Reviews

The New York Yankees Baby Throw Cover also made a great hit with the parents to be, as they are also Yankee fans and hope their son will be one too.

Reviews

I just received this throw and plan to give it to my father who is a big Yankees fan. The colors are bold but it is not very soft or very thick.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this DVD movie. I'd seen the movie when it first came out in the late 50's and it was fun to be reminded of those times again. I imagine it would not be too entertaining to people born in the last 30 years because of the terminology, but the music is lively and the characters are charming.

After Reading Romance in the Roaring Forties and Other Stories by Damon Runyon, I immediately went to Amazon.com and bought the DVD of Guys and Dolls. I wanted to hear (and see) the "gangster dialect" being used and the colorful world of Damon Runyon, Walter Winchell, and so many other marvelously interesting people of New York's seamier side brought to life. Sinatra, Brando, Blaine and Simmons are wonderful, Frank Loesser's songs magically enhance the ambience of Runyon's world, and all in all, this is an over-the-top romp and a nostalgic return to the time when great musicals could make it without gratuitous sex, violence, language and innuendo. Brando singing. Can you imagine. What's next, Lee Marvin in a musical?

Good Service always deserves a pat on the back, shipment was fast and easy and exactly what i ordered. Thank you.

absolutely one of the best musicals ever. cast, songs and production numbers are first rate.

When this film was originally released, the tagline on the advertisements said "Brando Sings". And sing he does, although alongside Frank Sinatra, his singing voice leaves much to be desired. And yet he pulls it off somehow, his Sky Masterson being a roguish, handsome bad boy determined to win the heart of the Salvation Army maiden. Since this is a Sam Goldwyn production, the requisite "Goldwyn Girls" make several appearances, adding some old-fashioned Broadway glitz to this "Fable of Broadway". Vivian Blaine often steals the show as Adelaide, while Sinatra never quite lets us forget that he is Sinatra, his Nathan Detroit more a version of himself rather than an original character. His song written for the film ("Adelaide") really feels out of place, belonging more to the Sinatra Vegas act of the time. With the deletion of several songs from the original stage show (Marry the Man Today, My Time of Day), the film doesn't quite deliver the entire show, and yet it stands on its own as an entertaining musical film, capturing some of the innocence of old-time gangster films and the spirit of the original Damon Runyan stories.

Reviews

Looking back, the evolution of Sid the Elf has become apparent due to the expansion of film choices we allow into our viewing library. When it all started in 1993 Sid was all about extreme obsolete b, which is why Death Ring is what it is to this day. We'd never go for the bigger budget flicks and even scoffed at the idea of watching a Seagal feature. Luckily we have wised up over years realizing that even a large budget can still equal big laughs in the b department. We pretty much allow anything in now as long as we can laugh at it every Thursday evening. However we do like to get in touch with our roots from time to time by finding a horrific low budget b as is the case with Severed Ties. It must have been Ninja Vengeance [VHS] that sparked this craving for yet another film that can't be found anywhere on dvd. Severed Ties starts off with science nerd Harry Harrison and his quest to discover a a serum for limb generation. He's continuing the work his late father who was accidentally offed due to his mom trying to steal the secret serum recipe. So uber nerd operates out of his mother's basement, much like an obsessed Tales from the Darkside freak that can be found on Amazon, in hopes he can crack the secret by experiment on giant lizards. Yeah it's hard to follow and weird, we agree. During a struggle in his nerd lab his scrawny arm gets loped up and the serum is used to regenerate the limb with some success. The downside, or for us the only upside, is that his arm regenerates into a sweet lizard arm with a mind of it's own. It turns murderous and can even un-attach itself if it wants to get loose and cause some mischief. This one was kind of hard to figure out in regards to be liked. In ways it was so odd, but was also so B that you almost have to give it a couple stars. The budget is low and the acting is really bad especially from the guest appearance Garrett Morris. But that's what Sid typically loves in a film and decided a 3 star rating would be fair. With a little supplementary restraint aka chuck this one could have been way better, but that wasn't an option today. For Sid it was ok but for mega-nerds this one would rate off the charts. Hard to say what the young elf would have said, but for the sake of b we probably would've had a few good laughs out of it while pegging Santa with candy wrappers.

Wow, this flick is awesome. Lots of scarry stuff. Who would of thunk it. Elki summers, Garret Morris, and more. Wow I remember seeing this film at a screening when it was still called "Army" for it was an army of arms! It's so much better now. The cast of Mad about you must have been impressed by "Billy's" leap to the big screen. I still have nightmares about this film.

this is a perfect movie and it has a good point to it, and good acting, i loved it very much. and i think everyone will love it as much as i did. i heard they want to make a sequile to this movie.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this DVD movie. I'd seen the movie when it first came out in the late 50's and it was fun to be reminded of those times again. I imagine it would not be too entertaining to people born in the last 30 years because of the terminology, but the music is lively and the characters are charming.

After Reading Romance in the Roaring Forties and Other Stories by Damon Runyon, I immediately went to Amazon.com and bought the DVD of Guys and Dolls. I wanted to hear (and see) the "gangster dialect" being used and the colorful world of Damon Runyon, Walter Winchell, and so many other marvelously interesting people of New York's seamier side brought to life. Sinatra, Brando, Blaine and Simmons are wonderful, Frank Loesser's songs magically enhance the ambience of Runyon's world, and all in all, this is an over-the-top romp and a nostalgic return to the time when great musicals could make it without gratuitous sex, violence, language and innuendo. Brando singing. Can you imagine. What's next, Lee Marvin in a musical?

Good Service always deserves a pat on the back, shipment was fast and easy and exactly what i ordered. Thank you.

absolutely one of the best musicals ever. cast, songs and production numbers are first rate.

When this film was originally released, the tagline on the advertisements said "Brando Sings". And sing he does, although alongside Frank Sinatra, his singing voice leaves much to be desired. And yet he pulls it off somehow, his Sky Masterson being a roguish, handsome bad boy determined to win the heart of the Salvation Army maiden. Since this is a Sam Goldwyn production, the requisite "Goldwyn Girls" make several appearances, adding some old-fashioned Broadway glitz to this "Fable of Broadway". Vivian Blaine often steals the show as Adelaide, while Sinatra never quite lets us forget that he is Sinatra, his Nathan Detroit more a version of himself rather than an original character. His song written for the film ("Adelaide") really feels out of place, belonging more to the Sinatra Vegas act of the time. With the deletion of several songs from the original stage show (Marry the Man Today, My Time of Day), the film doesn't quite deliver the entire show, and yet it stands on its own as an entertaining musical film, capturing some of the innocence of old-time gangster films and the spirit of the original Damon Runyan stories.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this DVD movie. I'd seen the movie when it first came out in the late 50's and it was fun to be reminded of those times again. I imagine it would not be too entertaining to people born in the last 30 years because of the terminology, but the music is lively and the characters are charming.

After Reading Romance in the Roaring Forties and Other Stories by Damon Runyon, I immediately went to Amazon.com and bought the DVD of Guys and Dolls. I wanted to hear (and see) the "gangster dialect" being used and the colorful world of Damon Runyon, Walter Winchell, and so many other marvelously interesting people of New York's seamier side brought to life. Sinatra, Brando, Blaine and Simmons are wonderful, Frank Loesser's songs magically enhance the ambience of Runyon's world, and all in all, this is an over-the-top romp and a nostalgic return to the time when great musicals could make it without gratuitous sex, violence, language and innuendo. Brando singing. Can you imagine. What's next, Lee Marvin in a musical?

Good Service always deserves a pat on the back, shipment was fast and easy and exactly what i ordered. Thank you.

absolutely one of the best musicals ever. cast, songs and production numbers are first rate.

When this film was originally released, the tagline on the advertisements said "Brando Sings". And sing he does, although alongside Frank Sinatra, his singing voice leaves much to be desired. And yet he pulls it off somehow, his Sky Masterson being a roguish, handsome bad boy determined to win the heart of the Salvation Army maiden. Since this is a Sam Goldwyn production, the requisite "Goldwyn Girls" make several appearances, adding some old-fashioned Broadway glitz to this "Fable of Broadway". Vivian Blaine often steals the show as Adelaide, while Sinatra never quite lets us forget that he is Sinatra, his Nathan Detroit more a version of himself rather than an original character. His song written for the film ("Adelaide") really feels out of place, belonging more to the Sinatra Vegas act of the time. With the deletion of several songs from the original stage show (Marry the Man Today, My Time of Day), the film doesn't quite deliver the entire show, and yet it stands on its own as an entertaining musical film, capturing some of the innocence of old-time gangster films and the spirit of the original Damon Runyan stories.

Reviews

maybe this is why my favorite movies are x-men and pirates of the caribbean. maybe movie-writing has changed for the better in the past 10 years. it just seemed platitudinal--either 'good guys' or 'bad guys' and plenty of obvious heart-tugging, even if for valid reasons. just seemed like a hallmark special, and i'm not a fan of matt damon's southern accent most of the time. can't fault the acting, but it was so slow! plat·i·tude (plt-td, -tyd) n. 1. A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant. See Synonyms at cliché. 2. Lack of originality; triteness.

Good revenge movie, and more darts thrown at the legal profession and the insurance business. Damon gives his ususal lackluster performance, but the plot is gripping enough to hold attention. Danny Glover plays a liberal judge, who helps guide the Damon character to victory.

The Bottom Line: Though this version of John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker' benefits from the fact that the book is one of Grisham's best, it cannot be denied that the film resists the temptation to screw things up that strikes so many such adaptations; realizing instead that Mr. Grisham's novels barely need any adapting, Coppola sticks closely to the book's interesting story and produces a film that zips through its 135 minute running length, engages the viewer, and emerges as a pretty decent piece of entertainment. 3/4

This is a story about a young new lawyer in a southern town in Tennessee. He takes the case of a young man who is dying of leukemia because his private insurance company refused treatment (a bone marrow transplant). This dramatic story tells how a powerful established law fiem can use tricks like wiretapping or bugging to sabotage a legal challenge. Their son dies, the parents continue the suit. [The film shows little of the personal lives of the people in this story.] Matt Damon, the young lawyer, does all he can to gather the information needed to win his case against the privately owned insurance company. Why did a claims examiner suddenly "resign"? Was she sickened by her work in the insurance company? [Alcoholism just doesn't happen, its an industrial disease caused by corporations.] Jon Voight, the power in the corporation's law firm, shows his acting skills in the accented speech of that area. [All speakers of English have an accent, you don't notice your own.] The facts brought out in the dramatic trial result in a verdict for the plaintiff, plus $50 million in punitive damages. Is this too good to be true? The private insurance company preys upon the working poor by using door-to-door salesmen to sell policies. These high costs drain money from the premiums. Are they only selling "peace of mind"? Will this private insurance company declare bankruptcy to get out of paying? Was the owner looting the firm? Was it all a scam to oppress working people and cheat them out of needed health care? Some may claim this is only a work of fiction, but these things will happen as long as we do not have government-run health insurance that is well-managed and affordable to avoid a tragedy like this. [Read the book "A Civil Action" for facts.] You know what happened in the financial industry since the New Deal regulations were abolished over the last thirty years. [Could this story happen in Canada or England?] John Grisham wrote the novel "A Runaway Jury" that was changed by Hollywood and turned into a big flop. Was the book changed for this movie?

Insured people die in the USA without getting the treatment they are insured to get. Films like this may make some people feel good, but the facts are that the big law firms win more cases than they lose. The movie is the blue yonder of wishful thinking of a guy/ author who makes his money selling popular novels that please people. Giving people hope in the legal system that is stacked against them is probably a cruel thing to do? Poor people continue to die of things rich people live through.

Reviews

A great comedy. This one is a little darker than the original at parts, but still definitely family-appropriate and guaranteed to have you in stitches.

The DVD came very fast. Seem that the DVD not from the original, but came out good. I'm very pleased to order item with Amazon.

I don't know how [...] collective reviews give Short Circuit a higher rating than its sequel. I truly believe this is one sequel that is better than the original! Fisher Stevens was highly enjoyable as Ben Jahveri. An West Asian technological genius that computes his robot buddy Johnny 5. This movie has a good balance of comedy, concern, & romance. Sometimes weaved together in the same scene. This is one of those movies where you don't have to know about the first part to enjoy the film. The storyline is not carved out of the original, with the exception of evolving Johnny 5's character. In the first movie, Johnny 5 couldn't speak English, or interact with his surrounding well. This time around Johnny 5 is the whimsical counterpart to his human superior.. or is it the other way around? All in all, a fun & friendly 80s comedy. 4 stars out of 5.

Sometimes you have to go back a ways to find a really decent family movie appropriate for small children. This one is missing the adult content, language, and disrespect found in most of today's proclaimed family movies.

Great movie to share with my grands. My kids loved this and my grands did too. Good for rainy days!

Reviews

Gershwin caught the essence of the American Experience in his music. Here he goes beyond color and cultural experience to the fundamentally human experience of living in "The Land of the Free". This music is now woven into the very fabric of America. There is no greater testament to the quality of this music and the value of the music of Gershwin. This recording is the benchmark by which all others will be measured.

This recording of Porgy and Bess is an incredible performance!!! The performers sund just beautiful and the recording is very well remastered!!!! Buy it!!!

Reviews

not many tribute albums are worth a 2nd listen,not the case here however with the likes of hank III & rev.horton heat you can listen to this one over & over with out hearing a generic pop country artist murder a cash classic, most of the songs here are done quite well, some just stand out more than others,a must have for cash fans!

The whole spirit of this CD takes me back to my teenage years in the late '50s, when we listened to Johnny Cash's Sun singles (along with Jerry Lee Lewis and Bill Haley) on the juke box. In addition to the excellent renditions of Cash's music, this collection introduced me to a few excellent singers who had somehow managed to slip by under my radar. In particular, I love Robbie Fulks' version of "Cry, Cry, Cry"--what a fantastic singer/songwriter! Surprisingly, the singer who sounds most like a young Cash (without seeming to imitate him) is the very Reverend Horton Heat on "Get Rhythm." Another is Chuck Mead's "There You Go." Hank III gives his own unique take on "Wreck of the Old '97." Sounding more like his own grandfather, it's certainly not the way Johnny Cash did it, but he nevertheless captures the bare tragedy and heroic spirit of the song. "Pack up Your Sorrows" was a favorite during the '60s, but I barely remember Johnny Cash singing it. The most familiar version was by Richard & Mimi Farina, and Kelly Willis and Bruce Robinson faithfully capture the spirit of their version. The other song that stands out is "Straigh A's in Love" by Eddie Angel. It's often forgotten that Johnny Cash was not primarily a country singer. Beginning with his classic work at Sun Studio, he pretty much invented the rockabilly sound, and it is this spirit that is well represented here. Get this CD and keep it in your car to brighten up those pesky commutes.

There is some excellent music on "Dressed In Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash." Chris Knight is one of those musicians that always sparks my interest; his version of "Flesh & Blood" is such a plaintive laid back reading of this song that it gives an emotional mix of loneliness, hope & desire. It closes the set, but is one of the highlights for me. Eddie Angel's rockabilly "Straight A's In Love" is a naughty little tune that puts a smile on my face each time it comes on the changer. :) Austin songwriter Damon Bramblett's take on "I'm Gonna Sit on the Porch & Pick on My Old Guitar" may not seem polished, but it does exude a warmth that brings me into the music. Chuck Mead from BR5-49 produced this disc and plays on every track. His lead vocals on "There You Go" set your toe tapping, "You're gone again, I should'a known I couldn't win...He's by your side, you're gonna break another heart, you're gonna tell another lie." The Mavericks' Raul Malo sounds a bit like Chris Isaak to me on the slow shuffle of "I Guess Things Happen That Way." Rodney Crowell has been recording a series of great solo sets as well as with the Notorious Cherry Bombs. Here he turns a straightforward reading of "Ballad of a Teenage Queen." Robbie Fulks' "Cry, Cry, Cry" booms with great energy. No one will ever replace Johnny Cash, but these artists do a great job with songs that he previously polished. Enjoy!

Hank III's "Wreck of the Old '97" makes this disc worth owning. His daring to break out of the mold that so many other artists have poured this song into, while still respecting the original, is reason enough to add this CD to your collection.

This disc is awesome! There's no beating Rodney Crowell, Redd Volkaert, and couple others. Now, I'm a Hank Fan also, and love what III does with his grandpa's music, but as for Wreck of the Old 97, he should be locked up. I wouldn't appear on anything rewriting a song that's been done for the past 75 years. Johnny, Hank Snow, all the ones I'd heard stuck very close to Vernon Dalhart's recording from the late '20s. III's almost made this disc a clay pigeon.

Reviews

Porgy and Bess is perhaps not an unqualified masterpiece, but it is still in very many ways a remarkable work; not the least of which being, of course, the way so many distinctive styles and cultures are synthesized into a very coherent musical language (spirituals, jazz, blues and not the least Ravel and Debussy); and of course there are all the memorably and impressively carried out individual numbers (both the well-known and the less famous) and the ingenious use of leitmotivs (sometimes emerging and reemerging in very different guises). In addition to the musical virtues, the opera benefits from the strength of a coherently told, genuinely touching story and Gershwin's unfailing theatrical instincts. In short, it has everything needed for sustaining a continued success on stage. And the performance here is uniformly excellent. First of all, it really captures the atmosphere of the stage, full of drama and emotional tension and turmoil. The LPO is wonderfully able to capture the details and moods and make sense of Gershwin's still somewhat awkward orchestration, including some brilliant solo playing and wonderful brass. Second, Rattle himself has an unfailing grasp of the score and the ability to make an utterly convincing and cogent case for the overall coherence of all the contrastive musical strands. Thirdly, he has a superb cast of soloists; Blackwell is luminously brilliant, giving us - with the LPO's gorgeous playing and Rattle's choice of almost dangerously slow tempo - the most stirringly atmospheric Summertime on record. Willard White's warm, strong voice gives us a hauntingly multi-dimensional portrayal of Porgy and Cynthia Haymon a passionately touching Bess. Damon Evans is utterly effective as Sportin' Life as well, with a characterization full of mischief and malice. Fourthly, the supporting roles are excellently cast, and the chorus of the Sunday revivalist meeting is as harrowingly fervent as one could possibly dream of (still one of the highlights of the entire opera, in my view). There is furthermore the case of the sound quality, which is really superb - clear, detailed and with real depth, and, not the least, capturing that feeling of the stage I mentioned above. To sum up, this set is a glory from start to finish; urgently recommended.

I have a soft spot for this opera since I listened, as a 10 year old, to an uncle's LP back in the 50s. This set is the full frontal Porgy and Bess,if you like your opera detailed and raw,this is it. Thanks to Amazon, this used but pristine set has come my way inexpensively. Faithful to the original. Sound quality stunning, packed with background notes.

Of course those who are familar with P&B will have their favorites among the recordings (I tend to be partial to the 1940-42 original cast recordings myself). But I like this for what it is. There are only a few others where you will hear versions of tunes from this folk opera that don't ordinarily appear on recordings (such as my beloved "Somebody's knocking at the door" and "Jasbo Brown's Blues," etc.) But for what it's worth, this is an excellent long and complete version of P&B and I strongly recommend it for fans.

There are differences in every recording of a piece, some good, some bad. I just bought this recording the other day, and I was satisfied. The recording was very dramatic (unlike the 1976 Maazel recording) and the jazzy elements were treated very well (also unlike Maazel's recording). The lyrical pieces of the opera (Bess You is my Woman & Summertime) were especially haunting and tender. And the spiritual-type songs with the shouts of "Amen" and "Hallelujah!" were perfect! But, as another reviewer noted, I did not care for Rattle's interpretation of the grace note in Bess You is My Woman Now. And some of the tempos were either too fast or too slow, i.e. the accelerando at the end of the introduction was totally UNNECESSARY. On that matter, Gershwin did mark his tempos, but have you heard the Introduction at Quarter Note=112? It seems rather draggy. And Summertime was just a hair slow for my taste. At times the recording seemed overblown and bombastic with the full orchestra and its pompous brass (most notably in "I Hates Yo' Struttin' Style" the beginning of Act 2, and the beginning of "What You Want Wid' Bess?") All in all a good recording and one worth keeping, despite the little things. I recommend the 1976 Maazel recording, if you can find a copy. I was lucky enough to find it on CD at our local library. The performances aren't exactly as dramatic, and Maazel almost kills the jazz feel, but it is a fine recording also. I have not heard the Houston Grand Opera recording. Maybe when I get more money...

My title isn't meant to be a put-down. It's exactly what makes it, to my taste, not just the best - but actually the only realization of the music on its true operatic scale. It's true that the *singing* has been realized on an operatic scale before - i.e. Leontyne Price's immortal performance as Bess in the 1963 studio recording. But with all due props to the RCA Studio Orchestra - whose genuine talent was, it must be admitted, exercised in a context of hackery: They could probably have hardly imagined, let alone peformed on their instruments, a vision of the music as profound as that summoned by Sir Rattle [the title feels appropriate here] on this instantly definitive version. Put aside any musical theater-level preconceptions of scale you may have brought. When that boat gets to leaving soon for New York, and the score's brilliant orchestrations are depicting the Manhattan skyline like a jazz-age-drunk's view of the yawning gates of Hell, Rattle cranks the London Philharmonic to 11 and pumps out sonic profundity like this was Mahler's 9th. When the scene ended, I needed to light a cigarette. Now like I said, that's the way I roll. But if that's a heavier Art Moment than you have the emotional commitment for at a given time, but you still want to hear "Summertime", by all means cue up Price. But remember that, as far as realizing the score of the one American opera that can compete on the same playing field as your Bohemes and Traviatas is concerned, it's the difference between AAA ball and the World Series.

Reviews

My husband has an X-large head. hehe. I always have to find him fitted hats in size XL, which sometimes are not in stock in stores. This is a nice high-quality hat, the same ones (brand) they sell for more $ at those hat stores called Lids. My husband loves it. I'll probably be back for more in other colors.

Reviews

I have a few fitted hats by Twins and they have all been of decent quality and design.

Reviews

Today was the Major League trading deadline and I waited to see if Johnny Damon was still a member of the New York Yankees by the time the clock strikes four on the east coast this afternoon (he was). I found it quite ironic that the day I received notice this Johnny Damon 2 figure from the MLB Series 19 was being shipped to me I saw reports that the Yankees were trying to see if anybody was interested in taking Damon off their hands. The irony is not just that Damon would get traded from the Yankees as soon as his new figure comes out, but that once again as soon as I have the entire Yankees starting lineup (NL version) in MLB figures it gets broken up. Right now they are all lined up in the correct batting order: Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi (I know he is on the DL at this point, but go with me here), Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posado, Robinson Cano, followed by starting pitchers Mike Mussina and Roget Clements, with reliever Mariano Rivera at the end. I was close last year, but by the time Cano came out Bernie Williams had retired and Gary Sheffield had been traded. But that is still 11 active Yankees laid out in a row, not counting the seven Cooperstown figures from Babe Ruth to Reggie Jackson arranged in numerical order on the other shelf or the alternate figures of Jeter, Rodriguez, Giambi, and Rivera that can be substituted for variety. The first Johnny Damon figure was from Series 11 back in 2005, and it showed Damon in full "Captain Caveman" mode laying full out across the green grass of centerfield in Fenway Park to catch a fly ball. Usually when a player changes teams McFarlane is able to release a new version of the same figure in the new uniform, as they did with both Alex Rodriguez 2 and Bobby Abreu. But seeing as how the Yankees have a policy regarding facial hair and flowing locks (namely they are verbotten), they could not simply put Captain Caveman in pinstripes. So what we have here is Damon taking a curtain call on the steps of the Yankee Stadium dugout, waving his batting helmet at the crowd. Damon hit 24 home runs last year and has a whole five this year (in other words, less combined than A-Rod had at the All-Star break this year), so it seem strange for him to be taking a curtain call for jacking a homer, but McFarlane has been making an effort to come up with something different for some of these figures besides hitting, fielding, running, and throwing. In Series 18 we had Mo Rivera coming out of the bullpen gate at the Stadium and in the Cooperstown 4 collection Johnny Bench was diving over the railing to catch a foul pop. The sculpt of Damon's face is excellent and I do not see a speck of dirt on his pinstripe uniform, so he must have led off the bottom of the first with a homer. The figure has limited articulation at the neck and elbows, so what you see here is pretty much what you get to do with this one. The base has two dugout steps, the screen in front of the dugout and a rail (Damon is walking back down into the dugout as he hears the cheers). This is one of the better McFarlane baseball figures of 2007. The retro variant for this particular figure takes Damon back to his days with Kansas City, which seems an odd choice but might be the only way Royals fans are going to see one of these action figures for a while. Damon's Yankee teammate Andy Pettitte is also part of Series 19. With Chien-Ming Wang coming out in Series 20 it seems Yankees fans will never have less than double figures when it comes to active figures on the team's active roster. Other figures in 2007's final set of figures are National League home run leader Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Red Sox reliever Jonathan Papelbon, Tampa Bay Devil Rays fireballer Scott Kazmir, a second Pedro Martinez figure as a New York Met pointing to the heavens after a strikeout, and a third figure of Albert Pujols in a low crouch playing first base. It will be interesting to see how things progress with McFarlane coming up with "new" poses for figures: I can just imagine Sheffield sitting in front of his locker giving an interview (or Barry Bonds sitting in front of his locker and not talking to reporters). They should have had one of Craig Biggio after getting hit by a pitch since he is about to hold the all-time record for that achievement, or how about Bobby Cox or Tony Larusa jawing with an umpire? About time they included Hall of Fame managers in this series and have Joe Torre sitting on the bench (What are they going to do, put out a Mekly Cabrera figure to get another Yankee out next year?). Oh the fun you can have coming up with baseball figures McFarlane would never dare do... (P.S. Irony abounds. On the night of August 28th, Johnny Damon hit a tie-breaking 2-run home run off of Daisuke Matsuzaka to give the New York Yankees a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. So there on ESPN (and CNNSI) is Damon taking a curtain call, just like this figure shows. Okay, not quite: Damon is holding his batting helmet over his head in his right hand and not his left, he has a batting glove on his hand, and his uniform has a black stripe and the number "10" honoring the late Phil Rizutto. But then again, a curtain call is a curtain call.

Reviews

I'll admit it right here and now; I'm a Yankees fan, so this is the last book I ever thought I would be reading. However, being that Damon is now an established and respected Yankees player, I figured I'd give this book a read just to see what Damon was like when he was on "the other side," so to speak. Honestly, I was surprised at some of the negative reviews that I've read on here about this book; people complained that Damon came off as arrogant, they complained that he totally cheated on his first wife, and openly talked about having a cell phone exculsively for one-night stands (which I found hilarious, but I'll get to that in a minute). I don't mean to be rude here at all, but I think that several of the negative reviews on this book came from disgruntled Red Sox fans who were furious at Damon for signing with the Yankees, and were looking for an excuse to judge this book negatively. Don't get me wrong; I dont' blame them, and if I were a Sox fan, I'd probably do the same thing, but seeing as many comments here come from the year 2005 or after (Damon signed with the Yankees in 2005), the reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt. I had to ask myself; If Damon were still a beloved member of the Red Sox today, would some of these Sox fans be calling the book "boring" and "stupid"? It's worth considering. Because if, say, Carl Pavano wrote a book, I know I'd be first in line to read it and then slam it, no matter what. Because Carl Pavano sucks. But moving on. Personally, I found this book to be fun, enjoyable, and interesting; it's a quick read, so I finished it in about 3 days. I was laughing at certain parts, cringing at others (like when Damon gives a play-by-play of the 2004 ALCS disaster...like I said, I'm a Yankees fan, so certain parts were hard for me to read), and actually learning from other parts (Damon just a great job explaining just what goes on during player "arbitration," something I didn't know about before). I figure I'll just go through some of the complaints/issues/comments people have had on this book and give me own two cents, for what it's worth. Debate Issue #1: Damon comes off as really taken with himself>>> I disagree. Honestly, it's actually really refreshing to have a baseball player just come out and tell the truth for once. What I mean is this: to get to play MLB ball, you have to be really freakin' talented. And you have had to be really freakin' talented since you were a kid. Damon isn't trying to sell himself to anyone; he's just telling it the way it is, like "I knew I had special talent as a kid because of reasons x, y, and z and yea, I knew that I was really good and could make it to the majors." Damon gives several examples of why he was special at the game, and he leaves it at that. It's not arrogance; he's just telling it the way it is. I wouldn't want him to be so unendlingly modest that the reader never quite knows why Damon made it to the majors; Damon tells us that he had a rifle throwing arm, a great batting eye, and impressive athleticism. Interestingly enough, one of the things that Damon is criticized for today is for having a weak throwing arm; as it turns out, Damon used to have a cannon for an arm, but he fell onto his shoulder during his school-ball days, and he injured it permanantly, and had to learn a whole new way to throw. So that explains his "weak" arm today. I call Damon's honesty about his talent "refreshing," because I'm so tired of ballplayers downplaying their obvious talent; I don't want some steroid slob to be all "I'm the greatest in the world," but when players hit .350 with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs and say things like "Oh i just got lucky" or "oh i owe it all to my teammates" or "oh I"m really not that good," I just want to strangle them. It's like listening to a supermodel say "oh you should see me without makeup" or "I'm really just a dork!" It's enough to make you scream. Damon is honest about why he is good enough to be in the majors, and he leaves it at that. Another reason why he's not arrogant? He is constantly self-deprecating; he chides himself on making bad plays or a bad out more than once. When he was with the Sox, he makes it a point to say that everyone had a career year one season "except me." He takes the blame for stretching out the 2004 ALCS as long as it did, because he wasn't hitting and he was the leadoff man. Damon is constantly praising and admiring other players as well; it's always "this guy was a monster" or "this guy was the best pitcher I ever saw," and "so and so was remarkable", etc. Damon praises other players and teammates much more than he praises himself. All of the "praise" Damon gives himself is early in the book, when he's explaining why he was good enough to get to the majors. Other than that, he's more likely to praise teammates. Damon mentions a few good plays that he has, once he says "this was the best catch I ever made" and so on, but he mostly talks about other guys' big hits, their walk-off wins, etc. In fact, Damon's huge grand slam that all but won the 2004 ALCS was so glossed over in the book, I had to go back and read it a few times to verify that Damon was talking about THE grand slam, one of his biggest moments as a BoSox player. Had Damon been arrogant, he would have focused much more time and energy on his biggest hit of the season, but he kind of rushes through it and focuses more on the pitching and the other guys' plays. Some people also had issues with the fact that Damon talks about his hair too much; he mentions it twice, and I think you have to understand Damon's sense of humor. If you've ever seen him interviewed, you know how awkward he can come across. He says "what can I say, I have good hair, my hair is my strength" but the tone is oozing with humor; he's not entirely serious. He also mentions ripping off his batting helmet once to let his good hair "flow," and I was just laughing; he's just joking folks. He's like "yeah, yeah, it's all the hair, the hair is the reason I'm a good ballplayer!" He laughs at how his hair became such a big thing, how ESPN came to watch him get his hair cut, and he plays along like a good sport. But he's laughing all the way, he sees it as a kind of joke/karma. I think people are taking him way too seriously when they accuse him of being obsessed with his hair; rather, everyone else was obsessed with it, and he just gave the people what they wanted. In reality, he was just too lazy to cut it! Debate Issue #2: Damon is a Man-Whore who Cheated on His Wife>>>>> This one is a bit more difficult, but here's the thing: there are two sides to every story. Damon characterizes his ex-wife Angie as a jealous, demanding, needy nag who was very insecure, and constantly accussed Damon of cheating on her, especially when Damon's baseball career began to take off. She was obviously no fool; she knew how women are with hot, young baseball players, and she was not secure enough in her relationship to trust her husband. So i can see her side of it, being a bit insecure. However, if Damon's portrayal of Angie is accurate, then wow, she sounds like a nightmare. Damon says that Angie would accuse him of cheating nearly everyday, for really no reason. Damon says that he wasn't cheating on her until much later, when he knew that their realtionship was going to end, and he had fallen out of love with Angie. I can understand Damon's perspective as well; it's never fun to be accused of cheating constantly, and Damon also brings up the fact that Angie was not very supportive of his baseball career; Damon says that when he returned home after a long season, he would just want to "surf, fish, relax" and "not pick out furniture." I get the feeling that Damon, in other words, just wanted to kick back and have fun and Angie was one of those "oh good, not that you're back you can do this, this, this, and this." It's can't be easy being the wife of a pro-ballplayer, but Angie chose not to move to Oakland with Damon, and she routinely stayed behind. Damon goes on to say that once he had finally been pushed to the point of not loving Angie anymore, he did cheat on her. He doesn't try to justify it, nor does he seem particularly proud of it, but he's just telling it like it is. Yes, he does mention that he had a separate cell-phone exclusively for women, and I was lauging my head off. Why? Because Damon's tone sounds like he was just in awe of this whole thing, that suddenly because he was young, handsome, and a major-league ballplayer, every woman in town wanted a piece of him. He does have some pretty funny stories about how he would have a one-night stand and then he would hear on the radio the next day that the woman had said she was his "girlfriend" and blah blah blah. Damon would just be like "oh my god, this is insane" and marvel at this new, crazy lifestyle. At some point, he also met his future-now wife Michelle, and he did start dating her when he was still technically married to Angie. Was Damon wrong to cheat? Sure. But it's a difficult situation; Damon says that he only stayed with Angie "so I would get to see my kids" (he had two with Angie). That's hard; divorce means that one parent is going to get to see the kids more often, and Damon obviously loves his kids. Like I said, I can't be on a high-horse about this because I don't know the whole story and I obviously wasn't there. Damon is very honest about how he felt about his marriage towards the end, and I really don't think he adds in the womanizing thing to show off; I think he's just trying to give people a sense of the temptations that are out there when you're a pro ballplayer. Debate Issue #3: Book is Repetitive, etc>>> To a certain extent, yes I agree. In fact, unless you really kind of already know the game of baseball, you might get a bit lost in the translation. Damon goes really in-depth into certain games, and gives play-by-plays of others, and he throws around a lot of player names, dates, and statistics that might be lost on some people. Like I said, I enjoyed it, but I'm a huge baseball fan who's played the game and seen my fair share of MLB matchups; if you just like Damon but don't really know much about baseball technicalities, you might become a bit bored. I found myself skimming a couple of times, mostly when Damon is going play-by-play over games that I've already watched, such as the 2004 ALCS; a couple of times I was like "dude, I was THERE! I don't need such a detailed recap!!" Where this book really sparkles is the personal stories that Damon shares about his teammates and the inner-goings-on of the clubhouse; Damon's sunny demeanor really shines through when he talks about the fun times he's had with Boston teammates, such as running across the street to a bar with his teammates in full uniform to celebrate a big win, getting called up onstage to sing with his favorite bands at concerts, and playing pranks on newbies (there is a pretty hilarious gem Damon and the BoSox pulled on Kevin Youkilos). Damon talks about how Kevin Millar would crack jokes about guys' bodies when they would shower, and how certain teammates would throw a football around the clubhouse and you had to watch your back if you "didn't want to get smoked with it." Damon's free-spirited nature that most Boston, and now Yankee fans, are familiar with shines through as he talks about doing pull-ups completely naked, or how Kevin Youkilos would set up a dozen chairs for Damon to knock over. I love reading about things like this, like the commaraderie that comes from being on a team, and the funny things like the above mentioned that guys do to loosen up. Apparently, David Ortiz would yell "you're all a bunch of bitches" and then laugh while everyone else had no idea what brought that up. Manny Ramirez would pit his Reebok rep against Damon's Puma rep and threaten to switch right then and there. There is also a pretty funny story involving Damon, a pot of mums, and a pumpkin, but I won't spoil anything. Honestly, Damon is the type of guy who is like "Wow, they are paying me millions just to play ball?? SWEET!!" He's just a guy who loves the game and loves to have fun; he says a couple of times that he would be happy just playing in a beer-league. He's very laid-back, but serious about his personal game. He comes across as someone who really revived what was a tired, bitter Boston clubhouse. Damon didn't do it single-handedly, nor does he claim that he does, but he basically says "this is why we were special this year." Any boastful quotes that Damon has have to be taken with a grain of salt; it's a guy thing, and it's a ballplayer thing, so I didn't have an issue with it. The book isn't perfect; I have certain issues with it. For example, Damon's portrayal of the Yankees is very biased, at best. He really does paint the Yankees out to be "the Evil Empire," and he makes Boston out to be the scrappy, good-guy underdogs while the Yankees are the overpaid, uptight, classless millionaires who just keep stealing Boston's championship hopes away. He calls Alex Rodriguez out for slapping the ball out of a Boston player's hand, and calls it a "disgrace" and "cheating." Interesting, because Damon is quick to say that he does not think that steroids are cheating when he talks about how his good friend Jason Giambi got busted. So Alex alledgedly swiping a ball away is an absolute disgrace, but steroids aren't? Hmmmm. To be fair, I don't consider steroids cheating either, but I think Damon poured on the "Yankee evil" a little strongly at times. Also, he mentions that after the Yankees took a 3-0 ALCS lead in 2004, Mariano said that Boston was "finished" and Gary Sheffield called them "a walking disaster." I dont' ever remember these quotes. First of all, I highly doubt that Mariano would have said anything like that, and if he said anything it all, it was misconstrued by the Boston press. Sheffield would say something stupid like that, so I have no doubt that he did, but not Mo. He's too smart to say something so jinx-worthy. Damon is quick to jump all over that, and portray the Yankees as classless, arrogant a-holes. So it was pretty one-sided at times, and like I said, the play-by-play that Damon gives can get a little tiring when you've already seen the games. I would rather have Damon's perspective as the games are going on, or what was being said in the dugout during those games. On a final note, it was interesting to read this because there is some foreshadowing; there were already clear signs that Joe Torre, Damon's future manager, did not care for him. Though Damon had the numbers two years running, Torre failed to select him for the All-Star team (and there were rumors around the Yankees that Torre thought Damon was a clown). Damon is clearly miffed about that in the book, and we now know that Torre had some less than flattering things to say about Damon in his book "The Yankee Years." In addition, at the end of the book, Damon sounds like he wants to be a Red Sox forever; we all know that it didn't turn out that way because, well, he plays left field for the Yankees now and we're more than happy to have him. It's just strange because Damon was clearly really into being a Red Sox when he wrote this book, and you have to wonder what exactly changed to make Damon sign for the Sox's arch-enemy. We know that the Sox refused to offer Damon a 5-year contract like he wanted, and would only offer him a 3-year. Damon comes across as the type of player who is affable and cheerful, but also someone who can be sensitive and get hurt feelings; Damon was probably hurt by the Sox's offer and felt that he wasn't being valued enough in Boston, and so he went to the team that offered him a longer contract. Who knows. All I know is that this book is a fun, interesting read and it's humorous tone is perfect for the baseball enthusiast or Damon fan. I had fun with it (except for the Boston winning parts). If you already don't like Johnny Damon, then you're not going to like this book. It's very Damon-esque; slightly awkward in some parts, slightly crazy in others, very funny, and almost unendingly friendly; rarely does Damon talk about anyone negatively, except for his ex-wife and occasionally A-Rod (but who didn't have a problem with A Rod a few years ago?). I enjoyed this book, and I enjoy watching Johnny Damon play ball.

I probably would never have had this book in hand if not for buying it for 25 cents at a tag sale..I am a loyal Red Sox fan, have been for many years and thought I would give it a browse..after the first few chapters I found it to be clearly a ME ME ME, I, I, I, sort of book, Damon loves Damon, that is one thing that is clear in the book... after he left the Red Sox high and dry for the almighty more $$$$$ I really had no use for him..he got what he deserved the first time he came back to Fenway and stood up at the plate..you cant be a Judas and expect to be welcomed with open arms. A badly written book, Im glad I did not spend any more then 25 cents for it, in fact I never finished it. A book to read about the Red Sox in 2004 is "Faithful" written by Stephen King..a fine book and very informative..

This book is great. It is about the life of Johnny Damon and how he created a spark in the Red Sox which would lead to a World Series and an end of a historic curse. The book starts off explaining Johnny's life growing up and his experiences in high school. The book then goes into his career with Kansas City and the A's. Johnny expresses a lot in his book, from his unsuccessful first marriage to his fun partying with teammates. Later on in the Book Johnny signs with Boston and turns the team around as lead off hitter for one of the best rosters to ever play the game. The Curse of the Bambino seemed like it had once again taken down the Red Sox. However, the team is able to have what I believe is the greatest comeback ever in a series and come back from 3-0 to beat the Yankees. In the end of the book The team wins the World Series vs the Cards, finally breaking the curse. By James Privateer

The book I'm reviewing is Idiot by Johnny Damon. I thought this book is awesome and deserves five stars. I think it is great because it is very, very funny. Idiot is about how Johnny Damon grows up and makes it to Major League Baseball. He then signs with the Boston Red Sox and helps them win the World Series. Idiot gives you a behind the scenes look at how the Red Sox struggle through the regular season and how they pull together as a team. I would recommend this book to Red Sox fans and kids who enjoy humor. I think baseball fans all over would enjoy the book. Idiot is more for kids who are eleven and older. There are no other books by Damon because he is a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees. Reviewed by a sixth grader.

No great revelations here -- wasn't expecting much anyway with the always dull Peter Golenbock as ghost writer. Too bad too, Damon's story as a fascinating Thai/American elite athlete could have been penned as a compelling one. Was looking for even a minor crescendo during the improbable 2004 ALCS comeback against the Bronx Bombers but nothing really ever ultimately gelled. The book could have vastly improved from better identification of dates and times and avoidance of extensive rehashing of prior events with no added detail. Saved from one star hell by the inclusion of a pretty good photos section. As if the poor writing wasn't enough, idiot mistakes abound, from misspelling the names of numerous major leaguers (Scott Sauerbeck as Scott Sauerbach, Bucky Jacobsen as Bucky Jacobson) to basic errors in game details. You'd think Golenbock would be improving as a writer after his many collaborations with other sports figures. Damon either exerted too much editorial control, or, more likely, it's time for Golenbock to hang up his spikes...