George King has a story today about Hideki Matsui. Still no clear word on whether the Yanks will trade him or if he’ll waive his no-trade clause. Murray Chass has a piece on Bobby Meacham, a player who is memorable for all the wrong reasons for Yankee fans.

Not much else going on in the world of the Yankees at this moment, so allow me to digress. I just finished a story for Variety on how genre movies have fared in the Best Picture department over the years (not well). Here’s something to chew on–what are the best movies that were nominated for Best Picture but did not win? Here’s my list of the Top Twenty. Oh, and I’m a sucker, I didn’t have stones to make a Top Ten…Also, you can choose a movie even if you think it wasn’t the best movie of that particular year. For instance, I have “Chinatown” on my list even though I wouldn’t have given it the top prize over “The Godfather II.”

The Front Page
Grand Illusion
The Thin Man
The Maltese Falcon
Citizen Kane
Great Expectations
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Sunset Blvd
12 Angry Men
Bonnie and Clyde
M*A*S*H
The Last Picture Show
Chinatown
Dog Day Afternoon
Taxi Driver
Jaws
Tootsie
The Right Stuff
Nashville
Dangerous Liasons

Honorable Mention: Raging Bull, The Philadelphia Story, E.T., Hope and Glory, Breaking Away, Prizzi’s Honor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

And hey, while we are at it, how about the Top Ten Worst Movies to Win Best Picture? (There are so many, I know…)

The Greatest Show on Earth
Mrs. Miniver
The Sound of Music
Chariots of Fire
Ordinary People
Rainman
Million Dollar Baby
Crash
Dances with Wolves
Forrest Gump

Whatta ya got?