For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Cliff who? The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.J.A. Happ said all the right things, just as the crafty lefty always has.Julian Assange, founder of the website that published more than 91,000 secret U.S. military reports from Afghanistan, says he’s revealing injustices. President Barack Obama says he’s concerned that disclosure of sensitive information may harm military operations.1. Will the Jets regret cutting Faneca?For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?
MLB. The hard part is over.
The Red Sox seemingly sleepwalked at times over the final 36 games of the first half, going 17-19 from May 30 through the All-Star break. That mark, however, is more impressive when considering the competition. The Sox played 23 of those games against teams with records of .500 or better, and three more against the 42-43 Yankees.
In the second half, the Sox will face the soft underbelly of the American League. Of the team’s 75 remaining contests, just 20 are against squads with a mark of .500 or better. That stretch will include 13 contests against the Orioles and 15 games against a last-place Devil Rays squad that the Sox swept last week.
The strength — or lack thereof — of Boston’s remaining opponents suggests their 10-game lead is secure. Still, a number of issues will determine whether the Sox can regain the dominance that characterized the first two months of the season.
Health, of course, will prove paramount, just as it did when injuries sabotaged Boston’s four-game division lead a year ago. On that front, the Sox have some grounds for concern, both in the form of the right shoulder soreness that has sidelined Curt Schilling since June 18 and a right knee injury to slugger David Ortiz.
Ortiz has just 14 homers this year, a pace that would yield 26 over the course of the season. Coupled with the power decline of cleanup hitter Manny Ramirez (11 homers, on pace for 20), the Boston lineup feels different than in previous years.
“I was looking at the (Red Sox) coming in and I could see a noticeable decline in the Red Sox (home run) numbers,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said last week. “That actually really did stand out for me.”
In averaging just 5.0 runs per game in the first half, the Sox are on pace for their worst offensive output since 2001. An improvement will be necessary for the team to achieve balance.
If that does not happen, the performance of the pitching staff will be ever more important. Schilling’s return to health will define whether the team has a rotation built to dominate in October.
If the 40-year-old joins fellow World Series MVP Josh Beckett and World Baseball Classic MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Sox will enjoy grounds for optimism, both for the rest of this season and into the playoffs.
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