Thoughts while watching Disney's Tangled...

It's spring break week for the local public schools, so I treated my oldest to a movie, namely Tangled. While I kept these comments to myself at the time, I thought I would share them with you.

1. Screenwriters treated animated movie like an audition for Broadway show version. Apparently I am not the only one who noticed:
   
   
2. Implied message: Cleavage (in form of old stepmom Gothel) = Evil. In other words, displaying any hint of sexuality isn't virtuous. I'm all for appropriate attire, but this message seems rather prudish.

   

   Evil cackle + cleavage = Heavy-handed message courtesy of Disney

   
   
3. "Eugene" is Flynn Rider's given name? Really? As if "Gene" wouldn't have been bad enough? I much prefer this bit of creativity. Flynn Rider spoof of Old Spice commercials:
   
   
4. Naming the horse after Russell Crowe's Gladiator character? Lame.

   

   There's only one Maximus. End of story.

   
   
5. Where did Rapunzel's chameleon friend Pascal come from? Why is he even necessary, aside from giving the hero a wet willy to revive him? Here's his only big moment in the entire movie:
   
   
6. The old dude termed "short thug" in the casting needs his own spinoff. Easily the best part of the whole movie. Pardon the amateurish clip, but it's all I could find.
    
   Admittedly I have a lot of time on my hands this week, but does anyone else care to share their thoughts re: Tangled?

The Sky Is Falling!!!!!

Not to go all Chicken Little, but let's recap the St. Louis Cardinals preseason to this point:

• Albert Pujols remains unsigned beyond the 2011 season.

Albert Pujols: Gonna make bank in 2012, maybe not for my beloved Cards.

• Adam Wainwright, Cy Young finalist and potentially the team's best starting pitcher, underwent Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow Monday and will not pitch for the next 12-15 months.

We won't be seeing Waino hit the mound until sometime in 2012 at the earliest.

• Chris Carpenter, the other candidate for best starting pitcher, and flame-throwing reliever Mitch Boggs both leave the game on Tuesday. Carp tweaked his hamstring; Boggs strained his back.

Carp hopes to miss only 1 spring training start.

Boggs is taking a wait-and-see approach to his back strain.

Kinda makes one yearn for the days when skipper Tony LaRussa was discovered in Jupiter, FL slumped at the wheel at a stoplight, huh?

TLR fell asleep at the wheel...literally.

Someone tell me when it's safe to read another report from Jupiter, FL. I can't handle any more bad news.

Louisville @ Notre Dame, aka House Divided

Every year this basketball game is a tough one to watch. You see, I am a Notre Dame alum in my adopted hometown of Louisville. I married my college sweetheart, who hails from – you guessed it – Louisville. As a lifelong fan of the Cards, she often waits until tip-off to determine which team she will root for. Other times, she simply leaves the room, too upset to even watch.

For both of us, it is difficult to enjoy fully either team's success in this game. One's success always comes at the expense of the other team, and you know full well that loved ones are hurting as a result. Our boys are too young yet to have experienced playing sports against one another, but I have an inkling how it feels to be a parent in that situation.

Having said that, I would like to touch on Kyle Kuric's dunk at the end of the first half. In case you missed it, and you really should see it, here is the clip:

Because Kuric received a technical foul afterward, it has been the subject of some debate. (You'll note this link is from a column in the Louisville Courier-Journal. The South Bend Tribune understandably focused on the outcome in overtime and chose to omit references to the tremendous dunk by Kuric.)

Now, I will be the first to recognize that:

• Kyle Kuric's dunk was nothing short of amazing, reminiscent of his work against top-ranked Syracuse in the last game played at Freedom Hall.
• Kuric is not a trash-talker but, from all appearances, a stand-up kid.
• If anything, his coaches and teammates have continually pushed Kuric to show more leadership as a junior, to be more demonstrative. (I don't disagree with this advice.)
• Other players have certainly gotten away with more abusive behavior toward opponents.

However, I would also point out:

• The Big East has a national reputation as a rough-and-tumble basketball conference, so it is likely the league's referees are charged with making sure things don't get out of hand.
• Taunting of any sort is frowned upon in college athletics, among fellow student athletes. (While I agree with this policy, I am less bothered by trash-talking, etc. in pro sports.)
• Kyle Kuric stated that he “looked down at him and walked away.” It sure seemed to me that Kuric's "look" was more of a "glare" at Irish guard Scott Martin. The point, however, is that Kuric wasn't mugging for the camera or interacting with the student section. He singled out a fellow student athlete for embarrassment and was whistled for it.

The technical foul was the correct call. Not because Kyle Kuric is a dirty player or a bad person, but because he demeaned a fellow student athlete, a 21- or 22-year-old kid. College athletes are supposed to be there for the purpose of earning a degree. They are not supposed to try to posterize each other, belittling others in the hopes of making themselves look better.