Because No One Asked: A 9-on-9 Marvel vs. DC baseball game lineup

Credit where it's due: This is what sparked this idea.

On to the ground rules that I made up:
1) Only Superheroes.  No supervillains.
2) All superheroes have access to their regular super powers or super suits, but NOT to any super weapons.  Thus, Iron Man can use his suit for flight and speed, but not missiles or guns. Thor would not be allowed to use his hammer, which means he couldn't fly.
3) At least one girl per team.
4) The game is played on a fenceless field with a standard dimension infield.
5) Players are not permitted to attack one another, or use their super powers on each other in any way.  There'll be no A-Rod shenanigans.
6) Bats and balls have been upgraded to withstand the superior force of superhero use.  Otherwise, Superman would just vaporize the ball with his louisville slugger that exploded into a million splinters on contact.  Gloves are reinforced to withstand the speed of the ball.
7) At least one non-super suited, non-super strength human per team. A Super-vigilante, if you will.

The breakdown
C: A brute who won't be knocked over at some wildman charging the plate.
DC - Captain Marvel. (I know.  Captain Marvel is a DC character.  That's like Chevy having a car called the "Ford.")  I don't know of any DC Equivalent to Hulk/Thing/Colossus.
Marvel - Colossus. The one downside, he'd be worried about hurting someone bearing down on him like they are Pete Rose and he's Ray Fosse.

1B: You need someone who can stretch at first for those errant throws.  Someone Knoblauch couldn't even get it past.
DC - Plastic Man
Marvel - Mr. Fantastic

2B: Good spot for an athletic non suited human.  Doesn't require the arm strength that third would require, but still needs athleticism.
DC - Batman
Marvel - Daredevil

3B: Gotta have super reflexes and strength at the Hot Corner.
DC - Wonder Woman
Marvel - Quicksilver

SS: Speed, reflexes, and acrobatics are necessary here.  Gotta turn two up the middle.
DC - The Flash
Marvel - Spider Man

LF: This is where you stick your player with the least amount of natural skill.  It's like Manny Ramirez - he was a left fielder.  So was Chad Curtis.
DC - Booster Gold
Marvel - Iron Man

CF: Here's your fastest player, and hopefully someone who can fly, as well.  Also, needs super strength for those long fly balls that travel across multiple state lines.
DC - Superman
Marvel - Rogue

RF: Strong arm, speed, accuracy, and athleticism are paramount to the right fielder.
DC - Green Lantern. (His ring is like Iron Man's Suit - he can use it to obtain his enhanced abilities, but not to launch projectiles or change the state of matter, like the opponent's bat.)
Marvel - Captain America

P: Accuracy is the most important here.  You'd think speed would be important, but with most superheroes having super reflexes anyway, it doesn't actually matter as much.  Plus, the faster it comes in, the further it would go out.  You gotta give them the superhero equivalent of Henry Rowangartner's Blooper.  Plus, the non-super schlubs like Batman and Daredevil wouldn't be able to even see the pitch and would probably wet themselves at the sound of the sonic boom as it zipped past them.  Gotta let them at least TRY.
DC - Green Arrow
Marvel - Hawkeye

Lineup:
DC:
1) Flash
2) Green Lantern
3) Superman
4) Wonder Woman
5) Captain Marvel
6) Booster Gold
7) Plastic Man
8) Batman
9) Green Arrow

Marvel:
1) Quicksilver
2) Spider Man
3) Captain America
4) Rogue
5) Colossus
6) Iron Man
7) Mr. Fantastic
8) Hawkeye
9) Daredevil

Of course, the game would be a farce.  Instead of swinging for the fences, anyone with super-speed would lay down bunts and then just zip around the bases as fast as possible.  Still, Marvel's lineup is vastly superior to DC's in my opinion.

Overworked, Under-appreciated, and Unemployed in America - The Argument for Inefficiency

In the United States, we don’t have an unemployment problem. We have an underemployment problem and an overworking problem. The problem with our economy is it is built to run cleanly, solidly, and with as little overhead as possible.  We have an efficient capitalist society (don’t worry, this won’t be a full on socialist rant) that trims off the excess, and pulls us down to the lowest common denominator.  This is seen as a good thing.  It keeps businesses offering goods and services for the lowest prices around – they make money, we save money.  In theory, it works to perfection.  In actuality, when we talk about trimming off the excess, we aren’t talking about buying too many parts to make our widgets.  What we are talking about is trimming off the excess jobs.  What we are talking about is trimming off excess workers.  We are talking about trimming excess people.  This is what efficiency does to our society, and this lack of specificity sterilizes our society from what is happening to the “last in/first out” of us.  We need less efficiency, because it benefits all of us – the workers, corporations, and government included.

Because No One Asked, The Star Trek Movies: Ranked, Grouped, Unexplained. UPDATE: Now with 7.4% more rankings!

This list, with grouping descriptions, includes films from the Original Series cast, the Next Generation cast, and the JJ Abrams Star Trek* movies.

The Americans review: "The Colonel"

In these games without borders, knowledge is the most dangerous weapon. The Season 1 Finale of FX’s The Americans saw the KGB and the Jennings bring the gun to the proverbial knife fight. My review to follow, but first, I need to catch my breath and think of an episode specific reference.