out moments of the film when he popped in a piece of Double Bubble and blew a big bubble ala his character in the comics.
Baroness: Sienna Miller was right on as well. Besides Scarlett, she was the most dead-on of all the characters. Her costumes were perfect. The backstory was awful (dating Duke, having CC for a brother) but Sienna herself was great.
Destro: Christopher Eccleston was just OK. He should have been the star of this pre-Cobra prequel, but he falls a little flat. Eccleston played it a little closer to the vest. Also he wasn't physically on par with Destro. He was simply too small.
Cobra Commander: Joseph Gordon-Levitt was awful. It was like he mailed it in. Of course, he didn't have much to work with. Awful backstory, awful costumes. Simply awful all around.
Storm Shadow: Byung-hun Lee was basically what you'd expect from Storm Shadow. Had some nice modern ninja style outfits, overall his costume worked better than Snake Eyes. Played a much bigger role than SS typically did in previous Joe stories.
Zartan: Arnold Vosloo was a joke as the master of disguise. A simple hat, or an eye patch do not a master of disguise make. Interesting plot point with Zartan as the President.

All in all, I must admit to being thoroughly disappointed in the film. Had I been a 10 year old boy (what I guess the core demographic would be) I would have loved it. It hops all over the world, has an action scene every 12 minutes and enough eye candy to keep most happy. I unfortunately expected greater. This film missed for me on so many levels.

Top 20 of 2008: Cobra Commander

My favorite toy line of all-time is G.I. Joe. Now while the movie did not live up to expectations, that doesn't tarnish how I feel about the action figures. Specifically the 25th Anniversary line which I feel is the best incarnation of these figures ever. This specific Cobra Commander is from the G.I. Joe Resolute animated movie.

This is the 39th version of CC, and the absolute best. He has a removeable cloak and helmet, a saber and black pistol. The figure is dressed in more of a ceremonial garb and has the most articulation ever for a Cobra Commander figure.

Cobra Commander is the first of many of the 25th Anniversary Joes that will be on this list. As I tightened the reins on the toy budget, the one toy line I continued to support was the Joes. These figures were simply that good.

I'll sign back on tomorrow and post my thoughts on G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra tomorrow.

Top 20 of 2008: Supergirl

One of my favorite artists of the past 20 years is the incomparable Alex Ross. Every DC project he touches turns to gold. This was never more true than in the 12 issue Justice which he drew and co-wrote with partner Jim Krueger.

Justice was a classic JLA tale featuring an all-star cast of heroes and villains all unbelievably rendered in Alex's breathtaking style. The story offered more twists and turns than a trip to Six Flags. Justice was simply a classic JLA tale.

DC Direct went on to produce a number of characters from the Justice lineup. Due to a limited budget, I didn't buy many of these, but had a hard time passing up a late 70's era Supergirl. Low-cut puffy sleeved disco style shirt (with small S shield emblem) with a pair of red hotpants equal one of the most fashion forward hero costumes of all time. This figure while not having a ton of articulation perfectly captures Alex's artwork.

Top 20 of 2008: Ahsoka

Summer 2008 brought us another chapter to the ever growing Star Wars saga. This was the full CGI animated Clone Wars. This movie (and related TV series) is supposed to nestle in mid-way through the Gendy Tartovsky animated Clone Wars from 4 years ago.

The breakout character of this movie and series was clearly Ahsoka Tano. She seemed to be a character specifically meant to get girls to know and love the Star Wars universe. It clearly worked with Scrappy, as she was all about Ahsoka. She wanted the toys, the costumes, Pez dispensers, everything. I thought the character was a bit too much of a smart ass, and didn't know how to respect authority, while also being impetuous. Besides that, she also proved to be a fast learner, and quite handy in a fight.

Ahsoka's figure was clearly the hardest of all the Clone Wars figures to find. With only one per case she was quite rare. I was actually quite lucky to find not one, but two. This figure's pain scheme was spot on. It has a real cloth skirt. Ahsoka's lightsaber, and a backpack to carry Jabba's son baby Rotta. The figure also has articulation in the knees, elbows and neck. This figure was clearly one of the highlights of 2008 toy collecting.

Top 20 of 2008: Umaga

Ok... I know this list is months late. Like I've said before, I've been a little busy. Anyway, onto the toys.

I used to be a big wrestling fan. Even now, I'll still toss on Raw or Smackdown and watch a little every now and then. I've also always been a huge fan of wrestling toys. Usually my favorites being either wrestlers with face paint, or fat wrestlers. Enter Umaga.

Umaga used to be a member of 3 Minute Warning before going on to a pretty successful career as the solo monster with the Samoan Spike. I don't know too much else about him, what I do know, is that his action figure was fat with face paint... score!

Family Baseball

As I've done the past 2 seasons, I purchased MLB The Show for the PS2. Again, I built a team of backups and number 5 starters. I compile my list during spring training, so there are usually players who end up having a big impact on their teams who started the spring as backups or backend starters (Carlos Pena in 07, Jacoby Ellsbury 08, this year Edwin Jackson). There is one major change from the last few years.

Last year on the 4th of July, my wife, daughter and myself decided to play a homerun derby. I was clearly the worst of the swingers (even though I play the game the most). My daughter and wife easily outdistanced me. But that is only a little part of the story. My wife crushed me. She hit a Josh Hamilton like 28 bombs in a single round with Ken Griffey Jr. We joked for the rest of that season that I would let her hit for me when I was in a slump.

Fast forward to this season. With the team not hitting well and lacking big time power I was up against Brandon Backe of the Astros. He had dominated earlier this season, pitching a complete game 2 hitter (Nick Swisher hit a homerun to get us on the board) where the Astros beat the Cubs (my team for the year) 3-1. As I was complaining that I simply didn't pick up the ball from Backe, my wife says "Let me take some swings". She of course goes on to score 9 runs on 16 hits, thoroughly dominating the Stros. Thus making something of a super team. My wife's hitting with my pitching.

We've gone on to play almost 30 games this way (19-11) and have played really well. I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the season this way.

Loving Castle

My wife and I DVR'ed the full season of the ABC show Castle after seeing the commercials. It brought back memories of Moonlighting for me. Yet, when I finally saw the show, I decided I liked it a lot more than Moonlighting.

Rick Castle (brilliantly played by Nathan Fillon, formerly of Firefly) and Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) play off each other perfectly. Their interaction plus Castle's family life with his mother and daughter make this not only a great mystery/crime show, but also a wonderful family series. His kooky older mom, and worldy teenager often give Castle the tips necessary to solve the cases. Great chemistry, interesting cases and unexpected plot twists and turns make this one of the shows I'm most looking forward to returning this fall.

Hopefully they don't rush to put Castle and Beckett together romantically to soon. That proved to be the death knell on Moonlighting, I'm hoping this far superior show (sorry Bruce and Cybill) continues to play up the sexual tensions, while solving weird crime after crime.

Heineken party

I lifted this piece from ADW (only the most amazing publication on the market... you don't know about it, you should) it was written by my lovely wife.

With my brother-in-law’s Heineken themed 40th birthday party looming on the horizon, my husband and I wondered what do you get the man who’s failed to install your dishwasher? Then it hit LV: An Andy Warhol-style pop art piece featuring Heineken.

LV is convinced I know how to paint because of the finesse I showed with a Crayola watercolor paint brush four years ago. While I actually have no idea how to paint, I was up for the challenge. It seemed like a good chance to exercise these fantasies I have about how the nursery will be decorated. One day. When I get around to it.

After some online research, a purchase of a six-pack and some acrylics, a few photos, and some changes to the hue in Photoshop, I set to work. (I didn’t know it was necessary to say “Brewed in Holland” so many times on one bottle.) Two days later, LV loved it. His brother loved it. And I have now painted.

Release the List

Every few months more names are leaked from the PED list of 2003. We constantly hear how the tests were supposed to anonymous. Obviously they haven't been. 104 players failed that test. 7 of those names are fully known. A few months ago a list was leaked that has not been confirmed. There were not many shocking names on that list, but until the names are confirmed, I won't acknowledge it.

I think the best way for baseball to move on is to fully release the list. I know there could be legal ramifications, as this was supposed to be an anonymous and confidential test, but it's the only way to move on. Slowly leaking the name keeps baseball in a negative light very few months. Release all the names, let the players answer for what they did, take all the negative press at once, and then move on. It's time!

We all know PED's were a part of the game. Some of the greatest players of this era have been linked to PED's. Baseball has to move on. Release the list and start the healing. It would be for the best of the game.

Super Father's Day

My wife and I are both huge Tim Sale fans. One of our favorite books, is Superman For All Seasons. Written by Jeph Loeb and beautifully painted by Tim Sale this book is a great look at the rearing of a young Clark Kent and how it helped shape him into the great hero he is today.

With some time, a canvas, and some extra paint my wonderful wife decided a Tim Sale inspired Superman piece would be a great last minute Father's Day gift. Oh boy, was she right. I absolutely love this piece. It hangs proudly at my workspace.

Incredibly, this is only the second piece my wife ever painted. She is some kind of rare natural talent. There is absolutely nothing she can't do when she puts her mind to it. I am a lucky man, if I may say so myself. I'm hoping she breaks out the paints and brushes again soon.

Fantasy Football Time

I just got my first invite this week for fantasy football, it's almost time. I'll be sending the invite for my league out this week, I can't wait.

Will my new look Cowboys benefit from addition by subtraction? Will Aaron Rodgers continue his growth? What will the Bears look like with Cutler? Can the Steelers and Ravens be as good with all their off season losses? So many questions... I can't wait for the answers.

It's almost time!

Punishing Art

During my niece's Communion lunch, my brother and I started talking comics and art. He then says "You should work on a Punisher piece for me". I instantaneously knew which he style he wanted, as we are both huge John Romita Jr. fans. With a request in hand, I decided to do a little research.

John Romita Jr's Punisher work isn't vast, but it is memorable. He launched the comic Punisher War Zone in the early 90's when the Punisher was at the top of the Marvel charts with 5 different titles. In my honest opinion, I think he is the best Punisher artist of all-time. Which is saying something, because all time greats like John Buscema, Jim Lee, and Mike Zeck all had historic runs on the character. I knew I wanted a moody piece, with heavy blacks and at a interesting angle. I knew the War Zone run would be the place.

This piece was quite the challenge. Pencils took roughly an hour and a half. Lots of intricate details with the jacket, guns and bullet bursts. The inking took roughly twice as long. At almost 5 hours it is one of the longer pieces I've put together.

I'm a huge fan of JRJR, so it was truly an honor of mine to put this piece together. I like to think it is a nice homage to a true comic great.