MLB's Automatic Ball-Strike System – The Rise of the Machines?

If you're a Major League Baseball (MLB) fan, you must have formed an opinion by now about the implementation of the Automatic Ball-Strike system (ABS) this season. My feelings about it were initially mixed – if a call went my team's (NY Mets) way, I was happy with it, but when it went against my team I hated it. Now that we've reached June, I've decided that I dislike it altogether no matter how the call goes.  

What is ABS?

What the ABS looks like on TV

ABS stands for Automatic Ball-Strike system. It allows players to challenge the home plate umpire's call of balls and strikes. The system uses Hawk-eye cameras and T-Mobile's 5G technology. This allows for precise tracking of the pitched ball to determine whether it is a ball or strike. The goal of using the system is to provide an opportunity to question a human umpire's decision if it seems that it is incorrect. 

How It Works?

Each team starts the game with two challenges. If the challenge shows a call is incorrect – say the human umpire's call of a strike is determined to be a ball – the call is overturned and the team retains the right to challenge another call. If the human umpire's call is found to be correct, the call stands and that team loses the ability to challenge during the rest of the game.

If the game goes into extra innings, each team is awarded an additional challenge. The idea behind this is that most players are using the challenge based on the notion that the game is nine innings long. Players cannot be expected to hold onto a challenge for extra innings when there is a reasonable assumption that the game will only go nine innings.

Who Challenges the Call?

Player tapping his helmet signal

The pitcher, catcher, and batter are the only players who can challenge a ball or strike call for an ABS system check. The players involved must tap the top of their hat or helmet within two seconds of the pitch being thrown. This is a signal to the umpire that they want the system to check the accuracy of the call. 

This is an important aspect of the use of the system because it is immediate in nature. A player has little or no time to check with the manager in the dugout, so it is on the player to make a split second decision about making a challenge that perhaps can change the outcome of the game.

Juan Soto of the NY Mets

There is a consideration of a discussion before a game between the manager and players about who can make a call. For an example using my Mets, manager Carlos Mendoza might want a star player like Juan Soto be the one to challenge a call over rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing. There's a distinct possibility that this happens. 

Immediate Visual Availability

Umpire checking ABS challenge

Once the challenge is made, the challenged pitch appears (which includes a strike zone box and the ball) on stadium video screen and on the television broadcast of the game. The system shows exactly where the pitch crossed through the strike zone – allowing people in the stadium and watching at home to see whether the ball is inside or outside of the box. 

The ABS Strike Zone

While the human umpire's strike zone can vary every time a pitch is thrown, the ABS calculates the strike zone with accuracy for each individual hitter. Each player is measured during spring training with a player standing up straight without wearing shoes. 

The top of the zone is set by using the player's height as is the bottom of the zone. This makes the system player specific, and there's nothing arbitrary about it. It will be the same unique zone every time for each player, so this makes it seem like it is the perfect technology solution to the varying human umpire's strike zone liabilities.

The Red Flags

A home plate umpire

My number one red flag is the umpires of the game. Umpires – and all their human fragility – have been a part of the game since baseball began in 1876. Now, even though I've seen some umpires make bad calls, the majority are hard working people who want to get their calls right. 

ABS has umpires worried about the future. As I mention in the title of this article using a Terminator movie title, the rise of the machines is scary in baseball too. The ABS can make an umpire look bad, and in some cases – with an extremely wrong umpire call – it can humiliate them. Imagine having a job performance review available in seconds in front of 50,000 fans in the stadium and millions of fans on TV. That does not seem appropropriate.

Player arguing a call with human ump

There are also those baseball enthusiasts who enjoy when a bad call results in an argument between a player and umpire or the manager and umpire. This is all about human nature, and there is something about seeing a player or manager letting off steam that is cathartic because they are expressing what the fans are feeling. The ABS unrelentingly steals these memorable moments from us. 

Fear of Expansion

The embarrassment of umpires is bad enough, but the talk of inevitable expansion – and I've heard about this on talk radio, read about it online, and have had discussions in person – is that MLB will eventually expand ABS to cover every pitch of every game. In this NY Times article, you can get an idea about how players and managers feel about going full ABS – meaning many of them are not happy about every pitch being electronically tracked. 

If we have no umpire behind the plate at some point in time, what will happen to the other umpires on the field? Will the ABS ever be crew chief for a game – the crew chief is the most senior umpire on the field for a game. Over time it could happen that the ABS would be more senior than new umpires, so how would that work exactly?

Are there Robo-umpires in our future?

If they can replace the home plate umpire, will the other umpires be next on the list? Will we face a time when we have a full robotic umpire crew – meaning robots at first, second, and third base too. How does a manager or player argue with a robot? Wouldn't the robots always be right?

Moving Forward

As mentioned previously in this article, I was initially okay with ABS in its limited capacity in MLB as it is now; however, my opinion has changed. The human factor has always been important in the game of baseball, and ABS diminishes that more that it should be doing. 

A lot has changed in MLB over the years – for example, I still hate the designated hitter – but at least a DH is a human being. I don't think we want baseball to ever become a game where the rules are enforced by robots. If that happens, will robotic players be the next step forward? That will ruin the game beyond repair because robots don't go on injury lists and don't need to be paid, and they would break every record because they could play for an infinite amount of seasons.

I wouldn't watch that kind of game. Would you? I'm worried about your answers more than you can know.

Please check out this video for a very concise explanation of the ABS system.

TV Review: Netflix's 'The Boroughs' – A Senior Citizen Version of 'Stranger Things'

 

I will say this immediately – I loved this series! I will also admit that the executive producers of Netflix's The Boroughs are The Duffer Brothers – creators of the juggernaut television series Stranger Things, so it is not surprising that I am connecting the two series as kindred spirits. 

The big differences between the two series relate to time, locations, and characters. Stranger Things focuses on a group of young people dealing with extraordinary circumstances in Hawkins, Indiana, during the 1980s. The Boroughs deals with a group of senior citizens dealing with extraordinary circumstances in The Boroughs, a seemingly perfect retirement community in the New Mexico desert during the present day.  

The First Victim

The story begins on a very idyllic night in The Boroughs. Elderly Grace (Dee Wallace) is having a quiet evening at home. She speaks on an iPad to her husband Edward (Ed Begley Jr.) who is apparently in a facility and struggling with dementia. She promises him that she will see him tomorrow, even though he wants to see her right away. 

Grace hears a noise and checks around the house. She opens the front door to look outside in hopes of figuring out what is happening, and she is promptly entangled in tentacles and  dragged back into the house. This incomprehensible moment leaves us wondering what happened with no explanation.

A Grieving Man

Sam wonders if he's losing it

It is made clear that a good amount time passes after Grace's incident, and we see the recently widowed and still grieving Sam Cooper (an outstanding Alfred Molina) moving into what was Grace's house. He is there reluctantly because his daughter Claire (Jena Malone) can no longer handle him being at home. Sam does not want to be there, but Claire has signed a contract and used all of his savings to purchase the property. 

Sam is plagued by visions of his dead wife Lilly (Jane Kaczmarek). They are disturbing because they seem so vivid. Now he is in this place unconnected to Lilly, and he feels all alone. Sam believes he must break the contract and get out of there.  

He meets a friendly neighbor named Jack Willard (Bill Pullman) who tries to get him to see the good side of the community, and Jack even offers to throw him a welcome barbecue in order for him to meet his neighbors on the cul de sac. 

Corporate Office Visit 

Blaine and wife Anneliese have a secret

Sam goes to the corporate office to demand a way out of the contract. He meets with Blaine Shaw (Seth Numrich) – the CEO of The Boroughs – and, while he comes off as friendly, there is something about him that Sam doesn't like. Blaine asks Sam to give the place a chance.

Sam also sees some of the worst cases of senior citizens with dementia or other issues who are not able to live in houses. They are kept in a place called The Manor, and Sam gets a bad feeling about that place. 

Owl in the Walls 

When Sam returns to his house, he finds a visibly disturbed Edward there. Edward is scratching at the walls and trying to find the "owl in the walls." Sam tries to talk calmly with him, but then Edward grabs a kitchen knife and declares that Sam is "one of them." He stabs Sam in the arm, but then security arrives, and Sam receives medical attention.  A disturbed Edward is taken back to The Manor. 

The Barbecue

Sam bonds with his new neighbors

Jack makes good on his word and throws a party for Sam. Sam gets to meet his neighbors – former doctor Wally (Denis O'Hare), Judy (Alfre Woodard) and her husband Art (Clarke Peters), and Renee (Geena Davis). They are all warm and welcoming, and Sam feels better about the place after meeting the neighbors.

After the party, Sam returns to his house with a different perspective. He calls Blaine and lets him know that he has decided to stay. Blaine seems very pleased to hear this news. 

A Disturbing Occurrence

Later on that night, Jack hears an alarm, and then he realizes that it is coming from Jack's house. Sam rushes over there, but the door is locked. He breaks a back window to get into the house. When he walks inside he sees Jack lying on the floor under an obviously alien like creature attacking him. This is how the first episode ends. 

A Cover Up

Renee suspects a cover up

When the paramedics come, Jack is dead. They say that Jack died of a heart attack, but Sam explains that a creature attacked Jack. The paramedics and head security guard Hank (a creepy Eric Edelstein) try to dismiss what Sam is saying, but Hank's younger partner Paz (Carlos Miranda) is willing to listen. Renee reports to Paz that quartz items are being stolen all over the community, and she thinks there's a connection to Grace and Jack's deaths. 

Making Connections

Sam seeks answers from Edward

Sam goes back to The Manor to talk to Edward about what happened to Jack.  Somehow, Edward already knows why Sam came. Edward says, "You caught one!" Sam is shocked.  Edward rambles on for a while then he tells Sam, "The owl is in the walls. The key is in the light." 

Sam goes back home and searches the house. He finally finds a key to a storage locker in a light fixture. Sam searches the storage locker and finds a large stuffed owl. He disappointedly returns home thinking that Edward didn't know anything about the creature. 

A Discovery 

Sam is playing around with old televisions sets – he was an engineer and likes to tinker with things. Wally comes by and Sam shows him some inky blood that he found in Jack's house that must have been from the creature that killed Jack. When exposed to the lights from the televisions he's working with, the blood explodes in a burst of energy. Wally says "It's a miracle." 

What are these creatures? Why does the staff at The Boroughs downplay what Sam saw? There have been two deaths, but no one seems to care? What's going on here?

The Autopsy

Not satisfied with the official explanation of Jack's cause of death, Wally and Sam decide to find out what really happened. They break into the funeral home in order for Wally to perform an autopsy on Jack. Judy comes in and discovers what they are doing, so now she is involved.

Wally, Sam, and Judy looking for answers

During the examination, Wally discovers puncture marks in the back of Jack's throat that lead directly to his brain. He surmises that the creature killed Jack by sucking out his brain fluid. They figure this is what happened to Grace as well. 

They realize that Shaw and his staff are deliberately covering up what these creatures are doing. The question is why are they doing this? Do they not want everyone to find out because the seniors would all want to leave the community? Or is there even a darker motive – are Shaw and company somehow involved with what these creatures are doing for other nefarious purposes? 

No Spoilers Here

While the rest of the way is spoiler territory, I can say that we face a similar situation here that the kids deal with in Stranger Things. This time it's a group of fiesty senior citizens that won't take "No" for an answer. They are determined to find out what is going on at The Boroughs. 

The Cast

The main characters are all wonderfully realized, with Molina's Sam leading the way. Each one has a moment to shine in different capacities. As the clues add up, they become proactive detectives who are going to solve this puzzle. It's exciting to see the chemistry between the characters – it seems all of the actors are having a great time acting in this series. 

The Verdict

I really enjoyed this series. It may be for an older audience, but if young people give it a chance I think they would enjoy the show. Hopefully, the fact that the Duffer brothers are involved will attract a wider viewership.

I give The Boroughs 4.5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend the series. The episodes are all around 45 minutes long, so I was able to watch all eight episodes over the course of two evenings. So, if this kind of thing matters to you, you'll appreciate that. 

Overall, this a very enjoyable series with a satisfying conclusion. 

Please check out the trailer for The Boroughs below: 

'Planet of the Apes' (1968) – Ending Still Sends a Powerful Message

*There are spoilers throughout this article.

I think most people have a personal relationship with the movies that they watch. Sometimes there is an instantaneous connection with a film; at other time's there is a disconnect. There are those movies that I love – like Animal House for example, and there are those that I just don't like – The English Patient is one of those. Whether or not we connect to a film is a very personal thing, and that is how it should be.

My First Reaction 

When I first saw Planet of the Apes (1968), I was very young. I was watching Batman, Lost in Space, and Star Trek on TV, and I was entertained by these shows but certainly not understanding everything I saw. I enjoyed it as a kid watching something that was entertaining.

When I first saw this movie, it was something was very different. I knew what the title was, and I figured it was going to be about an alien world populated by apes. I was already hooked on space stories from my TV viewings, but this was a little more than I was ready for at such a young age.

The Apes Were Mean

Taylor (the amazing Charlton Heston) and his crew crash on the alien planet. They encounter humans, but they are like cave people. The astronauts take off all their clothes and swim in a lake. The cave people steal their things, so now they are physically reduced to being like the cave people. 

The ape soldiers

The apes – the soldiers are gorillas – appear, and in my kid's mind they are very mean. They treat the humans terribly, round them up, and throw them in cages. Taylor conveniently gets shot in the throat, so that means he won't be able to talk. All the other humans are mute, so it makes him like one of the crowd. 

Good Apes

Taylor in captivity

Taylor is taken to a place where doctors examine him. Here he meets good apes in Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter).  They are chimpanzees and apparently scientists too. They treat the wounded Taylor and are kind to him.  

As Taylor observes the society he realizes that orangutans are the officials in society – led by the zealous Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans).  When Zira tells Zaius that Taylor displays intelligence, he seems leery about it and dismisses anything that would mean the humans are more than just animals. 

Taylor Speaks

In a scene where Taylor escapes and runs wild through crowds of apes in the streets, the gorilla soldiers chase him and eventually get him caught in a net. With the treatment from Zira and Cornelius, he has gotten his voice back and speaks the famous line, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" Humans are considered animals, but now one has spoken in public.

Taylor's hearing is a sham

A hearing is held to determine what to do with Taylor. Zaius and other officials listen to what he has to say, but it is obvious that they are not convinced by his story. Zira and Cornelius realize that they have to save Taylor. Along with their nephew Lucious (Lou Wagner) they help Taylor and his female companion Nova (Linda Harrison) escape. 

The Forbidden Zone

The group travels to the place that the apes have determined is off limits. The doctors are hoping to find evidence of an advanced human civilization that Taylor believes came before the apes' civilization. 

Zaius and the human baby doll

They find an archaeological site that has artifacts from a human civilization, and Cornelius presents them to Dr. Zaius as proof of Taylor''s claim. Their findings include a human baby doll that says "Mama." Zaius breaks down and admits that he has always known about the humans that came before them, and that they were a dangerous race. 

Taylor and Nova get on a horse with a rifle and provisions, and Zaius warns Taylor that he might not like what he finds out in that zone. Taylor ignores him and they ride away.

The Statue of Liberty Scene

The heartbreaking final scene

When Taylor rides the horse along the beach with Nova, he is fairly confident that he is going to find more humans somewhere. This is when the gut punch happens – Taylor finds the battered remnants of the Statue of Liberty sticking out of the sand along the beach. 

Watching this for the first time and being so young, I wasn't sure what I was seeing. I remember asking my father how could the statue be there on an alien planet. My Dad said that it was not an alien planet – it was Earth! 

Taylor gets off his horse, falls to his knees, and curses at those who destroyed the planet. Endings were not supposed to be this way in my young mind. It felt painful when I grasped that humans messed things up so much that apes would take over the world. It couldn't end like this. I remember crying because as a kid I was scared by the implications about what I had just seen.

Fun Fact: The idea for the action of the film not taking place on an alien planet but on Earth came from Rod Serling (creator of the Twilight Zone), and it was his idea that Taylor (and the audience) would find this out when he/we saw the Statue of Liberty in the last scene.

The Ending Today

I recently watched the film again, and it is still entertaining. I felt differently about it now; it was more devastating that the symbol of liberty that represented to the world what our country was like would end up like this. It is a shocking and powerful message that Serling wanted us to get from this final scene. 

Now I see that Taylor's heroism was based on the ideals that statue stands for, and seeing it broken like that makes him know it was all over. The arrogance of humans reached such an extreme that we destroyed ourselves. Seeing the statue knocks Taylor off his high horse – figuratively and literally. Were we any better than the apes if the world could end up this way? 

In 2026 I think the ending is a warning to us – considering the state of things in the world right now. We should not be so pompous and believe we are not vulnerable to an ending we cannot conceive. Maybe we will not be replaced by apes but perhaps something much worse – like AI or maybe Terminator style robots. 

I think the final message of the film is that peace is the answer, and that is something we should all work towards if we don't want an unhappy ending for the human race; otherwise, one day one of us humans may be kneeling in front of something that proves we did the unthinkable to ourselves, but by then it will too late to do anything about it.   

Please check out the iconic final scene of the movie here!

Movie Review: 'The Bride' – A Brutally Beautiful Love Story

Director Maggie Gyllenhall's film The Bride is like the wayward child of the films Bonnie and Clyde and The Bride of Frankenstein (1933), and since it is a new interpretation from the point of view of the dead woman Ida (Jessie Buckley), it feels new even though what's happening seems also antiquated since it is still an old tale. 

Set in 1936 Chicago, we get Frank (Christian Bale) coming to see Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (an amazing Annette Bening) whom he hopes will do him a favor – in this case animating a deceased woman's body to be his bride. Doc endearingly calls him Frank – since she learns that he was created by the legendary Dr. Frankenstein. When you do the math as Doc does, Frank is well over 100 years old. Let's say he's has taken a licking and has kept on ticking. 

Doc has her own version of Igor in Greta (a creepy Jeannie Berlin), and as the discussion is had about this animation, you get the vibes of what has come before but in a new way. Bale's depiction of Frank is ingratiating but also humble – he knows what he is and is not making any excuses. He has also lived a long enough life that he no longer wants to be alone.

Meanwhile, we see Ida living her life and somewhat enjoying it unabashedly. When the spirit of Mary Shelley (also Buckley) finds her, she inhabits her body and causes Ida to become suddenly outspoken and unapologetic about things, and Buckley is a revelation as she brings this free spirited woman to life. Unfortunately, this gets her in trouble with a local mobster, and she is killed because of it. They bury her quickly and that should have been the end of her, but Frank and Doc are looking for a fresh grave, and they dig her up. 

Ida is brought back to life

The animation scene is familiar in the sense that we have seen it before – remember Colin Clive madly yelling "It's alive" when his monster moved, but Doc is more sedate when the animated Ida sits up and she says, "Your bride, Frank." It is in this very lowkey and practical way that Gyllenhall makes this scene the antithesis of what we expect from past Frankenstein films. 

Frank and Ida don't really hit it off at first – yet it is a far cry from Elsa Lancaster's bride's outright rejection of the monster in The Bride of Frankenstein. In Gyllenhall's capable hands, Ida – who doesn't remember much of what happened to her – slowly warms up to him and gets to like Frank as a kindred spirit. She realizes that she has always been an oddball and Frank's as odd as they come. 

The Bride and Frank's road trip

Once they escape the confines of the Doc's house, they wander through the streets and revel in the freedom they experience. When confronted by two mobsters who want to abuse the Bride, Frank finally explodes as monsters often do and kills the men. This puts them on the run in the previously mentioned Bonnie and Clyde type of car ride that seems carefree, but the consequences of their actions are always hanging in the air around them. 

The odd couple that clicks

The rest is spoiler territory, but it is a tragedy that you know will end in catastrophe, and yet the indomitable spirits of the Bride and Frank seem like they cannot be destroyed, and the love they find is fragile and yet beautiful. Two broken people somehow have found a way to fix each other's physical and emotional injuries in ways that would otherwise seem impossible.

Cinematographer Lawrence Sher should be credited with creating a landscape that is appropriately muddled and dark, and yet also features instances of brightness when the moment calls for it. Composer Hildur Gudnadottir's score goes from being bleak to inspiring, and production designer Karen Murphy has created a believable 1930's backdrop that makes the atmosphere realistic and starkly dour. 

Frank meets Ronnie Reed

There is one scene that is a nod to Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein when the Bride and Frank invade a high class party where Frank's cinematic hero Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhall) is celebrating. They do a frenetic dance to "Putting on the Ritz" that gets the joint jumping and reminds us of the memorable scene in Brooks' film. 

Overall, The Bride is a brutal, beautiful, and ugly film about an impossible love that features violent star crossed lovers that we somehow are rooting for despite their unforgivable actions. Buckley, Bale, and Bening give Oscar worthy performances that you will greatly appreciate. 

I highly recommend this film and give it 4 out of five stars.  

Please check out the trailer. It'll inspire you to see this film as soon as possible. 

"Putting on the Ritz" Scene from Young Frankenstein

Pope Leo XIV's First Encyclical – Dealing With AI While Safeguarding Humanity

 

Pope Leo XIV has just released his first encyclical, and it focuses on something that is very much a part of everyday life in 2026 – Artificial Intelligence. The pope clearly shows that he cares about the perseveration of humanity despite what he believes is the secular drive to lessen its importance in favor of technology. 

The title of the publication is Magnifica humanitus: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. The pope's not fearful of AI; he understands that it has a limited place in society; however, what he wants is to keep humanity's unique place in the universe as superior to AI in every way. In essence, he seeks to save our souls before we are subsumed by a technology that we created. If that sounds like a science fiction plot, you are indeed correct.

Is AI Evil?

So, is AI the work of the devil? The pope writes that AI is not "a force antagonistic to humanity" and asserts that is is not "inherently evil." But he does worry about those who use AI. The pope writes "technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate, and use it."

This makes me think of any tool that we use and our intentions when using it. For example, a car can be used responsibly by the driver or it can be used irresponsibly, as in the case of someone who drives drunk. Then the car can become a deadly weapon. 

AI can be used for good purposes like helping us do work for school or our jobs, but it cannot replace the creative sides of our work and do it for us because then we become dependent upon AI like a drug. If we have no purpose because AI has taken away almost everything – including taking away most jobs – what will become of humanity?

Warning of Dependence on AI 

This is the main concern that the pope expresses here. He cautions us about dependence on AI or promoting it as something superior to what humans can accomplish. He writes that we should realize that we "will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell." In his view God created us and gave us the ability to create many things – including AI – but AI doesn't replace us in God's eyes because it doesn't have a soul. 

The Human Soul

He worries that AI is being relied upon way too much and that it is overvalued.The pope reminds us about "the fundamental dignity of each person" that is something that we are born with and gifted to us by God. AI cannot have this because we created AI, and maybe we can even make it sentient, but we cannot give it a soul. Only God can do that.

Pope Leo XIV warns us to approach the use of AI with caution because an already established "technocratic paradigm" that measures everything by "efficiency and profits." He reminds us that the most powerful technology doesn't make it the best, and AI may be able to simulate humans but it cannot be human with "spiritual capabilities" – in other words – it cannot possess an immortal soul. 

Disarming AI

The pope actually calls for AI to be disarmed – and he clarifies this. "To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity." The pope holds onto the belief that humans are loved by God the creator, and we are the ones who must remain in charge of our own lives and not allow our days to be run by technology that can possibly infringe on our liberty. 

The pope concludes by writing that even in this age of AI "we may bear witness to the grandeur of humanity, in which God has made his dwelling." In some cases there is a notion of deus ex machina in the use of AI; although it may seem like it will save the human race in so many ways, it is merely a plot device just like how the Greeks used it to end plays with no definitive ending. 

What Will Save Us? 

Pope Leo XIV believes that this is what will save us from AI getting too big for its britches. He believes we will be saved since God is within us because our souls are where he also dwells, and that's how we will know that only humanity will have that relationship, one that AI will never know. 

 

Please check the first short video where the pope talks about "disarming" AI. The second video is the complete presentation which is interesting to watch when you can find the time.

Why We Celebrate Memorial Day

 

Why do we celebrate Memorial Day? I've heard that question often over the years of my life. Some people confuse it with Veteran's Day, and others wrongly identify it as the start of summer. So, what is Memorial Day about?

We celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May every year. It is a United States federal holiday, and it is meant to honor and to mourn military personnel who died in the line of duty. 

A Story About Why We Celebrate Memorial Day

Over the years I was growing up, my Dad told me many stories from when he was in the war and about the friends that he lost. One story stood out to me because it was about his neighbor Johnny, whom he had known since he was a little boy. Dad had watched Johnny grow up, and as he left to go to boot camp in Fort Benning, Georgia, 16 year old Johnny was on his porch next door and said goodbye and wished him good luck as Dad got into the car with my grandfather who was going to drive him to the train station. 

Years later, my father stayed in France after the war was over because he still had work to do. Dad was deployed in the Bomb Disposal unit working out of the chateau in Fontainebleau, and one day he got a letter from his mother with an unusual request. 

His neighbor Johnny had been killed in France earlier that year. The news upset Dad because he remembered the boy waving goodbye to him as he left home. Johnny’s mother asked if my father could find out where Johnny was buried in France and take a picture of the grave since she would never be able to go there to visit it.

Dad did some research, and he was able to discover where the grave was located – Les Gonards Cemetery near Versailles.

Dad and an Army buddy got into a Jeep and drove to the cemetery. When he saw Johnny’s grave he felt compelled to kneel down and say a prayer, and his buddy took a photograph of the moment. Dad sent two copies of the photo (one was for my grandmother) in a letter home, asking my Nana to please express his condolences to Johnny's mother. 

About a month later, my grandmother wrote back that even though the photograph meant so much to Johnny’s mother, she sat on the porch crying for hours holding that picture in her hand. 

Honoring and Remembering Those Lost

All these years later this story defines what Memorial Day is all about. It is the loss of life in service of your country, and as Johnny's crying mother indicates, there is a deep and abiding cost for the families of all those lost. It is as personal as anything can be, and all the folded flags and bereavement letters do nothing to bring that lost loved back or ease the pain.

So, when you question what Memorial Day is all about, think of Johnny's story. Think about all the other stories of all those lost in all the wars our country has fought. And, if you're a praying person, say a prayer for those who have been lost and their families. Their ultimate sacrifice should be honored and never forgotten.  

Movie Review: 'Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu' – Father and Son Mercenaries with Heart

 

As the first new Star Wars film since 2019,  director Jon Favreau delivers Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, a great new entry that takes us on a rollercoaster ride that only lets up for a few moments here and there. Based on the Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian, the story focuses on the relationship between the once detached bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) who took little Grogu under his wing and grew a heart.

The Child

Grogu and the Anzellan mechanics

Grogu – whom I (and most everyone else) like to call Baby Yoda – is still the playful childlike version of the same species as the Yoda we knew from previous films and TV series. Like his predecessor, Grogu is blessed with Jedi powers that he employs when necessary. Mando is a dutiful father; however, he does take the child along on dangerous missions. One questions whether it's because the child cannot be left alone without getting into mischief or that Grogu happens to be a useful partner when situations start  getting precarious. 

The movie begins – I was expecting the opening crawl – with some text letting us know the situation that the New Republic faces with remnants of the Empire still persisting in pockets across the galaxy. For those of you who haven't seen the last three films, this gives you an idea about the origins of the First Order that you will find in the sequel trilogy. 

A New Mission

After a rollicking cold open that features Mando wiping out imperial remnants that he was supposed to bring in, Mando and Grogu meet with Colonel Ward (it's nice to see Sigourney Weaver joining the fold) with whom Mando has an agreement to hunt down and bring in these targets alive. Mando apologizes and says that it couldn't be helped.

Mando meets with Col. Ward

After a cute Grogu moment with him trying to steal Ward's snack using the Force, she gives them a new target – Lord Coin (Jonny Coyne) – whom she must have brought back alive. Mando learns he has to travel to meet with the Hutt twins (voiced by Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder) who know Coin's location. He will only receive that information if he rescues the Hutts' cousin Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) who has been kidnapped and imprisoned.

An Old Friend 

Zeb with Mando and Grogu

Mando doesn't like the idea that he has to deal with criminals like the Hutts, but takes on the job because Ward has gifted him a new Razor Crest. Fans of the show will recall his old ship getting destroyed. Mando is working with sometime partner Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum), whom fans will remember from Star Wars Rebels. 

Mando meets with the Hutts and they tell him where he can find Rotta. They want him returned to them quickly, and when he fulfills that job the Hutts will give him Coin's location. The Hutts say that he is working for them now, but Mando corrects them and says he's working for the New Republic not them. 

A Sleazy City

A jacked Rotta the Hutt in the ring

Shakari is one of those worlds that is outside of New Republic space, so its main city is like Las Vegas but with much less glitz and a lot more grit and grime. He finds that Rotta is being held in a huge arena where he is fighting like a gladiator in a ring surrounded by a boisterous audience. 

Mando wants to help Rotta escape and go back to the twins, but Rotta informs him that his cousins only want him back to kill him since he is the legitimate heir to his father Jabba's criminal empire. It's surprising to see that Rotta is nothing like his father or the twins. Rotta speaks normally not in Huttese like his cousins, and he's in excellent physical condition unlike the other slovenly Hutts.  

No Spoilers

Father and son and a mission

The rest of the way is spoiler territory, but as I mentioned before there are mostly non-stop battles between Mando and nefarious forces. There are a few of those father and son moments that fans loved in the TV series, and Grogu has matured enough that he knows when to use his powers to help out dear old dad. 

The film is visually beautiful, so credit goes to cinematographer David Klein, and as it was in the TV series, composer Ludwig Goransson's score – including the thrilling Mandalorian theme song –  ebbs and rises to match the dynamics of the moment. Favreau has done a fine job of transitioning the story from TV series to a film, making everything seem appropriately bigger and louder for the big screen.   

Filoni Cameos

Filioni as pilot Trapper Wolf 

Executive producer and co-writer Dave Filoni appears in two scenes – a bar scene on Shakari wearing his signature cowboy hat – and as Trapper Wolf the X-wing pilot who is part of Colonel Ward's unit. These brief moments are fun to spot for fans of the series.

The Verdict

I highly recommend this movie. After seeing this film – I give it four and half out of five stars – it is comforting to know that Star Wars is now in the capable hands of Filoni and Favreau. This will give fans a new hope for better things to come on the big screen as well as on Disney+

Until next time, may the Force be with you! 

Please check out the final trailer for the movie!