More Baseball and Stuff: The last couple nights gave us some chances to view the results of some recent baseball trades involving Mets personnel. Armando Benitez came on with a four run lead tonight and pitched two innings largely without incident, though he had a bit of trouble getting the third out. Yesterday, John Franco blew a hold opportunity in the ninth, taking the loss ... 3-2 vs. the Braves. Jeremy Burnitz made an error as a Dodgers, but redeemed himself later on with his bat and base running. Also, former Met Rickey Henderson got a home run tonight for the Dodgers, showing he still has something left.

Meanwhile, I saw Swimming Pool, the latest Charlotte Rampling film, an actress many might best remember as Paul Newman's love interest (in a matter of speaking) in The Verdict. This movie is mostly style with little point ... the leads are fine as is the setting ... there is nice eye candy in the form of a young nubile niece. All the same, you are left wondering, "um, will there be like something happening sometime?" Rampling's last movie with this director, Under the Sand, was largely stylistic as well, but there was more meat to it. This has a point, but drags on and on without much of a plot, so one wonders after around a half hour, what the point really is. It can be enjoyed for style alone, but I got bored after a while. It is a movie you can look back upon and admire, but still are left with the realization it really wasn't that enjoyable overall.