The Scar of Shame (1929, silent) A morality tale about caste in the Black community, from interracial producers w/ an all-Black cast, that seems to conclude that the disadvantaged are irredeemable. A valuable cultural artifact powered by skilled filmmaking but bigoted in its own ways. (2nd viewing)

98% chance I watched Perfect Strangers, Head of the Class, and Night Court that night.

My confidence in Weathers ever throwing 100 MLB innings in a season is close to nil, but the prospects all seem to be mid at best, not even a lottery ticket in there you might worry about, all 22-24, topped out at AA. Seems like a worthwhile flier, but my guess is it amounts to nothing for both.

The Mortal Storm (1940) A well-staged melodrama about the rise of Naziism as seen through the experiences of one family (of mixed affiliations) in Southern Germany. Made at a time when Americans were still divided about entering the war. Terrifyingly familiar. Then an alarm, it is now a mirror.

Stay classy, Billy Martin.

The redundancy of team logos and team names is an annual frustration for me with Topps. They avoided it in '21, but otherwise, it's been every year since 2013. This is not the worst example, but it's still aggravating, esp. with the stack of that and the 75th anniv. emblem. in that corner.

Wicked on Broadway three times (the second two for social reasons). Does the Radio City Christmas Spectacular count? I think I've also seen that three times (across several decades).

Firestarter (1984) This B-grade Stephen King adaptation is star-studded but flat. Beyond its early starring role for Drew Barrymore, strong villain turn from George C. Scott, and memorable practical fire effects and stunt work, it’s now most compelling for its outsized influence on Stranger Things.

Baby Doll (1956) A film about sex—as weapon, obligation, revelation—from Tennessee Williams & Elia Kazan. Neither as salacious nor problematic as its reputation. There’s a power structure here, but Oscar-nom'd Carroll Baker’s 19 y.o. title character is not at the bottom. Strong debut by Eli Wallach.

Wings of Desire (1987) Archetypal German arthouse existentialism, beautifully shot by cinematographer Henri Alekan, about the need for comfort & connection in a cold, divided city whose wounds were still healing 40 yrs after WWII. Female lead Solveig Dommartin, in her debut, puts blood in its veins.

Simon of the Desert (1965) Just 45 min. due to production issues, Luis Buñuel’s last Mexican film mocks piousness as self-aggrandizing via a riff on Simeon Stylites, who spent 36 years living atop a pillar near Aleppo. Co-stars Silvia Pinal as Satan, who tempts and teases Simon in different guises.

Bugonia (2025) A remake of a South Korean black comedy about a conspiracy theorist who kidnaps a CEO, this is mostly a two-hander showcasing Emma Stone & Jessie Plemons, both outstanding. Has fun w/ conspiracy, and dir. Yorgos Lanthimos ratchets up the tension, but it ultimately has nothing to say.

Exactly.

Oh, and I love the “Destruction Crew“ card, of course!

I like that PTC card (and forgot I also have the Kreindler card and a ‘53 Bowman reprint). Here’s my ‘54 Bowman:

I’m reading Our Team, so show me your Larry Doby cards (I only have his 1954 Bowman, and it has a big horizontal crease in the middle).

Off topic: Do you have motion smoothing on?

12/20

This, incidentally, is what the other teams get for making their cap insignias their primary logos. Teams used to have real logos. Now it's just a bunch of letters. There's not much appeal there for potential fans who use a different alphabet. The Jays, notably, don't have a letter in their logo.