I spent a good portion of Saturday with my Dad, ushering him around as we went to a movie and grabbed a late lunch and then took in the Florida Derby and some Miami hockey, which I'll get to later. We went over to the Regal Beagle at Middleburg to see Jason Statham in "The Bank Job".

It was OK. This group of people is set up to rob a bank vault. Aside from all the cash and jewels, they also get photos of a royal (allegedly of Princess Margaret) cavorting around the Caribbean that are being held in the deposit box of a black militant, a ledger of police payoffs kept by a porn mogul, and candid photography of some of Britain's finest in compromising positions at a local brothel. Well then, what could possibly go wrong when everyone besides the police and the Secret Service is after you.

Statham is held in check until near the end, when he beats up four guys, including the tried-and-true double headbutt on a henchman. Leg whipping that would make a Denver Bronco lineman proud, as well. That's about it for the fight scenes. I must say, Saffron Burrows is looking great in this film. Meow. Otherwise, it was your standard British heist film, where they say "bollocks" and "cheeky" and "wanker" a lot.

Then we went over to Panera for some eats. They have an Asiago Roast Beef sandwich that I've had a couple of times and it's very good. That hit the spot.

Meal of Links

Since I'll be at Opening Day tomorrow, it's time to look at the Tribe's chances for 2008. Last year, if you recall, I said the Indians would 91 games and make the playoffs. Well, they won 96 and made the playoffs. I also said, "If Joe Borowski has 35 saves like last year, the Indians brass will be happy." and "the outfield platoons bore me". But I also said Jeremy Sowers and Cliff Lee would be good. Note I didn't say "would be in the minors in 2007". What about this year?

The biggest challenge comes from Detroit. It appears the Tigers are loaded and that offense will probably score 1,000 runs. They have pitching issues, especially in the bullpen, but remember last year's Tiger team was only 3 games back with two weeks to go last year. They will be tougher this year.

The leftfield platoon still bores me. It shows what a bad deal the Indians gave David Delucci. Even if he hits .300 this year, they still owe him for 2009. I would understand this Jason Michaels/Delucci platoon better if Ben Francisco were 21, but he is 26. Not sure he's the answer, but let's see what he can do at the big league level. The Indians are set with Grady Sizemore in center and Victor Martinez behind the plate. No worries there.

Franklin Gutierrez, Turtle Boy, is now the regular rightfielder. Not a big fan. I think he's a 2-tool player. For all of Jhonny Peralta's faults, the dude carried us in the playoffs last year. So shortstop doesn't seem to be an issue. The $6 million dollar man, Casey Blake, is at third, and quite frankly, no use going over his abilities again. The heir apparent at third, Andy Marte, seems to be have regressed at this point.

My running joke since last year is, "Do you mean the soon-to-be .244-hitting Asdrubal Cabrera?". Possesses a great glove, but his late September and playoff decline at the plate have me questioning the Hall of Fame status already bestowed upon him by some. I think this is a huge question mark for 2008. He must hit. Same with Ryan Garko at first. I love the guy, he's the darling of "The Jim Rome Show" and bloggers everywhere, and he is probably my favorite Indian. But you can't be a corner infielder and knock in 62 runs (well, unless you're Casey Blake). He must do better at the plate. Don't forget in 2006, he knocked in 40-some runs the last two months. That is the guy we need.

That leaves Travis Hafner as DH. He hit .255 this spring and had 12 walks and 2 homers. The Indians seemed satisfied, saying he had been pretty selective at the plate. But selectivity has never been an issue and those stats echo his 2007 season. Hafner, for whatever reason, was not able to drive the ball last year with disdain. His walks were still up, so an expanding strike zone was not an issue, he just lost some pop. However, in what was considered a down year, he still had over 20 homers and knocked in 100. I'll take that and we'll have to see if he'll ever get back to that 40-120 plateau.

Starting pitching is the team's strength. Can Paul Byrd repeat his performance last year? If not, Cliff Lee should pick up the slack with a hopeful return to form. Keep in mind, Wedge hates him, so that's a short leash we're working with here. Westbrook, Sabathia and Cabrera should be solid.

Bullpen is pretty much the same, except for the additions of Breslow (a late add), Julio and Kobayashi. I see these questions and they are not going to provide simple answers, I believe. Do you honestly believe Perez and Betancourt can duplicate their 2007 seasons? These guys had ERAs below 1.45! I don't think that can happen again. Even a full run more of an ERA, which would still be very good, could be the difference in some losses. And Jensen Lewis, who wasn't touched the last two months of 2007, is he for real? I say no. And do we think Joe Borowski can do it again? We thought he was on borrowed time last year, so it may be more of a tightrope in 2008.

In an off season where the Indians did practically nothing, I am predicting 89 wins this year and no October baseball. Tigers win the Central, Oakland takes the West, Boston the East and the Blue Jays are the Wild Card.

Here is what the Beacon thinks.

BTW, have you tried these Kettle-Roasted Honey BBQ Peanuts from Planters. They come in a resealable bag and are quite good. They are certainly better than the bag of Lays Kettle-Cooked Sea Salt and Vinegar chips that I threw out a few weeks ago. Man, those tasted awful.

The guy from "The Killing Fields" died. I love that scene where John Malkovich rips into Sam Waterston for not getting the guy out earlier. I actually saw Sydney Schanberg deliver a lecture at Miami a long time ago and BTW, it's a weepy movie.

Texas starts picking Democratic delegates. Can't be that tough, eh? But we wind up with shouting, booing and shoving matches. Things are getting serious.

Exercise Yard

As I mentioned, the Florida Derby was yesterday. Big Brown was your winner (from the far outside post, no less, a Gulfstream rarity), and he was not a UPS truck, although he ran like one. Hard to get overly excited, especially with Pyro out there, but Big Brown looked awfully good. Ran the half in 45.4, which is moving. In horse racing, you always wonder when there is a blistering pace like that, can the frontrunner widen the lead, hang on, or get passed by the cavalry down the stretch. Well, Big Brown widened the lead. Realizing Big Brown may have a lot of company up front at the Kentucky Derby if he does that, makes you wonder about his chances, but he does have the proven ability to come off the pace. Cemented his stature as one to look at for the Derby. Only had three starts and he's also got tootsie issues, so we'll have to see how his feet react to the Churchill Downs surface.

I also got to see Miami beat Air Force for a chance to move on to the Frozen Four. It took an overtime goal to do it. Miami is Number Two in the country and started with a quick goal in the first period, then gave up two in the second. They pretty much dominated the third period and the overtime, but the Air Force goalie was unconscious, making save after save. Finally, Miami cashed in on a power play in the third. Too many man on the ice for Air Force. Ugh! That goal tied it and after 15 minutes of overtime, the game winner! Next up, it's Boston College today, which has eliminated Miami from the tournament the last two years.

I am already checking eBay for tickets to Denver.

Visitor

None, it's a Sunday.