Red Sox Magic Number - 71

Even though the Red Sox lost to the Rays last night because the Yankees also lost - the Red Sox magic number has been reduced to 71.

The Yankees also lost Thursday night which put the magic number at 72. I was going to write about how the Bruins (before this season) last won the Stanley Cup in 1972 or how when Carlton Fisk went to the White Sox he switched his number around from 27 to 72. Neither one of those ideas lit the fire enough to jot down a few words though.

But 71? That's a different story. 1971 was a big year if just for the fact that it was the year that the great Dirty Harry was released. The role that made Clint Eastwood a superstar. Many people know that Frank Sinatra famously passed on the lead role. Lesser known is the rumor that the role was actually written for John Wayne who supposedly passed because Dirty Harry was a little more morally ambiguous than the heroes Wayne was used to playing.

Having Eastwood play the role allowed a cultural torch to be passed. Sinatra and Wayne were the older generation. Eastwood was the new along with legends like DeNiro and Pacino who were also coming into their prime around 1971. But that was 40-years ago! In between we have had another generation of movie stars such as Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Denzel (to name a few). Who are the big stars today? Who is the torch to be passed to? I know others have made similar points but the truth is the talent cupboard or star power draw really seems to be bare these days.