Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts

Monday, July 4, 2016

Moneyball hits a home run with baseball fans and audiences

I was flying home on a 5 hour flight yesterday and finally watched the 2011 baseball hit, Moneyball.  Hey, better late than never, right? In this case, it was worth the wait and gets an enthusiastic endorsement from me, just in time for this summer's baseball season.

Movie Title:    Moneyball
  
Grade:   A-

Rating: PG-13, 133 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Based on a true story, this smart sports movie hits a home run.  The heavy-hitting cast includes Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman (I miss him), Robin Wright, and Chris Pratt.

Uplifting theme: 
  • “Adapt or die.” – Billy Beane (Brad Pitt)
  • “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” - Billy
  • “I’ll change the game.  I want it to mean something.” - Billy
  • Baseball is about people, not statistics.
  • “There is an epic failure going on in the game to understand what is going on.” –Peter Brand (Jonah Hill)

Things I liked:
  • Director Bennett Miller uses interesting camera angles to help you “see” things differently.  He also jumps from the roar of the crowd to complete silence to help you “feel” things differently.
  • Writer Aaron Sorkin is a master at quick-talking deals and clever wit.  Some of the dialogue scenes are simply hysterical.
  • Brad Pitt gives a stirring performance, even though most of the time he is snacking on something or chewing gum.  I know, I know...that's baseball.
  • You hear the voice of sports announcers Bob Costas and Tim McCarver.
  • There are some big game moments on the field, but also some big moments that happen in the heart.

Things I didn’t like:
  • At times the flashbacks get jumbled up with the present day and break up the flow of the story.
  • I hate it when brilliant, visionary protagonists get away with being jerks.  For example, Billy is constantly pushing over desks and throwing chairs in childish tantrums.
  • If you’re not a baseball fan, you might be a little bored at first and not understand some of the references to legends and players.  Keep watching.



Funny lines:
  •  “I’m not going to fire you.” – Billy
“F-You!” – Grady Fusion (Ken Medlock)
“Now I am.” - Billy
  • “Who’s Fabio?” – John Poloni (Jack McGee)
  • “That sounds like fortune cookie wisdom to me, Billy.” – Grady
“No, that’s just logic.” – Billy
  •  “I asked you to do 3 evaluations.  How many did you do?” – Billy
“47.  Actually, 51.  I don’t know why I lied just then.” - Peter
  • “Do you want me to speak?” – Peter
“Yeah, when I point at you.” – Billy
  • “It’s not that hard.  Tell him, Wash.” – Billy
“It’s incredibly hard.” – Ron Washington (Brent Jennings)
  • “Good meeting.  Every time we talk, I’m reinvigorated by the love of the game.” – Billy, sarcastically to Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
  • “What’s your biggest fear?” – David Justice (Stephen Bishop)
“A baseball being hit in my general direction.” – Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt)
“No. Seriously.” – David
“Seriously, that’s it.” - Scott

Billy’s advice:
  • “When you get the answer you’re looking for, hang up.”
  • “You may not look like a winning team, but you are one.  So, play like one tonight.”
  • “Is losing fun?  Then what are you doing having fun?”

Tips for parents:   

  • 2 F-bombs.  Wait, this is PG-13 movie, right?  According to the MPAA, PG-13 movies are only allowed 1 F-bomb, unless a vote earns a two-thirds majority saying it’s ok to have more.  Lame.
  • There’s a scene where a baseball player starts to take his pants down and dances on a table, but you don’t see anything.
  • It’s actually a really safe movie for kids, although they may be a bit bored with all of the talk of statistics and economics of the game.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Book review of Trina Boice's newest book about dating and marriage

Participating in the blog tour of my newest book, is the following book review posted by Shauna Wheelwright!   Thanks Shauna!

A review copy was provided

BASE HITS AND HOME RUN
RELATIONSHIPS
by Trina Boice

What Women Wish Guys Knew

Love is like baseball, so hit a home run in your relationship! With Trina Boice's advice, any man can learn how to step up to the plate. Learn tips, stats, and skills to make a powerful and lasting romance whether you're in the “minor leagues” of dating or the “major leagues” of married life.

Learn to:

Translate women’s thoughts into a sports language men can actually understand

Track your dating stats and plan strategies to up your game

Avoid foul balls, bad calls, and getting stuck in a pickle

Support each other with the occasional bunt or sacrifice fly

Cover all your bases—even when you’ve got kids on your team

With the right tools, you and your sweetheart can pitch a perfect game together every time you play. This is the perfect playbook for rookies and hall-of-famers alike.

My Review
Trina Boice is AMAZING and this book is INCREDIBLE!
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. IT!

Just look at some of the VERY FUN chapters in this book:

* Batter UP! The Game
* The Playbook: The Rules of Romance and Love Language
* Heavy Hitter: Be. A. Man
* Eyes on the Ball: Flirting Your Way to a First Date
* The Uniform: How to Look like a Knight in Shining Armor
* Sports Medicine: Win Over Her Heart and Funny Bone
* Catcher: Courting and Date Ideas
* Peanuts and Cracker Jacks: Kindness in a Nutshell
* AND MORE

Her advice is SO. RIGHT. ON!

I absolutely LOVE the baseball theme. Want to get to know a girl? Learn her stats: favorite color, dessert, flower, etc.

And the end-of-chapter assignments are PHENOMENAL! Even the shyest of guys can accomplish the First Base assignment.

I LOVE that Trina doesn't just talk about these things...her son went out and "field-tested creative dating tips and has learned some really interesting things that he shares in each chapter." Cooper became the coach for the team (those reading this book.) I really appreciated his insight, for as he said "women talk about what they want, and guys talk about what women actually want."

DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!
EVERYONE should read this book!
Put your relationship first and foremost...grab a copy today!

First Base assignment: ADD TO GOODREADS
Home Run assignment: PURCHASE A COPY HERE

Excerpt
In the words of legendary sports announcer Harry Caray, "Hello everybody! It's a bee-yooo-tiful day for baseball!" You've bought this book and stepped up to the plate. That tells me you're really serious about improving your relationship with the woman in your life. Either that or she bought this book for you, and now you have to read it because you know she's going to ask you what you learned. Don't worry; it's not going to be that bad. After all, it's partly about baseball, and you love baseball! Romance and baseball are not all that different, actually. They're both skills that you can learn and enjoy for the rest of your life.

You could read an entire book about baseball statistics, but that wouldn't make you a better player out on the field, would it? You have to get out and practice! This book is designed to be read in small sections and put into practice. Read a little bit, and then try an idea or two to see what works for you and your sweetheart. I guarantee you're going to have a ball! (Terrible baseball puns will be included throughout this book in order to keep your eyes rolling and awake.)

Let me first state the obvious that women are different from men. And that's a good thing! A lot of men have a hard time trying to figure out what women want and how they think. It's not that difficult if you learn their language and appreciate the differences. To make it easier, we're going to use terms you might feel comfortable with: the language of baseball.

This book is written for both men who are still in the "minor league" (dating) and men who have been drafted into the "major league" (marriage). Getting a girl and keeping her are not all that different. Maybe you've been playing too much baseball and still don't have a woman in your life. This book can help you with that too! This book will help you find a quality woman you can marry and be with for eternity.

This book was conceived one day after my husband and I were discussing our relationship early in our marriage. He's going to get a lot of credit in this book for some of the really great things he does in our marriage. When I need to use him as an example of whatnot to do, I'll just tell you, "I have a friend whose husband..." so you'll never know if it's him or really a friend of mine. Hey, I don't want to get in trouble with my husband and end up sitting on the bench.

My husband, Tom, is really creative and has come up with some incredible gifts over the years. Early in our marriage, he really came through on big events such as anniversaries and birthdays, but then there were disappointing and somewhat alarming long dry spells with nothing. No flowers. No romance. Nada. Our conversations occurred during one of those dry spells and basically consisted of my pitiful complaints that I was feeling unloved and unappreciated. I suggested that maybe he could replace the few big efforts with more frequent, smaller ones. He thought about that for a few minutes and said, "Oh, it's just like baseball. Home runs are exciting but don't happen that often. It's the small, consistent base hits that win the game." In a baseball peanut shell, that's it!

*****

Each chapter will contain some ideas you can put into practice to improve your current relationship or help you figure out how to get one! Even the greatest guy and the best relationship can use some tweaking every now and then. The first-base challenges are to help you ease into The Game. Go for second or third base to up your game. When you're ready to really knock it out of the park, try the home-run assignments.

Now, I'm not talking about rounding the bases in the traditional sense the world talks about it. I'm referring to bases as increasing efforts and bigger payoffs. What I mean is that if you're a beginner in the game of romance or want to start with something easy, then begin with the first-base assignments. They're simple to do, and you'll have some success. If you really want your girl to feel loved and appreciated, go for the home-run assignments. They require more effort, but the payoff is bigger too. "Happy wife, happy life," as people say.

First Base: Set this book out on a table so your girl will see it. Yeah, your buddies will make fun of you. That's okay though; you don't want to kiss your buddies.

Second Base: Put a bookmark somewhere in the book so she'll think you're actually reading it. Be prepared for her to ask you questions about it. Let her know it is the most fantastic book ever written.

Third Base: Read the doggone book already!

Home Run: Read the book with your girl. Ask her questions. Talk about it.

To keep the fire going, you have to continue adding some fuel, right? 
So grab some popcorn, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks and let's play ball.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

This is a section that will be at the end of each chapter just for the ladies. Girls, you're not off the hook here. You have work to do too. A happy, healthy relationship includes two people.

About the Author
Trina Boice grew up in California, but currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She worked as a Legislative Assistant for a Congressman in Washington D.C., and was given the “Points of Light” Award and Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her domestic and international community service. She wrote a column called “The Boice Box” for a newspaper in Georgia, where she lived for 15 years. She taught Spanish at a private high school and ran an appraisal business with her husband for 20 years. She currently writes for several web sites and is the Entertainment News Editor for Bella Online. Trina was selected by KPBS in San Diego to be a political correspondent during the last presidential election.

Learn more at: www.TrinaBoice.com

Friday, February 27, 2015

Sign up for the Blog Tour!


Pick a date you would like to post a review for my newest book and I'll send my readers to YOUR blog!

I'm super excited about this fun relationship book I wrote with my son.  It uses baseball terminology to help guys understand how women think.  Perfect for single guys looking for Mrs. Right, as well as married guys hoping to score points with their sweetheart.

To sign up for the blog tour, simply reply to this post or contact me at Fans of Author Trina Boice on Facebook!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Be a part of my blog tour this spring!


Trina Boice and Cedar Fort Publishing & Media are pleased to announce “Base Hits and Home Run Relationships: What Women Wish Guys Knew” blog tour, which will run from April 19-May 10, 2014.

If you’re interested in participating in this blog tour, please email us or leave a comment below.

About the book:

Love is like baseball, so hit a home run in your relationship! With Trina Boice’s advice, any man can learn how to step up to the plate. Learn tips, stats, and skills to make a powerful and lasting romance whether you’re in the “minor league” of dating or the “major league” of married life.