Last year former Milwaukee Brewer John Axford pitched a perfect game – he went 18 for 18 in his Oscar picks. This despite not having seen all the nominees. Last year he made his picks on Twitter.
This year Axford, writing on a website called The Players Tribune (fixed link) ups his game by trying to pick a winner in all 24 categories. It’s a formidable task.
“Now,” he writes, “you’re probably asking: Is this dude qualified, or just lucky? Well, I graduated with BA in Film and Television from Notre Dame, and have been a sponsor of the Milwaukee Film Festival since 2011. I also know how to pronounce Alejandro G. Iñárritu with the appropriate Spanish flair.”
Axford supports the Milwaukee Film Festival’s Cream City program of local films and filmmakers.
In 2012 he talked to me about his interest in film.
Listen to his picks on Colin Cowherd’s ESPN radio show. Axford signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies earlier this year.
His Oscar choices this year include:
— Brookfield native Adam Stockhausen, for his production design on “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which he writes he’s seen four times;
— “The Imitation Game” for adapted screenplay (“This is a dangerous one because I haven’t seen ‘Whiplash’ yet”);
— “Ida” for foreign language film despite not seeing any of the nominees, because “it’s tough when you’re on the road to catch foreign films”;
— “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” for animated feature (it was “pretty heart-wrenching”);
— Favorites Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons, Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette in the acting categories;
— Inarritu, as director for “Birdman” (what he did was “revolutionary”);
— And he sticks with “Boyhood” for best picture (it and “Birdman” were “1A and 1B for me. I think they’ll split the difference.”) They did last night at the Spirit Awards, however, “Boyhood” director Linklater won best director and “Birdman” won best film.
On the other hand, he concludes, the entire list “is a house of cards. Either I’ll go 24 for 24 or fail miserably” and “face the wrath of Twitter,” where you can follow him
Tags: Birdman, Boyhood, John Axford, Oscars Posted by