C’était le dernier jour samedi dernier pour visiter l’exposition Umbrales/seuils à l‘Instituto de Mexico (119 rue vieille-du-temple). Ce n’est pas la première fois que je visite ce lieu et c’est toujours un grand plaisir que de découvrir des auteurs mexicains habituellement peu vus en Europe.

Livia Corona montrait la série déjà vue à Madrid (billet ici) cet été consacrée aux logements construits à la va-vite au Mexique.

Sector reforma présentait Javier Cardenas Tavizon (site ici) pour des portraits collectifs et individuels.

Gerardo Montiel Klint montrait des travaux particulièrement saisissants, outre la fillette photographiée comme un top model mais privée d’une jambe dévorée par un requin (“étude marine avec survivant d’une attaque de requin”). Ses “volutes de fumée” et autres “étude d’un paysage avec vomi” sont intriguants, intelligents et fort bien réalisés, dans toutes sortes de tailles et en tirage Giclée (ce qui n’est pas fréquent). Un travail vraiment remarquable et un accrochage très pertinent. Son site (ici) est consacré à son travail commercial et sa galerie montre peu d’images (ici).

Oswaldo Ruiz recourt lui a de grands diasec pour montrer des maisons désertées par leurs habitants suite à la sécheresse due à l’incurie du gouvernement local. Photographiées de nuit, avec des éclairages clairement visibles, ces maisons font penser à des insectes épinglés dans un cabinet d’entomologiste. Son site web est hélas presque inutilisable (ici).

Jose Luis Cuevas montrait des portraits rapprochés en noir et blanc de gens ordinaires en tirage aux “encres au carbone”. Ces portraits ont quelque chose de saisissants de vérité et de rudesse, sans artifice. Il ne faut pas le confondre avec le peintre muraliste homonyme. Son blog est ici.

Andres Carretero dans sa série “phénotypes” traitait le sujet des mexicains albinos, c’est un sujet assez bateau mais toujours intriguant. Son site ici montre sa série de manière très complète.

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It is finally here: Phillies-Yankees. We will get to the matchups in a few moments, but first item on the list is George Steinbrenner pimping out the opening act. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are performing “Empire State of Mind” and LeBron is throwing out the first pitch. Ok, the second one was a joke but the first one is serious, and in case you were wondering, Elton John will not be performing “Philadelphia Freedom” before Game 3. I personally find it pretty comical that Steinbrenner is basically holding a concert before the game. I can appreciate giving fans value for their money (which is a lot for Yankee Stadium), but doesn’t the idea of a performance before the World Series just seem comical. Maybe it’s just me. If so, let me know. Alright, let’s get to the matchups and we will keep score.

Catcher: Jorge Posada/José Molina vs. Carlos Ruiz

Posada is clearly the best of the three and under normal circumstances, but Ruiz has had himself a very nice postseason going 5-13 with 4 RBI in the NLCS while Posada was just 4-20. Whether or not this will carry over is anyone’s guess, but it definitely narrows the gap. Yankees 1, Phillies 0; but by the slimmest of margins.

First Base: Mark Teixeira vs. Ryan Howard

This is a marquee matchup even though the two really do not face each other head to head. Teixeira has the edge defensively over Howard despite Howard’s recent efforts to improve, but it is pretty even at the plate with both being outstanding players. Howard is easily the hotter player, but Tex found his groove toward the end of the Angels series, especially against Darren Oliver in Game 5. We will call this one a tie: Yankees 2, Phillies 1.

Second Base: Robinson Cano vs. Chase Utley

The advantage clearly goes to Utley here. Not only is he outstanding defensively and can do it all at the plate, he is one of the best baserunners in the game. Just watch him run the bases; it can change a game. For that matter, almost all the Phillies are good baserunners and they can certainly thank that, in part, for their success. Utley is the better player all around. Yankees 2, Phillies 2.

Shortstop: Derek Jeter vs. Jimmy Rollins

Defensively, no matter what anyone says, I have to give the edge to Rollins. Jeter makes great plays on the balls he gets to, but he gets to less balls overall. That means that the roller up the middle that Jeter just barely misses making a play on is a ball J-Roll gets to. However, at the plate Jeter has been red hot and his leadership skills have to be taken into account. Jeter wins. Yankees 3, Phillies 2.

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez vs. Pedro Feliz

This one is pretty close. Ok, not really, A-Rod is the hottest player on the planet and Pedro Feliz is Pedro Feliz. A-Rod is better in every aspect of the game. Yankees 4, Phillies 2.

Outfield+DH: Damon, Matsui, Cabrera, Swisher vs. Ibanez, Victorino, and Werth

I can honestly say that the Phillies have the edge at every position. The Phillies have a phenomenal core of outfielders frankly. Ibanez has picked back up after his September slump; Victorino and Werth are hotter than firecrackers. Damon has been hot too, but he is a liability at times with his arm. Swisher showed no signs of life against the Angels and although Melky has been hot, he is not as good as Victorino. This one is 3-0 Phillies. Yankees 4, Phillies 5.

Starting Pitching: Sabathia, Burnett, Pettite, 4th Starter vs. Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Martinez, Happ, Anyone Else

After Cliff Lee, this is a win for the Yankees. Sabathia might even be able to beat Lee on the right night which would really hinder the Phillies chances. In order for them to win this series, they need to win Game 1. If Lee goes down, the morale will too and with Hamels in his current state, the Phils will be in trouble. If Hamels steps up and looks like 2008 Cole Hamels, the Phillies might even be the favorite to win it all. However, Hamels has shown no reason to have much confidence in him and Pettite has a much bigger advantage over a Phillies lineup who has not seen him than Joe Blanton (a former Athletics player) has against a Yankees lineup, almost all of which have experience against him. Not to mention, Pettite is a beast in the postseason. We will call Lee-Sabathia a tie, and the anonymous 4th starters a tie, but Pettite and Burnett have clear advantages. Yankees 8, Phillies 7. By the way, how envious are Indians fans (such as myself) at the fact that two of their former starters are starting Game 1 and facing each other. Too bad neither plays for the Indians.

Bullpen minus Closer: Hughes, Coke, Chamberlain, Marte, Aceves, Robertson vs. Durbin, Madson, Park, Eyre

Going into the playoffs, this would have been a clear Yankees victory, but they were really shaky against the Angels and Girardi seemed to lack a little bit of trust in them, especially when he left Burnett in for the start of the 7th. On the other hand, the Phillies pen has been outstanding and really did a job on the Dodgers. I am going to give out only 1 point for this category since it does not even include the closer but right now the bullpen matchup favors the Phillies. Tied 8-8. I promise I didn’t plan that.

Closer: Mariano Rivera vs. Brad Lidge

Lidge has been perfect this postseason, but it just doesn’t matter. Mariano Rivera is the best closer in baseball history (sorry Trevor) because of what he does in the postseason. The Braves of the 1990s felt that if they had Rivera instead of the Yankees, they would be the ones with 4 rings in the 90s. Keep in mind, Rivera only deals with 1 innings, with 4 to 5 outs max and the Braves feel he could have put them so over the top that they would have won 3 more rings. Lidge has been outstanding, but Mariano Rivera is simply the best. Yankees 9, Phillies 8.

Intangibles: Ballpark, NL-AL and Overall Impact

The Yankees are lucky they have a lefty going in Game 1 because it will be harder for the Phillies switch hitters to pull the ball out of the ballpark from the left side, and Ryan Howard will have less chance of killing them. We all know that the 2 stadiums are bandboxes, but I think there is a minimal advantage for the Phillies getting their lefties in the new Yankee Stadium. The Phillies also have a slight advantage in being structured like an AL team. When they go to an AL park, they are more than fine fielding a DH, but when the Yankees go to a NL park, they lose a significant contributor. If Burnett pitches in Philly, it is even more pronounced since Molina replaces Posada as well. Both of these advantages are minimal though, so we will give them 1 total point for both. That ties it up 9-9.

It is the Yankees year. God, I hate seeing that in writing but even this Yankee hating Indians fan has to admit it. The Yankees are a team of destiny this year and even the defending Champions cannot deny their swag. Name almost any other sport and a defending champ returning to the championship and they would be huge favorites, but the Yankees are favored to win. The Phillies have an experience advantage since they are the reigning champs, but the veteran core of the Yankees can make up for that. It just comes down to feel. There is something about this Yankees team where you feel like they are going to win every game no matter how improbable. They have the swag, and the swing, and in a few weeks time, they will have the rings to match. Yankees 10-9.

Just because it is so close does not mean it will go seven however. If the Phillies drop Game 1, it could be over in 4 or 5, but if the Phillies are clutch it could very well go 7, and with a little luck they could come out on top, but it will not quite happen. The Yankees are your 2009 World Series Champions.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA

Cypress police officers Paul Ruiz, center, and Erik Carlson received a Gold Distinguished Award from the city council earlier this year. Chief of Police Mark Yokoyama, left, gave out the awards. Rose Palmisano / The Orange County Register

Five Cypress police officers who rescued a woman from her burning home will receive the medal of valor from the California State Firefighters’ Association.

The medal is the highest honor bestowed by the association, for “individuals that voluntarily risk their own life to an extraordinary degree in saving or attempting to save the life of another person.” The officers will receive the awards at a ceremony on tonight in Sacramento.

On Nov. 25, officers Paul Ruiz, James Brewer, Erik Carlson, Brock Paul and Thomas Mellana responded to a call about a fire on Windsor Circle. They broke a door and went inside to pull 84-year-old Eleanor Jensen from the home.

Former officer Stephen Spernak nominated the men for the honor.

“It’s really unexpected,” Ruiz said. “You go through a career and you’re not used to getting accolades for doing your job. It’s a great feeling.”

“It’s a huge honor to be bestowed on you. It’s a big award,” Carlson said. “It feels pretty good, but we weren’t thinking about that when we went in there.”

City officials were criticized after they refused to pay the five officers $788.48 in collective overtime claimed after the November rescue. The officers had responded to the fire about an hour before the end of their 12½-hour shifts. They claimed four hours of overtime in part because they were treated for smoke inhalation.

The officers’ superiors — including Chief Mark Yokoyama — approved the overtime, but City Council members and City Manager John Bahorski had argued the medical treatment was outside working hours and worried paying the overtime would set a precedent. In February, they relented and paid the officers.

Ruiz said when he and the other officers arrived at the scene, flames were shooting out of the home and thick smoke clouded the street. A neighbor told the officers he thought Jensen was still inside—which she was.

The thick smoke kept them from seeing through the windows, so the officers broke them to clear some of it out, Ruiz said. Through a clearing in the smoke, one of them saw Jensen’s feet shuffling through one of the rooms.

“We held onto each others’ leg and went crawling into the house,” Ruiz said, with Brewer spraying water from a hose to cover them as they moved through the house.

Though they tried to stay together, the officers got separated in the house, Ruiz said.

Carlson then spotted Jensen through the smoke.

“I saw her walk past,” Carlson said. “She was wearing a long, white nightgown. That’s when I decided to go after her.”

“Carlson was really moving in there,” Ruiz recalled. “The walls of the hallway were on fire when he went though. Brewer was screaming for us … and got us back.” Holding onto Jensen and crawling, “We just sort of backed out onto the street.”

Firefighters arrived, and treated Jensen and the officers for smoke inhalation. They were all otherwise unhurt.

“A couple of uniforms got singed here and there,” Ruiz said. “We were laying in water from Jim spraying everything, and when we came out we were all dry. It was hot in that house.”

The Phillies, ready to let their hair down

Without much of an interest in any of the remaining teams in the MLB Playoffs, I’m pretty much resigned to rooting for close games and a pair of long, comptetive series (and for the Yankees to burn in hell). The Phillies and Dodgers fulfilled the first half of the deal last night, but Jonathan Broxton’s blown save did its part in ensuring this one probably isn’t going the distance. Jimmy Rollins ripped a Broxton pitch up the gap with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a pair to give the Phillies a 5-4 win and a 3-1 series lead.

Philadelphia’s Game 4 win was a tad more dramatic than their 11-0 romp the previous day — the Dodgers erased an early 2-0 Phillies lead, taking a 4-3 edge to the ninth before Rollins did his thing. Broxton walked Matt Stairs, who was run for by Eric Bruntlett, and hit Carlos Ruiz to put the tying and winning runs on. The always-reliable Brad Lidge even grabbed the win, striking out two Dodgers in the top half to keep the one-run deficit in check.

The NLCS has today off, but the teams are back at it Wednesday night in Game 5. Clayton Kershaw (8-8, 2.79) and Cole Hamels (10-11, 4.32) are on the mound.

Lidge saves the day (barely)

Three straight saves — Brad Lidge is back! I really hope Philly fans aren’t convinced by that, because I’m certainly not. Lidge closed out the Phillies’ 8-6 win in last night’s NLCS opener against the Dodgers despite giving up a leadoff hit and a walk, using a sharply-hit double play ball to come out unscathed. Here’s a fearless prediction: Lidge ends up coughing up the next one.

Anyway, the Phillies chased LA starter Clayton Kershaw with a five-run fifth and tacked on three more in the eighth before their bullpen made it interesting, as usual. Starter Cole Hamels again wasn’t his 2008 self but managed to come out with the win thanks to three-run shots from Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez.

The Phillies and Dodgers are back at it this afternoon, while the Yankees and Angels open the ALCS tonight at Yankee Stadium.

If we want to live a life of joy, we have to find the courage to break the agreements that limit us, and choose new agreements based on love.”

– Don Miguel Ruiz, Wisdom from the Four Agreements

Doar 6 din 53 de europene dar 4 din 10 sud-americane!

Oscar Ruiz e arbitru. Arbitrul Ruiz e din Columbia. Columbia e din America de Sud. CONMEBOL, o uniune tip UEFA in varianta sud-americana, a avut patru reprezentante la FIFA U-20 World Cup. Patru din zece tari sud-americane. 40%. Dintre care Brazilia cu al ei varf Kader joaca in aceasta seara pentru un loc in semifinala acestui Mondial din Egipt.

Oscar Ruiz a ciopartit aseara sfertul de finala exclusiv european, dintre Italia si Ungaria. Cele doua, plus Germania, s-au numarat intre sfertfinalistele din Europa ale turneului din Tara Faraonilor. Cele trei plus Anglia, Spania si Cehia, eliminate pe parcurs, au reprezentat batranul continent in turneul final cu 24 de natiuni.  Sase emisare din totalul de 53 al UEFA, de la mic la mare, a se citi de la San Marino la Spania. 6 din 53 nu e Loto ci doar 11,3%. Total disproportionat, comparativ cu cele 40% trimise de sud-americani. Stiu, e drept, Argentina e inca detinatoarea la zi a titlului la sub 20 de ani… Dar de ce atat de multe selectionate din America de Sud, cel putin in comparatie cu Europa!?!

Continui cu comparatiile, inainte de a reveni la Senor Oscar Ruiz si cartonasele sale rosii de-aseara, impartite europenilor. Patru reprezentante din CONCACAF, uniunea Central si Nord Americana!?! Patru din 35? Stim cu totii ca FIFA forteaza raspandirea si popularizarea globala a fotbalului dar se cam sare gardul, in conditiile in care destule dintre cele 35 membre afiliate la CONCACAF nu sunt altceva decat insulite caraibiene gen Trinidad & Tobago, prezenta in Egipt. Mult prea multe, patru!

Tot patru si din Asia, care, noutate, s-a prezentat inclusiv cu… Australia. Asta pentru a da o sansa in plus uneia dintre numeroasele insulite alcatuind confederatia cu 11 natiuni a fotbalului din Oceania. Si astfel a ajuns Tahiti la turneul final. Inaltator! 0-8 cu Spania, 0-8 cu Venezuela, 0-5 cu Nigeria. Contributia tahitienilor? Zero.   

Europenele, strangulate pe aceeasi jumatate de traseu

Africa, mai ca Europa. Cinci din 53. Fata de 6 din 53. Politica aducerii la acelasi numitor comun si implicit a nivelarii in jos nu e practicata numai la impartirea pe criteriile debalansate de mai sus a numarului de reprezentante de pe continente, ci si la traseul acestora spre finala. Ungaria si Cehia si-au dat cap in cap si n-aveau alta varianta pentru sferturile de finala, decat sa intalneasca Spania ori Italia. Patru din cele 6 europene aliniate la start, macelarindu-se pana in sferturi. Sa fie cat mai echilibrata reprezentarea la varful turneului final…

Si aici si-a intrat in rol Oscar Ruiz. Italiei si Spaniei i s-au mai “servit” arbitri de pomina, chiar si la seniori, de cand cu caravana turneelor finale poposind si prin locuri mai exotice, gen Coreea de Sud si Japonia, in 2002. Asa ca n-a surprins prea tare, aseara, pe Mubarak din Suez…

… Deja in minutul 2, Nemeth, nouarul maghiarilor cu contract la Liverpool FC, a fost faultat in careu de Gentili iar Vladimir Koman, celalalt star al ungurilor, septarul capitan, l-a invins pe capitanul Fiorillo, colegul de club cu care aducea Sampdoriei titlul la tineret: 1-0.

Columbianul Ruiz a ingalbenit si inrosit europenele… Beneficiara? Ghana!

Iar apoi si-a intrat in rol Ruiz, care le-a aratat cartonasul galben lui Albertazzi si Gentili, deja in prima repriza, iar lui Koman imediat dupa pauza. Consecinta? Koman avea sa piarda semifinala cu Ghana, in cazul calificarii in dauna Italiei. Tocmai capitanul! Play-makerul maghiarilor. Inca un galben pentru Gentili si implicit cartonasul rosu. Din minutul 71, Italia in zece. Columbianul dadea tonul la ceea ce avea sa urmeze…

Dar Antonio Mazzotta, egaland in minutul 82, a incurcat itele. Doua minute mai tarziu, un al doilea fundas peninsular, Bini, vedea cartonasul rosu. Doua galbene in nici 250 de secunde. Si Italia, la 1-1 o potentiala semifinalista contra Ghanei, ramasa in 9 si decimata in cazul calificarii. Ungaria, sigur fara Koman.

11 la 9 nu e bine asa incat Ruiz a redresat nitel balanta, inaintea intrarii in reprizele de prelungiri. Szekeres la dusuri: 10  la 9 si alte 30 de minute, plumb in picioare… Ghana se calificase deja, de aproape cinci ore, pentru semifinala de marti. Distractie in fata televizorului.

Prelungiri. Krisztian Nemeth, varful ce “scosese” penaltyul, a marcat pentru 2-1 in minutul 112. Cu un om in plus, Ungaria parea calificata pentru duelul euro-african ce trebuia sa-l inceapa fara capitanul Koman si Szekeres. Dar rezerva Bonaventura, si el “ingalbenit”, a egalat imediat cu o incredibila actiune solo: 2-2 si … zece contra noua. Insa pentru doar inca doua minute. Caci Ruiz a scos al doilea galben si pentru Albertazzi, devenit al treilea fundas italian eliminat la Suez. Italia, inca in carti la 2-2 pentru semifinala cu Ghana, ar fi trebuit sa-si inlocuiasca aidoma jocului de hochei linia de fund.

Zece contra opt, in ultimele 5 minute. Din 115 pana la ultimul fluier… Dar Koman a reusit o deschidere de mare clasa, o minge lunga printre, la intalnire, inghitind aproape 40 de metri si lansandu-l spre gol pe acelasi Nemeth. Stang si 3-2!

19 galbene si patru rosii pentru 44 de faulturi…

24 – 20 la faulturi “pentru” Ungaria, ce a incasat opt cartonase galbene. Trei titulari, drept consecinta, ii vor lipsi. Italia a fost impanata cu 11 cartonase galbene, dintre care trei transformate in rosii. Deci Ruiz si-a controlat buzunarul la fiecare doua-trei faulturi ale europenilor. Beneficiara? Ghana.

Raman din vizionarea jocului Ungaria – Italia cu imbratisarea inaintea reprizelor de prelungire a lui Fiorillo cu Koman. Fostii colegi de club, capitani ai nationalelor lor, strangandu-se la piept, la mijlocul terenului, de unde Ruiz le-a impartit “dreptatea”. Dupa 1-1 si 2-2 la prelungiri, plus penaltyuri contra Cehiei, Ungaria a repetat figura, cu un 1-1 si 3-2 la mustata, in minutul 117.

Ungaria – Ghana are acum o favorita certa si senzatia e ca o finalista europeana, ca in urma cu doi ani, atunci Republica Ceha, n-ar fi tocmai conform planurilor fotbalului in varianta globalizata, fie el si la categoria sub 20 de ani. Iar ca o rememorare, Anglia de exemplu n-a servit cauzei Europei, fiind eliminata de Africa (Ghana i-a dat 4-0) si America de Sud (Uruguay i-a dat 1-0), doar remizand la unu cu Uzbekistanul Asiei…

*Epilog… Ungaria in semifinale de Mondial, Romania batuta cu 5-1 in preliminarii EURO, in Letonia

Iar daca tot suntem la noul val, pe cand Ungaria transpira in drumul spre semifinala Mondialului, tineretul Romaniei era surclasat pe Daugava din Riga, Torje marcand din penalty in minutul 94, pentru un 5-1 final in contul Letoniei. Trist.

Sa vedem ce vor reusii tinerii Romaniei zilele acestea, in patrulaterul preliminar pentru Euro 2011 sub 20 ani, in Austria, unde vor da piept cu scotienii, gazdele si Slovenia. Si sa vedem spre fine de octombrie ce va fi la Mondialul sub 17 ani, din nou in Africa, in Nigeria.

Take that, fatty

With the joy I felt when Roy Halladay plunked David Ortiz in the second inning tonight, I had a realization: I hate the Boston Red Sox as much, if not more, than the New York Yankees.

I despise Kevin Youkilis. I respect Dustin Pedroia no more than I do his child-molesting brother, Brett. Ortiz is as much of a cheater as his former teammate Manny Ramirez, who was the only reason I didn’t detest the Red Sox to begin with. Then, of course, Man-Ram left town and we all found out he was on the juice. I’m a bit too emotional to make a decision at the moment, but in coming days I’ll do a full investigation into which team I hate more — the Sox or Yankees.

Hating Boston was a lot of fun tonight, as the Jays wrapped up a sweep at Fenway and won their sixth game in a row and ninth in ten, 12-0 behind Roy Halladay’s second consecutive shutout. Again, if this was Doc’s finale in a Jays uniform, he went just the way you’d expect him to. With the back-t0-back shutouts to close out the season, Halladay finishes 2009 at 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA in 239 innings pitched.

Adam Lind, who homered three times last night before getting plunked by a Jonathan Papelbon fastball in the ninth, was out of the lineup. That, of course, was why Doc went after Ortiz, drilling him with a high inside fastball on the first pitch of the second inning. Well done — very, very well done. Halladay then went on to strike out Big Papi his remaining three at-bats.

The Jays did just fine, by the way, without Lind — they homered four more times, including a pair by Randy Ruiz and one each by Lyle Overbay and Jose Bautista. Bautista’s was his fourth in five games and his eighth in September, while Ruiz’s pair gave him nine in 102 at-bats since his call-up in mid-August. Can we get this guy a starting job next season?

It’s a bit sad the Jays saved their best baseball (with all due respect to April and the first half of May) for the last two weeks of the season, but I’ll take it nonetheless. They head to Baltimore to finish the season with three against an Orioles team that has dropped 13 straight, with David Purcey and Jason Berken going in the opener Friday.

Lumière acudirá al 42º Festival de Cine de Sitges

por Miguel Blanco Hortas

"Visage", de Tsai Ming-liang

Como viene siendo habitual, nuestra revista estará presente en uno de los acontecimientos más importantes del año en España: el Festival Internacional de Cine Fantástico de Sitges, que se celebrará entre los días 1 y 12 de Octubre. Desde Lumière queremos contaros la actualidad de todos los festivales españoles y europeos a los que podamos acudir, para que cada lector pueda informarse de un cine marginado por el mercado, pero también de las grandes películas que están por llegar. Para ello, os traeremos crónicas diarias desde Sitges con toda la información sobre las películas más importantes.

"Nucingen Haus", de Raoul Ruiz

Este año, Sitges continúa con la dinámica de presentarse como un festival más global, por mucho que siga presente el cine fantástico. Raya Martin, Raoul Ruiz, Werner Herzog, Luc Moullet o Tsai Ming-liang se relacionan de manera natural con Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, Duncan Jones o George A. Romero. En Sitges, el cine de autor se acerca a lo fantástico (la Historia como fantasma en Martin o Raoul Ruiz, la erosión violenta de la memoria en Tsai, las aventuras temporales de Werner Herzog), pero también lo fantástico adquiere un valor más allá del mero exploit, especialmente en los casos del cine político de George A. Romero y de la cruda obra existencial de Shinya Tsukamoto. En estos trasvases entre lo intelectual y lo popular es donde Sitges nos gusta más, por mucho que también presente películas de impronta comercial, como la esperada secuela de [REC], Valhalla Rising de Nicolas Winding Refn o Goemon, de Kazuaki Kiriya, el director de Casshern.

"Survival of the Dead", de George A. Romero

Otro aspecto a señalar es el de las nacionalidades. El polo asiático siempre es el que más expectación atrae, debido a la importancia que tiene la cultura popular japonesa en nuestra educación, cada vez con un arco de actuación más amplio. Lo japonés arrastra al resto de países que se aprovechan de ese mercado, como China (con su vertiente hongkonesa), Corea del Sur o Tailandia. Soi Cheang, Park Chan-wook, Johnnie To o Hitoshi Matsumoto, revelación hace un par de años con Dai Nipponjin, además del anime, con el segundo Rebuild de Evangelion a la cabeza, son los platos fuertes de un menú variado, que de nuevo se mueve entre la producción de género y el cine de autor más radical (Raya Martin). Y tras la franja oriental, los EEUU, donde viejos maestros como George A. Romero y Joe Dante vuelven con energías renovadas. Ambos resucitaron del olvido hace unos años con películas de zombies: Romero con su apocalíptica Land of the Dead y Dante con el furioso trabajo televisivo Homecoming. Autores vueltos a la vida que reclaman para sí un discurso perdido en Hollywood, el político, hasta que la catástrofe del 11-S y de la administración Bush, los volvió a colocar en la primera línea de la parrilla.

"Independencia", de Raya Martin

Pero también es remarcable la escena española dentro del fantástico. Una obra deslumbrante como [REC] colocó a España en el mapa del cine de género, pero también se mostró como una obra contemporánea y audaz en cuestiones estéticas. La reválida llega a este Sitges con la segunda parte, donde Balagueró y Plaza regresan al escenario de su primer triunfo. Comandan una remesa de títulos realizados por directores españoles divididos entre las producciones realizadas en nuestro país y las de los que emigraron a Hollywood en busca de reconocimiento. Su triunfo demuestra que este nuevo fantástico español no viene únicamente a cambiar las cosas en nuestro país, sino que es capaz de introducirse en el sistema estadounidense, tanto en su vertiente más comercial (Jaume Collet-Serra) como en la independiente (los hermanos Pastor). Los “toqueteos” del cine español con el género fantástico a lo largo de la Historia son objeto también de un ciclo para rescatar películas límite de este género, como El espíritu de la colmena. Y por último, la presencia británica, otro cine en decadencia que emerge de sus cenizas a través del género. Hace unos años asistimos asombrados al advenimiento de una obra genial: The Descent, de Neil Marshall. El éxito absoluto de aquella película, un poco similar al caso de [REC], propicia una secuela, aunque aquí sin los responsables originales, salvo la presencia del maestro David Julyan a cargo del score. Este compositor también aparece en los créditos de Heartless, presente en la sección oficial, y tampoco olvidamos la obra maestra que realizó para una de las películas de terror más importantes del año pasado, Eden Lake. Otro ciclo tratará de iluminar esta nueva ola de cine de terror británico.

"Un lac", de Philippe Grandrieux

En Sitges se cumplen los dos objetivos de todo festival. Ofrecer buen cine, pero también tener un valor informativo. Cultivar al espectador en películas de diferentes procedencias y con objetivos diversos, para que tenga una idea lo más precisa posible de lo que se mueve en el mundo del cine, más allá de la dictadura del mercado. Frente a otros festivales que abogan por patrones de calidad caducos, el de Sitges, a través de un género popular como el fantástico, consigue atraer a Catalunya, a principios de octubre, a muchos de los autores más radicales del panorama internacional (Raya Martin, Philippe Grandieux). La mitad del trabajo ya está realizado, ahora tan sólo queda admirar (y valorar) las películas.

I saw highlights of the brawl from last night’s baseball game between my Toronto Blue Jays and those no-good NY Yankees… It was about time.  While I HATE base-brawls, I think the Jays responded in a manner that was clear and appropriate.  It’s not like Jesse Carlson threw a fastball into the face of Jorge Posada in the same manner Josh Towers did to Randy Ruiz, but he sent a message by throwing behind Posada that the Jays were tired of getting thrown at… Hello, fastball to the back of Jays 2B Aaron Hill.

I mean 9 Jays batter hit this season by Yankee pitchers… Seriously…

It would have been more it former Jay A.J. Burnett had any control.

My solution(s) to solve the brawl problem in baseball.  Memo to that useless Commissioner Bud Selig;

1) Don’t let anyone from the dugout of bullpen leave.  Lock the doors.  If they leave they are suspended 20 games, or 5 starts each.  It’s insane to see them trotting in from the outfield… Why?  To make the circle bigger… No more!

2) Let the batter and pitcher fight like they do in hockey.  If the batter knew that by charging the mound he was going to engage the pitcher one-on-one, it would prevent smallish pitchers from throwing at bigger players and that any pitcher throwing at an opposing player’s head might get punched in the face, he might think twice.  But charging the mound with bat or helmet in hand is an automatic 50 game suspension.  Make contact with either?  You are gone for the season.

3) If you hit a guy intentionally, you cannot play against them for the rest of  the season.  If you retaliate, or get into a scrum and punch someone you no longer get to play against that team, hurting you and your team and preventing that team from retaliating.  It only makes sense.  And to that, if you hurt someone in a brawl and they are injured, you  are suspended for as long as it takes them to recover.  See hockey for implementing this rule.  If Gary Bettman and the NHL were not so preoccupied with their failed attempts to bring hockey to the Southern US, they might be able to take a look at how embarrassing their rules on fighting are, and the fact that players are allowed to run each other whether they have the puck or not because “that’s hockey”.   

Implement my rules and there will be less brawling, and where there are brawls, more exciting and relevant punishments.

If nothing else, Posada has a real nose for baseball

I’ve had some time to digest last night’s whole Jesse Carlson-Jorge Posada fiasco, and here’s the conclusion I’ve drawn: Posada is an even bigger bum then I thought he was all these years. You could read his lips after Carlson threw behind him — “You don’t want to do that.” Do what? The ball didn’t even hit him. Aaron Hill was drilled in the back with a fastball. Two weeks ago, Randy Ruiz was hit in the face. Retaliation is a part of the game — Posada, a veteran, should know that more than anyone. If he doesn’t want to be thrown at, he should tell his September call-up teammates to stop going after opposing hitters in blowouts, which happen to be the only type of games Mark Melancon and (sad to say) Josh Towers are capable of pitching in.

Posada is a great catcher — one of the best of our generation. Apparently that makes him bigger than the game, if you ask him. Maybe it’s just the typical Yankee attitude, which is unwarranted considering they’ve choked eight straight years despite having the league’s deepest pockets. Anyway, I’m really hoping either Posada, A-Rod or Derek Jeter wears a fastball between the numbers tonight. I’m not counting on it, but it would make my day.

Ruiz has been a 'big' contributor.

Randy Ruiz was signed back in July of 1999 by the Cincinnati Reds as a non-drafted free agent.  In two seasons at rookie ball, Ruiz showed early promise with a 351/440/544 slash line in 333 at-bats.  Apparently nobody was paying attention.  Ruiz toiled in ‘A’ level ball from 2001-2004 spanning four seasons and by the end of 2004 was with his 4^th major league organization.  In those four seasons he compiled a 286/368/488 slash line in over 400 games.  Then from 2004-2007 spanning three seasons he did not manage to get above ‘AA’ ball and by this time had played for a total of 8 total major league organizations (including a return to Philly).  In 411 total ‘AA’ games Ruiz again showed the ability to hit the baseball putting up a 318/383/591 line.  He was also suspended my MLB for 30 games in July of 2005 for violating the major league baseball drug prevention program.

There was clearly more going on with Ruiz than first glance would lead you to believe.  Although he was not the hot prospect of any of the eight organizations he had been through, his numbers suggested he deserved at least the courtesy of a major league appearance and/or cameo.  He finally got promoted to ‘AAA’ in late 2007 and for most of 2008 and again put up solid overall numbers (303/355/517).  In late 2008 the Minnesota Twins called up him for his first shot at the major leagues at the ripe age of 31.

Ruiz has shown a clear ability to hit the ball with authority but has also shown a reluctance to be patient at the plate as through the levels he showed a propensity to strike out and wasn’t all that willing to take the free pass.  Outside of a handful of freakishly great hitters this kind of lousy plate discipline is not a pre-cursor to success at the big league level.

‘A’ – 10% BB rate, 30% K rate

‘AA’ – 9 % BB rate, 26% K rate

‘AAA’ – 6% BB rate, 28% K rate

His average was also been propped up by fairly gaudy BABIP numbers throughout his minor league career also.  I’d say the BABIP average in the high .350 range, and for a guy with average speed this was a bit of an anomaly.  He did hit 181 HRs in 3652 minor league at-bats (rookie ball excluded) or 1 in every 20 at-bats, not a torrid pace for an aged minor leaguer but still respectable. 

So what can we expect going forward?  Frankly, it’s hard to say.  Ruiz is currently batting 269/363/513 for the Jays, good enough for a .375 wOBA (weight on-base average) in a very small sample size of only 78 at-bats, nowhere near enough to draw any strong conclusions about future production.  He has been slightly lucky on balls hit into play with a .333 BABIP but not far off his career minor league mark.  He still hasn’t shown any improvements in the plate discipline department (34.6% K rate) and he obviously loves to fish out of the strike zone (39.5% outside zone swing rate!).

Unfortunately there is more as the biggest red flag is the hugely unsustainable HR/FB rate of 35%, that’s not a typo.  For comparison sake current Jays HR leader 2B Aaron Hill has had a monster power season and his current HR/FB is over twice his career rate yet only stands at 15.8%.  Take a moment to let that one sink in.

As Jeff Blair wrote   Randy Ruiz has been a feel good story for a Blue Jays team and fan base in desperate need of something positive to hang their hat on, and there is nothing wrong with that.  As opposed to anointing him our DH of the future (or even for 2010) let’s enjoy the ride but also take it for what it’s worth.  If I had to think of a valid comparison, it would be Andruw Jones; unfortunately I am speaking of the current out of shape version.

Ruiz takes one in the cheek

Ballsy effort this afternoon, Toronto Blue Jays. Way to plunk Derek Jeter in retaliation for Randy Ruiz taking a pitch in the face the previous inning. Oh wait? You didn’t go after Jeter?

Ruiz took an 0-2 pitch from Josh Towers (yes, believe it or not) in the left cheek in Toronto’s eight-run fifth and spent a few minutes being examined by every doctor in the building before heading to the clubhouse with a swollen face and bloodied lip. That forced home the Jays’ last run of the inning in an eventual 14-8 win.

Toronto’s decision to not go after the Yankees’ star player blows my mind, but doesn’t come as much of surprise given the amount of guts the team has played with the past few months. In the four-game set, New York pitchers plunked six Jays. Retaliation, meanwhile, is part of the game. I’m not saying throw at Jeter’s head, but let them know you’re not out to get pushed around. Also, if there’s a time to do it, it’s in a blowout, like this afternoon’s game already was when Ruiz was hit.

Anyway, the actual game: The Jays turned a 5-4 deficit into a 12-5 lead with the eight-run fifth, scoring three times on bases-loaded walks before Ruiz’s plunking forced home another. Aaron Hill had a pair of doubles and three RBIs and Vernon Wells and Joe Inglett had three hits apiece.

Now, Towers: The resilient former Blue Jay hero was called up yesterday and made his first big league appearance in over two years, tossing the final three-and-a-third and giving up a pair of runs, though just one was earned. No word on how he’s getting along with A-Rod and Tony Pena, but knowing Josh, his awesomeness will shine through and he’ll be just fine.

Cano and Damon, celebrating a clutch win

To quote former Blue Jay great A.J. Burnett, “Why? Why? Why? Why?”. Why does Cito still feel the need to sit Adam Lind against lefties? Why pinch hit for Randy Ruiz when Jose Bautista and Raul Chavez are due up next? Why did Johnny Mac start in left field? Why is Kevin Millar still getting at-bats as a cleanup hitter? More importantly, why is Millar still even on this team? So many questions, so few answers.

It took the Jays and Yankees just short of four hours to complete a 6-4 game this afternoon — a New York win if you hadn’t yet figured it out. Brett Cecil was his shaky self, giving up seven hits and three runs in four-plus innings, and Casey Janssen and Scotty Downs did their part to let the Yanks extend a couple one-run leads in the later innings. Randy Ruiz hit his sixth homer twice — the first was reversed on the first ever home run review in Rogers Centre history in the second, though he followed with one that counted two innings later.

The win gives New York a 2-1 edge in the series and an 11-4 mark in the season series. The set wraps up tomorrow afternoon, with Brian Tallet and Sergio Mitre on the mound.

JOSEP MARIA RUIZ IGLESIAS

Josep Maria Ruiz militó en el primer equipo del Espanyol entre los años 1955 y 1960. Llegó a la primera plantilla procedente de los juveniles del club. Ocupaba las demarcaciones de interior y de extremo, tanto por la derecha como la izquierda, aunque se desenvolvía mejor por la diestra.

Su juego se caracterizaba por la rapidez, facilidad de regate y de disparo a puerta. Era un futbolista de los denominados ‘artistas’, aunque también destacaba por su entrega a lo largo de los 90 minutos. 

El habilidoso extremo participó en dos importantes efemérides de la entidad espanyolista. Jugó en el partido inaugural de la primera reforma del estadio de Sarrià ,el 30 de septiembre de 1956. El adversario fue el Celta y los espanyolistas vencieron por 2-0. Y también fue uno de los integrantes del equipo que disputó la Copa de 1957, en la única ocasión que Espanyol y Barcelona se han visto las caras en una final. Una grave lesión en el Viejo Zorrilla de Valladolid, en septiembre de 1957 le tuvo apartado durante meses, hecho que le impidió volver a ser el gran extremo que solía ser. 

Tras cinco temporadas en el primer equipo espanyolista, jugó en el Mallorca. El extremo de Mataró, se afincó tras su retirada en Blanes, donde falleció a la temprana edad de 56 años, tras una penosa enfermedad.

PARTIDOS DE LIGA

First and foremost, nature is the ultimate teacher.  Everyone embraces it unknowingly.  It has no emotions, no bias or judgments, it remains in space.  It resides deep within us and it can never not be.  It is far beyond knowledge and even this description is not even close.   You don’t need to do anything to be yourself.

With that said, there are healers in society.  People who know how to embrace compassion over fear.  Simply accepting what is and releasing yourself from the cycle of abuse you feel has to be.  This list will grow as I find more teachings.

You can click the names for more info.

Eckhart Tolle

Satsang with Mooji

Jonathan aka Adampants2008 – He no longer wants his content shared ,but I must show appreciation.

Don Miguel Ruiz

Peter Joseph

Jacque Fresco

Cesar Millan aka The Dog Whisperer

Ajahn Brahm

J. Krishnamurti

OSHO

Richard Dawkins

Sam Harris

Bill Maher

George Carlin

Bill Hicks

I thank all of these wonderful minds infinitely.

«Es muy fácil: haces llegar tu música a quien creas que tiene que ver con lo que tú haces».

En una ocasión, un profesor en la universidad nos preguntaba que pintura rupestre pertenecía a una sociedad más avanzada. La que pintó el bisonte de Altamira o la que pintó el índalo en el Levante.

Lo primero que piensas es que el bisonte es una pintura más elaborada, con más detalles y que lleva más trabajo que el índalo; que sólo son unas líneas muy sencillas de realizar.

Pero la realidad es que el índalo es una pintura mucho más avanzada (lo que no quiere decir que sea más difícil de hacer) que el bisonte (índalo del neolítico y bisonte del paleolítico). La figura del índalo es abstracta, cuatro líneas rectas representan un humano, y la pintura del bisonte es concreta, tal y como lo verías en el campo.

“Menos es más”, concluía el profesor. El ser humano tiene la capacidad de reducir las cosas que nos rodean a meros símbolos más sencillos para así manejarlos mejor y conseguir grandes logros.

Que sea sencillo no quiere decir que no sea complejo. Sin ir más lejos la teoría de la relatividad de Einstein parte de principios físicos más sencillos que la de la gravitación de Newton consiguiendo llevar el concepto de gravedad a otro nivel.

Mediante elementos sencillos se consiguen otros más complejos. A mi me ocurre algo parecido con o+<, ya que, a pesar de ser algo tan sencillo (del neolítico) resulta bastante tedioso de explicar siempre. Al final lo acabo dibujando y lo entienden pero siempre me preguntan con acento garrulesco: ¿Pero como se pronuncia?. A veces me viene la imagen de un bisonte del paleolítico a la cabeza.

La clave es partir de cosas sencillas que se puedan controlar bien y así poder hacer con ellas cosas más complejas e interesantes. Como la Torre de Eiffel que son barras de acero unidas con tornillos. Una vez sabes como se comporta una simple barra unida con tornillos a otra puedes llegar a diseñar un elemento tan complejo como la Torre y saber que no se caerá (mucha gente en su época pensaba que Eiffel estaba loco si pensaba que podría hacer semejante construcción).

El caso es que el otro día escribí un mail a Julio Ruiz de Disco Grande de Radio 3 a raíz de escuchar un programa antiguo en el que preguntaba a los Sexy Sadie que porqué no habían movido su primera maqueta. Ellos les respondían que cuando la grabaron no sabían muy bien que era eso de mover una maqueta.

Por eso le escribí, relatando esto mismo y con la intención de iniciar un movimiento de maqueta propio. Él me respondió: «Es muy fácil: haces llegar tu música a quien creas que tiene que ver con lo que tú haces».

Visto así es muy fácil, lo que luego quizá se complique es cada parte de la frase.

haces llegar tu música: hasta ahí bien, es sencillo mandar una carta o un mail
a quien creas: Aquí lo difícil es conseguir su dirección
que tiene que ver con lo que tú haces: Tanto la definición de “tener que ver” y la de “lo que tú haces” son sencillas a priori pero complejas a posteriori.

Yo hago música pero lo complicado es encuadrarla en un género, cosa que parece que es indispensable. No sólo eso, a poder ser, según las reglas no escritas que todos manejamos y no sabemos de donde salen, sólo lo tienes que hacer en un sólo género. Es decir, es lo equivalente a decir que siempre tomas colacao. De ahí a que encuadre mi música en el género AuA muzik, ya que es el que más define lo que yo hago.

Quien “tiene que ver” es otra tarea en principio sencilla: Al que le guste!. Pero que luego es difícil de poder predecir a simple vista.

Ya puestos a elegir, que ese Quien pues que sea el que más audencia tenga para “captar” a todos los posibles candidatos a los que pueda gustar el AuA muzik (radio, televisión, prensa escrita o digital, discográficas ….).

Ese Quien a veces se le llama Padrino y no necesariamente puede ser sólo una persona sino varias. El Padrino es alguien con algún superpoder que haga que tu música llegue a más gente y la convenza de que tú música es algo que merece la pena, que es algo muy bueno.

El Padrino es la pieza de dominó que más piezas arrastra. Es la pieza clave que hace que el Movimiento coja velocidad y sea muy difícil de parar.

Lo que toca hacer es ir tirando piezas de dominó y si hay suerte, una de ellas llegará a un Padrino. Las piezas de dominó más importantes son los conciertos que se puedan dar y que las personas que lo vean , ya sean 10 o 10000, se vayan a casa tarareando alguna canción, con un momento digno de recordar y que piensen que han visto algo muy bueno, que les ha hecho bien.

Estas reflexiones no son nada más que pensamientos derivados del “una cosa lleva a la otra”. Esto es, un día te da por hacer canciones, otro día ves que las puedes grabar, después las grabas bien con ayuda de amigos y autoeditas un disco que queda muy bien, lo siguiente es llevarlo a directo buscando a otros amigos para ello, la cosa sale bien y es cuando te planteas el siguiente paso:

EL MOVIMIENTO!!!

La sombra del viento de Carlos Ruíz Zafón.

Resulta que no soy un gran lector. Recuerdo que cuando era pequeño, me resultaba extremadamente molesto que me mandaran a leer un libro en la escuela. Teníamos que hacer un resumen, un ensayo, un examen… sobre el libro que nos mandaban y por desgracia solo aguantaba unas páginas. Pero bueno, dicen que todos los males de la niñez se curan con la edad. Y si, digo bien. Todos los males. El hábito de la lectura creo que es uno de los placeres más gratos que nos hemos proporcionado los seres humanos. Siendo un poco irreverente, el placer de una buena lectura se podría llegar a comparar con el placer que proporciona el calor de una mujer a la que un hombre ama.

He tenido la oportunidad de leer el libro de Carlos Ruíz Zafón, La Sombra del Viento. Y puedo decir con rotundidad, que libros como este crean afición y hábito. Carlos, me permito el tuteo, me ha llevado a un mundo de aromas, texturas, sensaciones, temores, amores… que no imaginaba al tener el libro cerrado en mis manos antes de leerlo. Me sorprendió desde la primera hasta la última página. No podía parar de leer, de viajar de Barcelona a París. Sentía como cada palabra se metía dentro de mí hasta el punto de no querer terminar el libro jamás.

El paso a la siguiente página suponía… una página menos para desvelar todos los secretos. Un episodio menos para desprenderme del placer que sentía. Suponía el fin de una travesía que no podía dejar que terminase.

Da igual que no seas un lector o lectora de pies a cabeza. No importa si estas aburrido o aburrida de leer los libros de la facultad, la pantalla del PC, tomos de derecho… Eso no importa. Dejarás de dormir una hora con tal de leer un poco el mundo de Carax, el universo de Daniel…

]]> http://thatswhatimsayingguy.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/welcome-aboard-casey-janssen/ Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:06:11 +0000 Jeremy http://thatswhatimsayingguy.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/welcome-aboard-casey-janssen/

Casey Janssen, already fitting in

Welcome to the bullpen, Casey Janssen. The righty, called up late last week, didn’t wait long to cement his spot in the Jays’ relief corps, blowing a 7-7 tie last night in the eighth inning of a game Toronto eventually lost 10-9 to the Red Sox. Janssen gave up a walk and a single to start the inning, then tossed Alex Gonzalez’s sacrifice bunt attempt into right field. Don’t sweat it, Casey. You’re going to fit in just fine.

Ricky Romero had a tough time with Boston for the third time this season and the Jays’ bats lay another beatdown on Josh Beckett, who sports a career 6.44 ERA against Toronto and a sloppy 7.76 mark at Rogers Centre. Surprisingly, the Jays managed to make things interesting late against Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon, but Rod Barajas left a pair on base with a first-pitch popout that wrapped things up.

Randy Ruiz homered in his first at-bat at Rogers Centre and Travis Snider, called up from Vegas earlier in the day, also hit one out his first time up. Barajas hit a two-run shot in the sixth to tie it at seven.

The Jays and Sox are back in action tonight, with Doc Halladay matching up against Clay Buchholz.

Keep truckin', Jesse

Jesse Carlson is my boy. He could give up 100 runs and I’m still gonna love him. But man, he’s sure having a tough time getting it done this season. Last night was no exception — he came in with a 4-3 lead in the eighth, then gave up back-to-back homers to Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada. Two batters later, a double to the infamous Eric Hinske. Yada-yada-yada…Yankees win 7-5. Ugly, ugly stuff. I’d make up an excuse for Carlson if I could, but there’s nothing there — he came in to face three lefties and a switch-hitter and once again didn’t get the job done.

The Jays actually looked good in this one. Scott Richmond settled in after a rough start and Lyle Overbay’s bases loaded, two-out double tied things at three in the third. Randy Ruiz homered in his first game as a Jay, putting Toronto up 4-3 in the fourth. It stayed that way until Carlson got the ball, and the rest was history. Edwin Encarnacion hit a solo shot of Mariano Rivera in the ninth, but it was too little too late.

The teams wrap up the series today with an afternoon affair and an interesting match-up: Ricky Romero goes up against some guy I’ve never heard of named A.J. Burnett. Given a look at their statistics, Romero has outpitched this Burnett character considerably this season — he’s 10-5 with a 3.66 ERA, while Burnett is 10-5 with a 3.67.

The great Jason Frasor

Alex Rios is gone and the Jays are winners, against the Yankees in New York no less. Why didn’t we get rid of him earlier? Okay, okay — I’ll lay off the poor guy. Jose Bautista went 0-for-4 in Rios’ place in right field tonight but Toronto still won 5-4, snapping the Yankees’ winning streak at seven.

The Rios deal (can we call it that, even though it wasn’t a trade?) may have signaled the start of some bizarro world, because the Jays’ bullpen did something it hasn’t done much to this point in the season — perform. After starter Mark Rzepcynski was bounced in the fourth in a 4-4 game, Shawn “The Reign Man” Camp, Brandon League, Jesse Carlson and Jason Frasor combined to shut the Yankees out and hold the one-run lead Toronto picked up on Lyle Overbay’s homer in the fifth. Aaron Hill also hit a solo shot for the Jays, his 27th of the season.

All in all, it was a spirited effort by a team that learned they’re losing a two-time all-star half-an-hour before the game. Expect a handful of makeshift lineups until Travis Snider gets called back up, which likely isn’t going to happen until September. Randy Ruiz, a 31-year-old career minor leaguer (minus 62 at-bats with Minnesota last season), was added to the Jays’ roster tonight. In 114 games in Vegas this season, he’s mashed to the tune of .320 with 43 doubles, 25 homers and 106 RBIs. Should be interesting to see what he can do at the big league level.

The Jays and Yankees are back in action tomorrow night for the second of their three-gamer, with Scott Richmond getting the start against some fatty named Joba.