Jersey Shore and Other Stuff

The most anticipated episode of the Jersey Shore aired right about the same time Hurricane Irene was pummeling New Jersey last week - I can't believe it was merely a coincidence. Anyways, I didn't get to see it, but got the impression from all those in FB land that the fight between Ronnie and Sitch was disappointed. I finally got to see it last night and I have to agree - it was a total letdown. However, even with that, I think this had to be one of the better episodes I have seen in a long time. How about a list to best break it down

• I can't even look at Jenny anymore. Besides being so skinny, she did something to her face and simply looks like Skeletor. What happened to the girl that we see on the credits? She has not only changed her looks, but she is no longer a praying mantis - she is clearly sanest woman in the house. You've changed J-Woww.
• Seeing Sitch in a neckbrace and sunglasses with a tear streaming down his face is one of the better reality moments of all time. I mean, it was classic.
• I can't believe we are STILL watching this whole Ronnie-Sammi thing. Look, I don't know how scripted this whole thing is, but assuming that it is a bit scripted, we must be really stupid. I mean, the fighting is so ridiculous. I am over it and have been for 2 seasons...I imagine that is how everyone else looks at it, and yet JS is enjoying some of its highest ratings ever. Ugghhh, stupid Americans.
• After they broke up again, Sammi put all the stuff that Ronnie gave her on his bed. He then proceeds to throw it away. What does Sammi do? She takes it out of the trash! That is just classic stuff right there. I mean, first off, she went dumpster diving. Second, how does that make her seem like a bigger person (like she claimed?) Let the stuff be in the trash - don't wimper back and get it! Come on, girl.
• I can't believe she is the only true Jersey girl on the show. I want to like you, I do...
• Vinnie and Paulie D remain my favorites. They alone are the reason I watch (well, this season at least since there are no flyover shots of the shore and boardwalk)
• The Deena/Sammi commercials keep on getting worse (and by that, I mean better)
• I enjoyed when Paulie almost got into a fight in the club and the guys were saying "you're in the streets of Florence" almost like they knew who they were (although I guess you have to sense something is up when you have a camera crew around you).
• Speaking of camera crew, was that the first time we saw them on Jersey Shore?
• I just don't get what Ronnie was thinking with the flowers. Seriously, how did you think that was going to be a good idea?
• Ok, I couldn't go through the whole list without actually talking about the fight...how fitting is it that Sitch (who by the way is coming off as a huge creep after endearing himself to some people with his appearances on ESPN and DWTS) got hurt by a wall? I mean, the guy is so fake that he couldn't even get knocked out by a real dude.
  
• Kudos to MTV for promoting the hell out of a fight that barely even happened. I should be pissed, but hey, they did what they needed to do. The fight may have been a bust, but overall a great episode.
  

Ok, now on to the Mets...

• With the win last night, Miguel Batista won his 100th game. He is now 40 years old with a 100-112 lifetime record and is on his 11th major league team. Amazing that he lasted that long.
• Since returning from the DL, Wright is hitting .314 with 28 rbi in 37 games. That is a pace of 114 over the course of a full 162 game season. It is only 1/4 of the season, but bodes well for him moving forward.
• The deal to sell a minority share of the team is now off and some people are wondering how this will effect the re-signing of Reyes. Ultimately, I don't think it has anything to do with it as I'm convinced that Sandy Alderson is already set into a specific payroll for next year regardless of whether new funds were trickling in. It is going to be tough - as metsblog.com has pointed out, in Santana ($24m), Bay ($17m) and Wright ($15m) they already have $55 on their books for next year. Signing Reyes to a hometown discount of $15m for next year would bring the payroll to $70 meaning the rest of the team would operate on $30m-$40m. I know we have a lot of young players with nice contracts, but it will be tough to put together a competitive team considering our young pitching is still 1-2 years away from making it to the big leagues. Einhorn backing out of the deal will have nothing to do with whether Reyes re-signs...in fact, it will be the terrible contracts given to Santana (ok, not terrible at the time) and Bay that will go a long way in determing if he does come back.
  

Finally, I have been feeling a little bored with sports during the week recently...it almost certainly has to do with the fact that it is August and the Mets being 5 games under .500. While the weekday sports slate won't really be picking up until the NHL starts in a month or two, I am excited to have college and pro football to add to my weekend feast of EPL and MLS. Not sure I can find time for them all, but will certainly give it a shot.

Jersey Shore Back Again

Against all sensibilities, I watched the new season of Jersey Shore last night. I have to admit that I wasn't overly excited. I mean, the show was starting to get a little stale as of late. The first season was great - no doubt about it. I not only was intrigued by the whole Jersey Shore Guido culture, but I loved all the aerial shots of the Jersey Shore. Those who know me know that I grew up at the Jersey Shore. Every summer my parents and I would go down to our shore house and spend all our time on the beach. The only difference is that I went to Cape May whereas Jersey Shore (which I just noticed has the same initials as this blog) is taped in Seaside. They are entirely different places - whereas Seaside attracts all the partiers from the tri-state area, Cape May attracted families from as far north as Quebec and Maine. Bottom line - I love the actual Jersey Shore...you know, the beach, the boardwalk and the water. I was sucked in by the idea of seeing the beach on tv (no beaches here in Seattle) and then stayed because of the characters on the show.

When they went to Miami in season 2 the atmosphere was different. Not only is Miami entirely different than every city in New Jersey, but you could tell that the cast members were officially celebrities. By the time season 3 came around, it was boring. Ronnie and Sammi were still smushing and fighting. The Situation was still putting himself in position to score but not finishing the deal. J-Woww and Snooki were still just annoying. It had all be done before.

When I heard that they were going to Italy for season 4 my reaction was initially favorable. The thought of them trying to live in another country was certainly intriguing. However, the thought of them embarrassing our country was too much to overlook. As the season was looking to get under way you started to here rumblings that it might not actually happen. Apparently the mayor of Florence was being a hardass - he didn't want anyone thinking that these kids represented Italians so he did not give the show permits to shoot in the city's most historic areas, in clubs areas where alcohol was being served and just everywhere in general. You really got a sense of what the rest of the world thinks about us..and yet we were sending these kids over to Italy?

So yeah, I wasn't overly excited, but I was willing to give it a final shot....and I must say that I actually enjoyed it and look forward to more episodes. The first thing that has to be noted is that it was refreshing to these the cast mates put outside of their comfort zones. Sure Snooki and The Situation had 9 bags of luggage and sure at times they walked around the city with an heir of superiority, but for me there was nothing better than watching them struggle to communicate with the locals, find their house, use their hair dryers, understand traffic signals and of course make their way up the huge ass staircase. In a nutshell, nothing is being given to them besides a house and a car.

A few random comments:

1. J-Woww either had a nose job or has lost a lot of weight. Either way she looks like Skeletor, which is a not a good look for her.
2. Four of the cast members now live in Jersey...but in my mind, Sammi is still the lone ditry representative. She grew up in Jersey, played soccer at Willy P and of course is the only one to wear a Jersey t-shirt in Italy.
   
3. What were the parents thinking agreeing to be on camera? Oh man, that does not do much for your street cred.
4. I love Vinnie and Paulie D. Still the best cast members.
5. The thought of Snooki driving is scary. Even if I had not heard the news aboiut her getting into an accident with a cop car, I knew it was going to end poorly.
6. They really need to split the show into two - the girls are totally bringing down the show. Some might like watching them, but for me, it's all about the guys.
7. The preview actually looks good - apparently The Situation and Snooki have a lot of drama which prompts Ronnie to fight The Situation. Someone goes out on a stretcher and the cast talks about a tragedy. I'll be watching