COMIC SYNOPSIS : AUGUST 31, 2011 - FLASHPOINT 5 , JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA 1 , SECRET AVENGERS 16 , UNCANNY X-FORCE 14 , AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 668

FLASHPOINT 5 :

To start off, I haven't read a DC comic in ages as I have always been a Marvel person though I always kept up on Batman as that is one DC character I enjoyed reading. I decided to join the party and see how this new "DC 52" pans out and this was the issue to trigger the events to the "new" DC. So, I have no idea what has happened in the previous 4 issues but I can take an educated guess from what I read in this book.

Issue starts of the Flash ( Barry ) fighting it out with Anti-Flash in some world that was created by Barry when he went back in time to save his mom from being murdered by Anti-Flash. Never turns out the way its supposed to the hero's mind. Anyways, Anti-Flash or is it Reverse Flash?, makes Barry remember what he did and how that has made the bad Flash live outside any type of timeline that has ever been created by Barry or anyone else. He informs Barry that he can't be hurt by him at anytime. Might be true but Batman ( in this world it's Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce ) puts a quick end to that nonsense by taken matters end to his own hands with a sword no less. Batman, though victorious, falls as the battle takes it's final toll on him, but before dying he gives a letter to Barry with Bruce's name on it and tells Barry to make things right once more. As Barry starts to do just that he is drawn into a timeline where his mother is there talking about the end of the world. Barry wants his mother to live and fix the world at the same time but they both know that is impossible. Mom persuades him to let her go so she can be with her husband in the afterlife and so the world may be put back in order. Right as Barry is almost done doing that an unknown masked female states that there are three time lines and that to be put everything back to order that Barry must sacrifice everything. Flash wakes up and goes to see Batman ( Bruce Wayne ) and tells him what has happened and delivers the not that Thomas Wayne asked him to give. We are left with the assumption that the world is back together but Flash has memories of the other timeline and we do not know what the note said.

Rating : 3/5 - Don't know how this issue compares to the other part of the mini-series but this issue was fast paced and set up the new universe with some lingering questions on the past ones and if and why the other ones are combined to make only one as they never existed. A good jumping on point for new readers and from what I have heard from others a great point to jump off.

JUSTICE LEAGUE 1 :

Book starts off by stating that this is happening 5 years in the past as we see Batman running after some creature as he is being chased by authorities in helicopters. Batman catches up to the creature and is interrogating him but is then interrupted by Green Lantern who can't believe that Batman is a real person. The creature manages to get away and destroys the helicopters which Green Lantern then helps on damage control. Next few pages Batman and Green Lantern track the creature and get to know each other. Green Lantern is very arrogant and confident in his new found powers and can't believe that Batman is "just" a man in a suit while every other superhuman that has been spotted has had some type of power. We flash to a high school game where there is a young man that is just demolishing the opponent with all the scouts wanting to sign him to their college. Obviously has some type of power. This man will grow up to be Cyborg. As Batman and GL find the creature underground planting some type of computer to a wall GL and his attitude alerts the creature to their presence and decides to blow himself up while yelling out "For Darkseid". Thankfully GL has quickness on his side as well to everything else and contains Batman and himself within a protective casing. They decide to track down this super powered human which is also known as an alien, Superman. Batman states he has never met him but he is bad news as he has studied him from afar. GL states no worries and I can handle this. As GL enters a building where they assume Superman is, GL is shown to be forced physically out of the building by a red blur. Superman looks at a stunned Batman and states he is not easy to handle and what can he do for them.

Rating : 3.5/5 - A good starting off issue. Not much downtime per se and gets to the point of introducing us to part of the roster of the future Justice League. Other than Batman I never really liked these characters individually but as a group the interactions can be quite entertaining. I like how Superman comes off as a bad ass but GL's attitude will wear then if it stays this way for lone. No opinion on Cyborg as not enough to comment on. Overall, a very good first issue with enough to at least want me to finish the first arc which is stated to last 6 issues.

SECRET AVENGERS 16 :

I assume this issue is before the Fear Itself storyline as Steve Rogers is in his Commander getup but I could be wrong as he shown with Captain America's shield. This is a fill-in issue that may have some impact in future story lines. It starts of with the group of Steve, Beast, Black Widow and Moon Knight descending in a hidden city under Cincinnati. The reason they were able to detect it was that the Beast found trace particles from a Von Doom time machine. They decide to investigate under the belief that the Shadow Council might be doing something with it and that can only be a bad thing. Once they arrive they find an old Russian car that is atomic powered. They are chased through the city by jeep and through the air by a helicopter. After Black Widow takes care of the jeep Steve takes down the helicopter. They realize that the whole city is modeled after Von Doom's time machine and that as with his the city has four pillars to power the machine. Problem is that the pillars are hundreds of feet tall and are at least two miles apart from each other and heavily guarded. Figuring they only need to take one out for the machine not to work Beast is able to rewire the atomic car they have been driving into a sort of "dirty" bomb and set it on course for one of the pillars. They are able to escape the city through the passageway they came in from as they whole city is obliterated. Beast ponders on how many people he has just killed while Steve responds by saying how many people he saved instead.

Rating : 1.5/5 - The story was ok per se but with everything else going on in the Marvel Universe this issue seems like a story that does not belong and was just written til the Fear Itself storyline is done with and the rosters of the Avengers are reworked. I rather have had another of the "interview" story lines that have been running in recent Avengers books than this. Hopefully next issue gets this series back on track.

UNCANNY X-FORCE 14 :

Story begins the previous day from last issue with Archangel ( Warren ) and Dark Beast ( Hank ) flying towards home base within the North Pole discussing how the ascension of Archangel will change the world for the better. Warren insists on everyone treating him more as an equal, a brother in arms, than a Lord or Leader. We jump to present day with the X-Force group confronting Warren and his group. Fantomex trys to redirect Warren as Logan and Betsy debate on killing Warren. Warren was prepared for that and as Wolverine attacks Warren he is incinerated by Genocide. The battle is on between the two groups as it looks like X-Force is over matched and seeing that they are able to use a smokescreen to escape though stays behind and informs Warren she has not given up on him just yet. Rest of the group tends to Logan and debate on what to do next as Betsy takes a tour within the North Pole with Warren as they talk about Warren's gradual transformation into Apocalypse. Warren is called away by Hank informed that it was time to meet at an arranged meeting point. Warren is carrying Genocide to some Mid-America town and is dropped there as Warren talks to a little boy and tells him to go tell his mommy that he loves her. As mom and son hold each other's hand Genocide annihilates the town like a nuclear bomb was dropped on it as Archangel watches from above.

Rating : 4/5 - Yet another quality issue from the creative team. Though I didn't know where they could go with this story they just upped the ante. Mutants already have blown up a city ( see Civil War mini-series ) and we saw what happened after that. This can only be worse as there is a precedent already for doing this. Wolverine is on the shelf, Psylocke is locked away and it is looking grim for everyone. This book is one of the best right now and this issue does not disappoint.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 668 :

We jump right into the fight that had started at Bryant Park with the Avengers and FF fighting all sorts of spider people. Love the fact that they show a lot of Pete's old costumes. Peter is picked up off the ground and is confirmed to be the real deal but is sent away from the fight as to not confuse the other heroes on who they are fighting. As Peter mopes away from the fight he runs into Mary Jane and Norah and they end up watching current girlfriend Carlie assisting the police in subduing some more unruly spider powered citizens. We are taken to Jackals hideout while his having a conversation with the still unidentified lady that looks to be the head bad person in this event. Back to Peter and we see that he was able to convince people via a live news feed to be better people and that they couldn't allow the few spider powered people to continue to cause problems but to join up with him and police themselves. So with the help of the heroes they do just that. JJ Jonah arrives on scene and after giving a pep talk he deputizes everyone. Peter makes it back to work, Horizon Labs, and finds out that it has now be named the CDC for the epidemic that is happening. Reed Richards happens to be there and was working with the unknown scientist in Lab 6. Still no reveal though. Anti-Venom is seen swinging around "curing" people with their super powers. This does not go unnoticed as Madame Web watches from afar. Peter meets up with Calie at the police station and she informs him that she has a lead that the Jackal is behind all of this. They head out to one of his known hideouts. As they break in to investigate, within the shadows are enemies ready to pounce.

Rating : 3.5/5 - Nothing really major happened here but Slott makes it entertaining and with this being a long storyline this just fleshes it out a little more. Obviously there is more to come and it will get more intense as Jackal is a known thorn in the side and with Madame Web "knowing" what is going to happen and implying that Peter will have to kill this story will only get better.

MATT KEMP : MVP ? TRIPLE CROWN ? BOTH ? NEITHER ?

As this season winds down to the probable non-playoff appearance of the Dodgers we are left at just trying to find some positives within this otherwise dismal season. Obviously one the main bright spots has been Matt Kemp and his maturity to becoming the face and force of the Dodgers off and on the field. His off the field personality has never been in question as since he was brought up years ago he has constantly been a very approachable player even through the horrors of last year. No matter what was happening within the lines or in his personal life he took time to converse with fans and still does to this day.

This year though, with obviously Davey Lopes help, his on field performance is matching his off field personality. As this entry is being typed he is 4th in AVG, 1st in HR and 1st in RBI. With one month to go does he have what it takes to get 1st in all categories and accomplish the unthinkable on this team and get the batting triple crown? In the AL it hasn't been done since Carl Yastrzemski did in 1967 and even longer since it was done in the NL by Chuck Klein back in 1933. Almost 80 years ago for the senior circuit. What makes this conversation even more remarkable is that Kemp really is the lone big bat in this sometimes AAAA club. The AVG. part can be taken care by him and with his ever growing maturity in taking walks that can only help in the pursuit. The HR's and RBI's are a different matter though. He needs the rest of the team to produce enough to be on base when he comes up so he can drive them in. Even though they have been hitting of late can it continue for 28 more games to give him the chance to do this? 

If at the end of the year Kemp ends up either winning the triple crown or leading two of the three categories does he deserve the MVP? A lot of pundits think unless your team is in contention which the Dodgers have not been in since late June ( which is debatable ) then you shouldn't even really be considered. But think where this team would be without him. I would say last place is the realistic place. I can understand the other candidates but here is my view on that :

• Prince Fielder - similar stats but has Braun to protect him in the lineup
• Ryan Braun - see Prince Fielder
• Roy Halladay - have no problem with pitchers winning, but without him the Phillies are still a playoff team and have 3 other premier pitchers
• Troy Tulowitski - good stats as well but just a click less than Kemp and if you consider Troy then you have to really consider Kemp as LA is above COL in the standings

MVP stands for player and not team. If you take that player off said team where does that leave the team. The 4 players I think that are the MVP race can all be removed from their team and still have roughly the same result at the end of the year and other than COL the teams will be in the playoffs no matter what. So if Kemp continues at the same pace for this last month and is at the top of the at least two categories I believe he deserves the MVP no matter where the Dodgers end up in the standings.

UPCOMING APPEARANCE/SIGNING : PETER BOURJOUS , MARK TRUMBO , MIKE TROUT

The Angel trio of young stars will be doing a signing on September 24, 2011 at the OC Dugout location out in Anaheim Hills. Though Bourjous is nothing really special and does enough signings, Trumbo might be ROY and Trout is a hard sign and is rated the number one prospect in baseball. So even though they are Angels I will be there looking to add good young players to my collection. Thanks for the info from the OC Dugout guys.

Peter Bourjous

• Small $ 20
• Large $ 30

Mark Trumbo

• Small $ 30
• Large $ 40

Mike Trout

• Small $ 35
• Large $ 45

RECAP : DEE GORDON APPEARANCE / SIGNING @ OC DUGOUT 8-27-2011

...So back I go to OC Dugout for an autograph signing. Considering the experience I had last week with the Salmon signing ( see previous blog entry ) I did not expect much but since it was for a Dodger I would try it again. Very pleasantly surprised that it was a complete 180 from last week. Dodgers were playing a day game that ended up going into extra innings til KemVp ended it with a Bison Bomb. Was listening to the game on the radio and once the final out was recorded I started to head down to Anaheim. Got there around 6:20ish and there were no more than 60 or so people in front of me. The OC guys were passing out pizza and bottled water. Must of heard about Kemp's delivery service from the previous day. A nice touch by the guys there. Thank you. I didn't expect many people as it was a pay signing and it wasn't someone big ( yet ). Kind of reminded me of Kemp and Ethier paid signings years ago before they got big. Now even paid events for both of those players are hundreds long of people. Dee arrived around 7:00 in his new Dodger Challenger. Being in the auto industry I can appreciate nice rides and this one is a nice one. Probably one of my favorites from recent years. Nothing beats classic muscle cars though from back in the day. Had to take a picture of me and the car. Admire but respect so no touching. Once there they started letting people in about 5 or so at a time. Waiting wasn't bad as I chatted up a few people. One young boy and his family who were mostly Angel fans told me that the son already had 100+ autograph balls and 4 bats filled with autographs and I would say he was no more than 8. Kind of jealous. Once we were let into the store the line slowed a tad but that was ok because it was caused by Dee being courteous with everyone and talking to each person. If asked for a photo he actually got out from behind the table and stood up with you. Not like some where you just do a lean in photo ( which I have no problem with ). Dee was great and hope his rehab goes well and hope to see him on the field this week.

NEW MOVIE REVIEW : COLUMBIANA

I went into this movie thinking I would see something in a straight revenge flick due to all the previews and trailers I have seen. I was half right.

Movie starts off well with the family of Cataleya ( Zoe Saldana) when she is a little girl in the year 1992 getting slaughtered by a vengeful drug lord. As she is confronted by their killer she shows a lot of spunk for a girl her age and what ensues is a great foot chase within the 3rd world country.

As she makes her way to Chicago through the contacts that her father gave her before he died she shows that though book smart she is also world smart. She meets up with her uncle and asks for him to show him the way. She is presented a choice of which way to wants to pursue and after that choice we jump 15 years to 2007 in the city of Los Angeles.

To get into a jail she commits a crime that gets her close to her target. Obviously we know what is going to happen to the victim but how we get to that is the intriguing part. She has now combine her book and street smarts and with her very lean body knows how to work around any corner or problem that arises as she strives to finish the job that she set herself to do.

We find out that this is one of many targets she goes after and that some of these are actually a side job. She wants to get to her main target which is the drug lord which put her down this life path and finally she gets his attention.

The movie slows down in the middle as they try to flesh out her character and mute her killer instinct a bit. I guess everyone needs love in life but her love interest just seems a tad shoe horned into the plot. I am all for a someone with layers but I wanted a straight revenge flick as most have the man as the protagonist and having a woman do it was more intriguing to me.

After a personal turning point she sets up the end game for the her and the drug lord. She tracks him down to his hiding place and armed to the gills with guns and against supposed insurmountable odds she barges right in for some mano o womano fighting. The last part of the movie has great action sequences and the bathroom scene is one the best recently that I have seen. Obviously as this is a revenge flick we all know how it ends for the bad guy. She trys to get a little personal closure and she moves on as her demon in her life has been taken care of.

Rating : 2.5/5 - Movie started off without of promise but lagged in the middle part but finished off with a bang. I like Zoe and think she is a decent actor who has been seen recently in Star Trek and Avatar and she shows promise in the action genre. She and her uncle are the best parts of the movie and if this had better writing I believe it would have been genre flick. This is a good vehicle movie for Zoe and I hope this springboards her to bigger and better things. Nothing wrong with having good action females on screen.

As a side note, part of the movie is shown at a CIA office in Chicago in 2007 and has a big Obama portrait on the wall. We all know that these offices have the president on the wall. So either Chicago hates current President Bush and puts up Senator Obama or they knew the future already and put Obama up there. Either way I am a stickler for "errors" in movies and that was the glaring on in this movie.

TWITTER , FACEBOOK , BLOGS , FANS AND DODGERS

                                          

Got up this morning and logged into my computer and checked my email. Did some work and then took my allotted break of about 15 minutes. I then proceeded to check facebook, this blog and many others as I continue to check twitter as I look for that little news snip it or insult or just some dumb comment by a misinformed individual. I personally enjoy doing all these things and love getting new information just for the sake of having it compute in my brain.

A few of the Dodgers have facebook and twitter accounts and our obsession with our team got me to wondering if as Dodger and/or baseball fans do we take it too far? Case in point, yesterday on twitter someone created an account to just slam Matt Kemp and how he "communicates" on there. I like many people responded and defended one of if not most popular players on our team. Now I ask, if we saw this in an everyday situation between ordinary people would we care or even bother butting in? Is all this because we love our team and look up to them and take care of our own? Do we identify with them in some aspect or do we just love being part of a "family"? I think it is a little bit of everything.

I started this blog right after I and 11 other people participated in and won a Dodger sponsored scavenger hunt that was communicated through twitter which I only joined a few months prior so I can keep up on the gossip of people and my beloved Dodgers. So I am one many that uses social media now to check on status of people or tweet on something that I just found out or like now write out some rambling thoughts in my head. I know people in my life that think I am obsessed with social media now amongst other things but I feel that if I didn't do these things I would be left out of the loop and not be as well informed as I would like. I fully understand where those people stand and how others see no need in their life for anything computer related or for social media interaction but for me it is something I do and something I really enjoy. Without these outlets I would have never met those other scavenger hunt players and made new friends. If I didn't read and join blogs I possibly would miss out on some new Dodger, movie, comic, gossip news or upcoming appearance/signing ( another subject for a future post ). All this allows me to also learn about worldly developments as well so it's just not for hobby material but real life events that matter.

So, to the people that don't like us tweeters or facebook updaters each and every hour of the day or blog reader I say, fine, that's your right and you are allowed to have that belief just as I and many other have the right to do the things you think are trivial or time wasting in your eyes.

So as I look internally I say no, I am not obsessed. Our lives are just that, ours. I like meeting new friends via twitter, signings and reading blogs that give me that information that I crave. I love having this blog, even though not a lot of followers as of yet but still a great place to just write out my thoughts. The Dodgers are our team so they are our family and we will defend them as such and when and where we see fit. Comics are still a great read. Movies are a fun escape with all the real world problems. And acquiring autographs and meeting players is just a fun and different experience each time. So I will continue to do all these things as that is what I like to do along with "normal" things as I think it is part of life and no matter what you do, good or bad, aggressive or passive, everything enhances you and molds you into who and what you are.

So follow me on twitter, @senor_penguino , check my status on facebook, read and join my blog and after I watch my movie Saturday and catch the Dodger score come join me in Anaheim and meet Dodger Dee Gordon for an autograph signing. 

= )  

COMIC SYNOPSIS : AUGUST 24, 2011 - UNCANNY X-FORCE 13

Uncanny X-Force 13 :

Issue opens up with the Life Seed searching group of Fantomex and AOA's Gambit and Rogue who are in Fantomex's ship E.V.A being attacked as they prepare to crash land. They race to the Life Seed which is being protected by a Celestial guard. Battle ensues as they try to grab the Life Seed. Back to the other half of the team consisting of Wolverine, Deadpool, Psylocke and AOA's Jean, Nightcrawler, Sabretooth and Wild Child as they are being confronted by the Black Legion led by Jean's ex-husband and AOA's version of Wolverine. The battle ends suddenly as Jean's mind stops everyone but her ex-husband's. He explains to her all the killing, ascending to Apocalypse and beyond was all for the world and her. He asks her to join him and after thinking for a moment she turns him down. She gets knocked out and transported out with AOA Wolverine as everyone else is still frozen. He gives them the choice of joining him or dying. As Jean's effect wears off the group finishes battling the Black Legion as a shadowy figure appears that is recognizable to the group. All this as AOA Wolverine prepares Jean for the Death Seed back at his lair. AOA Gateway transports the group to their location and with Fantomex's power of mind deception they retrieve Jean. At the same time the Life Seed searching team arrives and confronts AOA Wolverine as AOA Nightcrawer is slowly dying from wounds from the earlier battle. The group debates on either using the one Life Seed they found on AOA Nightcrawler or Archangel back home in the 616 as seeing how AOA Wolverine has turned out which is the same course Archangel is on. Jean makes the decision for everyone as she teleports all of the 616 group to the assumed 616 universe as they turn around to see Archangel.

Rating : 4/5 - Remender is one of the most entertaining writers around right now and this book does not disappoint. This is part 3 and if you have seen the preview cover of a X-Men title post Schism then you know one thing that happens. Won't spoil it for you if you don't want to know. There are 4 more parts to this story so I alot of things can still happen. Archangel is in Apocalypse garb with the current Four Horsemen and Dark Beast next to him so how they stretch this story out we shall have to see. They did not reveal who the shadowy figure was back in the AOA universe and now that they are not there right now I am sure there will be some more AOA scenes as they have to reveal what happened to AOA Wolverine and Jean and the reveal of said shadow figure. I recommend this book and if you haven't started reading this get the whole run from the first issue to now and get the whole build up to this storyline. A great read.

2011 PLAYOFFS... DO WE WANT THEM TO MAKE A PUSH ???

Entertain my thinking for just a moment. Since we got an unexpected win last night thanks to some "clutch" hitting and a moth to the head of one of the Cardinals two big hitters it got me looking at the standings at which we stand "just" 10 1/2 games out. As I have been saying to myself for two months now this season is done for us but I wanted to play devil's advocate for a moment. Let's take a look at the next 16 games for the Dodgers and 15 games for the Giants and D-Backs. I am excluding the Rockies directly as we are playing them as well as the D-Backs. The Dodgers schedule is :

• @ STL for 2 - win 2  Dodgers win 2 out of 2. check
• vs COL for 3 - win 2  Dodgers win 2 out of 3. check
• vs SD for 3 - win 3 Doders win 3 out of 3. check
• @ PIT for 1 - win 1 Dodgers win the game. check
• @ ATL for 3 - win 1 Dodgers did one better. double check
• @ WAS for 4 - win 3

For that 16 game stretch that would put them at 12-4. The key I believe is the next two nights and the only reason I am saying we can win both is that we have Kershaw and Kuroda up next for us. I think the only other "stretch" would be the three out of four in Washington. Still doable though.
Giants schedule is :

• vs SD for 2 - win 1   Giants win 1 out of 2. check
• vs HOU for 4 - win 2  Giants win 2 out of 4. check
• vs CHI for 3 - win 2 Giants win 1 out of 3. double check
• vs AZ for 3 - win 2 Giants win 1 out of 3. They are done and costing us at the same time
• @ SD for 3 - win 1

For that 15 game stretch that would put them at 8-7. This can only happen if Houston gives them just enough hard time to split the series and and San Diego to also give them a hard time. Both have happened recently and can happen again. The D-Backs schedule is :

• @ WAS for 3 - win 2  D-Backs win 3 out of 3. Missed by one.
• vs SD for 3 - win 2  D-Backs win 3 out of 3. Missed by one. Ugh
• vs COL for 3 - win 2 D-Backs win 3 out of 3. Missed again by one. U-G-H !!!
• @ SF for 3 - win 1 D-Backs win 2 out of 3. At least its not the Giants who will win the west.
• @ COL for 3 - win 1

For that 15 game stretch that would put them at 8-7. Though I think Washington might be able to get two wins I will stickwith just the one.
If all of these scenarios come close that should put the Dodgers 7 games back of the division leader heading into the last part of the season with 6 games against each the Giants and D-Backs and "easier" games vs the Pirates and Padres. So question comes do we want them to do well enough to get our hopes up and possibly get dashed at the end or do just want the season to end and possibly get a good pick? And if the Dodgers succeed that means more money into McCourt's pocket which none of us want. What say you?

TIM SALMON SIGNING @ OC DUGOUT - 8.20.2011

So, as a baseball fan and not just a Dodger fan if a player of some positive caliber is in town and doing an appearance I like to venture out and try to get their autograph. Obviously growing up in southern California I saw Salmon alot on tv and respected him as a player. Stayed with the team when he could have moved on, took on a lesser role to be part of a championship team, etc. This signing was this past Saturday at OC Dugout out in Anaheim. Since I have never been there and I plan to be there this weekend for Dee Gordon's appearance I thought I would use this opportunity to scout the place and see how it is run and what to expect next weekend. I even took my wife who is a die hard angel fan. Boy, this has to rank as one of my worst experiences at a signing considering the circumstances there.

The signing was scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Called ahead and they stated that if I got there by 1:30-2:00 I should have no problem getting an autograph. We got there around 1:30 and didn't notice any line which I found odd but walked into the door and noticed Salmon in the back of the store with no one but a few fans mingling around and store workers but no one in line to get an autograph. Cool. So walked up and paid my fee and walked towards the table he was signing at. I had my wife get the camera ready so I could get a picture. He was sitting there signing felt copies of his number (15) obviously for the store as they pay for time and not actual number of signatures which is all good and fine. I walk up to Salmon and say hi, how are you? No response and as I had the ball and pen in my hand in front of him and he takes it and without looking up at us and signs the ball and hands it back with nothing else to say as I said thank you. I then asked to take a photo and the store workers/owners that sitting next to him feeding his felt numbers say, NO, its too late, you had to take picture of him signing the ball and there is no way for a picture with him. All this as Salmon is not even looking up while continuing to sign his number. My wife ends up taking a picture of him signing his number from afar and I was given a dirty look. Again, all this and there is no one else in the store to actually get a signature and he still had over a hour left on his time.

The wife said that this was the rudest signing she has been too and she doesn't go to many and she is the Angel fan. I can understand pictures and such when there is a long line and crowd ( a la Kemp signings ) but when you are the only person there and are paying I would at the very least expect some common courtesy to acknowledge the person in front of you. Players can have bad days like the rest of us but this is my fourth Angel signing in my life and only one has been a pleasant one. What bothered me even more was the stores employees with the rude looks and rushed atmosphere. And before anyone asks, no, I went in plain clothes. No team affiliation whatsoever. I respect the player not to show up in other teams colors if there are not Dodgers. I really hope Dee's appearance is better and if not I will not be going back to the OC Dugout anytime soon.

UPCOMING APPEARANCE/SIGNING : MAURY WILLS, BILL MADLOCK AND PETE ROSE

Diamond Star Sports Cards will be hosting their second sport cards and memorabilia show of the year at the Glendale Civic Auditorium this upcoming October 28 - October 30. Two guests have been announced so far. Back in May they had four guests and they state they will announce more so I expect at least a couple more to be added to the list. I've met both before. Both are talkers and personable and have good stories to share if they are not rushed and have the time.

Bill Madlock and Vida Blue have now been added to the list of people that will be appearing. I don't expect anymore to be added but if so I will update as needed.

COMIC SYNOPSIS : AUGUST 17, 2011 - AVENGERS 16 , VENOM 6 , X-MEN: SCHISM 3

AVENGERS 16 :

Issue starts with the ongoing interview/conversation storyline that has been running in all the recent Avengers books that obviously taking place after The Fear Itself storyline even though they are being published at the same time. This issues is Commander Rogers centric as it opens with him mourning the loss of Bucky Barnes (Captain America). He decides he is going after his killer which is Red Skulls spawn Sin. The intel he receives states she is in a Sweden castle so he enlists the help of Sharon Carter, Victoria Hand and Hill. They blast into the castle but instead of finding Sin they are encountered by a group of super Nazis called "The Exiles" ( no relation to the book of the same name but actually consisting of some of Steve's old rogues gallery ). The battle rages on til the castle comes crumbling down around them which looks like it takes out the Nazis as we don't see them again and a young lady named Daisy Johnson of S.H.I.E.D introduces herself to Steve. We find out that the castle came down courtesy of her earthquake powers as she was also looking for Sin under Nick Fury's orders. Book ends with Steve still trying to cope with Bucky's death but now back in his iconic Captain America garb.

Rating :  3/5 - Book was nothing special but not bad. Issue just fleshes out the main Fear Itself story to give it some depth and repercussions to what is going behind the scenes.

VENOM 6 :

Book starts of with Flash getting orders to take down a "Spider-Beast" that is attacking NY city that we find out has been quarantined due to the epidemic of everyone acquiring spider powers. As this is happening he is contact with his girlfriend Betty Brant while she is bedside with his dying father at a local hospital. Just like Peter does when he is off doing his Spiderman duties he comes up with an excuse of why he is not there with them. Venom confronts the beast and defeats him with Gravity's "help" who was there trying to assist in stopping the beast. After Flash takes the beast back to the shadow agency he works for and has him locked up in a containment tube the beast literally throws up thousands of spider and breaks out of the tube. The spiders are identified as the couriers of the disease that is affecting all the New Yorkers. The group of government workers and Flash sans the Venom suit run and hide into a back room. They organize a plan to take down the beast with an operation entitled "scorched earth" which was/is intended for Venom if he ever gets out of control and hopes that and some supped up shot guns will take the beast down. As the fight continues and Flash now merged back with the Venom suit goes in the for the kill a scientist discovers who the Spider-Beast really is and Venom has to take him alive instead of offing him right then and there. As this chapter ends Venom is shown taking on the Spider-Beast's appearance to sneak into the group who was controlling the beast.

Rating : 3.5/5 - Issue was good not great but it gets that extra .5 star for the identity reveal at the end. This issue makes you want to read up on the main Spider Island storyline if you weren't already.

X-Men :  Schism 3

Issues opens with Emma at the museum telepathically talking to Scott who is on Utopia. The link is broken by unknown source. Scott decides to use a rocket backpack to get to the museum to see whats wrong. All this as Logan is drinking at a local bar watching tv which just doesn't make sense. We get a flashback of the new leader of the Hellfire's Club and his round table of kids. All well to do who have a bone to pick with mutant kind. All the X-Men at the museum are now confronted by the kids. They include Magneto, Namor, Emma, Iceman and Colossus. Each and everyone is defeated and left with an alien sea slug attached to their head. How these powerful mutants can be taken down in the matter of a few short pages by these kids is beyond me. Even with powers no way no how should they have been taken out that easily. As Logan and Scott both try to get to their fellow X-Men they are linked with Idie who managed to get not get noticed by the Hellfire kids. Logan demands for her to run as Scott ends up saying do what you feel is right which turns out to her using her powers to take out the kids. Magneto, Namor etc can't take them out but she can? This makes Logan irate and as him and Scott arrive at the museum he pops his claws into his face. Before anything else can happen a bomb goes off in the building and all the metal around the vicinity flys towards itself and is forming a Sentinel.

Rating : 1.5/5 - This is now the third chapter of a five chapter story. I felt that the first issue was good set up and the second showed promise for the story but this one seemed out of control all things considered. The art is a downgrade from the first two. The "schism" that causes Logan and Scott to have different views after this is not realistic due to each other's makeup. I can understand being caught off guard but having some of the most powerful mutants in the world taken out by such means is unbelievable. There are two issues left and hopefully they get better as this mini in my opinion is turn out to be a dude.

2012 Lineup

If the Dodgers pull another 2011 they will be playing in front of crowds like this in 2012 if they don't make any real changes. I am assuming McCourt will still be owning the team even if it is obvious it wont be for long. The Dodgers are not a terrible team but not a very good one as well. Their pitching is solid if not great. They truly just need some offense. Kemp's MVP type season is being wasted because other than Either there really is no one else that gives other teams any reservation to pitching to in key moments. Makes Kemp's stats that more impressive. I don't think the team needs to be blown up but it does need to adjusted. I love Pujols and would love to have him on our team but at his age and asking price I wouldn't pull the trigger. Now, if you can get him at a high annual ( 30M ) over 3-4 years than maybe that is doable. Other than that the Dodgers are going to have to overpay to get someone of worth here. I think if you can get Prince Fielder to come here at a 5 yr 125-140M you can secure the present and future at the same time. So if you can get him for only 5 years and not the crazy 8-10 year deals that are out there you won't be saddled with an aging star at 37 but one that you can let go at 33 and bring up someup from the minors or another free agent and he can on to be a great DH in the AL. The two most important members of the team are Kemp and Kershaw and we need to show them that we are serious of winning or you can say goodbye to Kemp in 2013 no matter how much he says he loves LA. Man wants to win. Using Prince as your 1st baseman I would set up the lineup as such.

• SS Dee Gordon
• RF Andre Either
• CF Matt Kemp
• 1B Prince Fielder
• 3B Juan Uribe
• LF Jerry Sands
• C A.J. Ellis ( or another minor leaguer )
• 2B Justin Sellers
• P

Bench would include Gwynn, Rivera, Carroll and obviously you would need some other players. Andre is not your typically 2 hole player but it is what it is. You can keep your lefty righty split and finally have some protection for Kemp and if Andre comes into form then that is a formidable 2-4. I fully expect Andre to have his last go around next year but with Kemp and Prince in the lineup with hopefully the maturity of Dee and Jerry you can build on the future while contending in the present. I plugged in Sellers for 2B but that can be worked on if that is not the solution. We have money coming off the books this year ( Broxton, Loney, Blake, Kuroda though I hope he stays and might with a brighter future, Barajas, Navarro, etc ) that this is feasible. I think McCourt can make either one big purchase or alot of little ones. This past year proved that alot of "little" ones hasn't worked. Time to go for the big gun and get some offense so when your starting pitchers in two games give up just two runs to the hottest team in baseball that you don't think its already a lost game. Time to man up Dodgers.

UPCOMING APPEARANCE/SIGNING : DEE GORDON

Dee Gordon is doing a signing at OC Dugout on August 27th around 5:00 p.m. All depends on the Dodger/Rockie game that starts at 1:10 p.m.

• Small $ 20
• Large $ 30
• Inscription $ 10

Think Clue Winner's Week

I had the privilege to meet a lot of great people this past week from being one of the winners of the recent Dodgers hosted #thinkclue scavenger hunt. A shout out to Adam from the Dodgers who hosted the event at the stadium. My father in law and I were in a heated battle with a group consisting of Steve and Josh. Not gonna get into it but the debate is still ongoing to who actually came in first. To lessen the fights I will go with 1 and 1A. But Adam has confirmed whose "tweet" registered first. Ha Ha. Tito and his niece had car issues but their determination held strong and they were one of the 5. Connie with her James Loney love also completed the race in time to get the opportunity of possibly meeting him on the field. Which we did. Good for you Connie. Frank and his son came in "last" but 5th was still good enough for the prize we won. We all got to go on field this past Saturday to watch batting practice on the field and have a meet and greet with Don Mattingly the Dodger manager. On top of that we all received two field level tickets to all six games this past week. Frank wanted more air time so he went and caught two foul balls during the game which were caught on tv. Though I personally would have loved to meet more players on the field (Kemp is the man) I can not complain on what we did and won. Our Dodger love propelled us to winning the scavenger hunt and our reward was to experience something that most fans will never get to know. The bonus was getting to meet some new friends that have a common interest and having debates (Navarro still sucks) and taking in a lot of entertaining games. Congrats to us all. We will always be the first THINKCLUE winniners. See you guys next year. Game on.