tkeith

Just a couple of notes. Typically I begin all of my guesses with the disclaimer that I haven't read any of the responses, and/or that they are ear guesses, not researched guesses. I rarely (I can think of only once) ever research the guesses as I'm listening, that would take the fun out of the BFT for me. Pretty sure I'm not alone in that regard.

Prediction: Alex and I never hang out and listen to music.

Fun stuff. I liked much of it, some of it, less so. 1 - No clue. Not my bag, baby. 2 - Disney Theme (When You Wish Upon A Star). No idea who, maybe Frank Morgan. 3 - John Lewis' Django. No idea who this is. I want to like it, but it bugs me. 4 - Know the tune, but can't put a name to it. Shit... I know this recording -- I have this. Shades of Hank Jones, maybe, but I'm leaning towards Vince Guiraldi. If I don't have it, I want it! Why doesn't anybody play like this anymore? 5 - Don't know the tune or the players. I like it as a one off, but not sure I could listen to a whole album of this. This would be fun to see out in a social venue. 6 - No idea, not my t'ing. 7 - If it isn't Billy Bang or Michael White, I'm not likely to get a violin player! I say this isn't my bag, but I used to run into a guy at a lot of jam sessions who played this sort of thing, and I was always happy to see and hear him. Again, very good for a social setting, but can't see hitting the basement and cranking this to chill. 8 - Sounds like Buddy Tate to me, but the ideas seem a level below Buddy's. Maybe when Buddy was older or somebody trying to play like him. The recording sounds newer (electric bass, if I'm not mistaken -- listening on laptop). No guesses on the other players. Trumpet sounds like someone shooting for a Ruby Braff sort of sound, but with a Armstrongish feel. 9 - I appreciate this more than the last (or the first) because it's authentic. Not just the recording, the sound of the music itself. I'd never spin this, but I respect it. 10 - Heheheheh. I can't help it, this amuses me. "...a composition by my worthy constituent, Mr. Dizzy Gilespie..." It's not authentic to either period, but I like the fact that they're thinking outside the case on this one. I liked the trumpet players, but the sax players sound very stiff to me. 11 - Tom & Jerry... oh, wait. Tune is The Sheik of Araby. I don't know players of this era, but I always like to listen to this sort of thing. I'd throw out a guess that it might Fatha Hines, as he sounds kind of heavy handed. (Hey man, why couldn't all BFTs be like the first one I tried, where I knew most of the guys!?!?!?) 12 - Solitude. Sounds like Ron Carter to me, based on the 'thrumping' slides to some of the notes and the sketchy intonation. No idea of anyone else. 13 - Sounds like maybe Kenny Barron on piano. Not sure of the drummer... could be Victor Lewis if I'm right about KB, which I don't think I am. Perhaps one of the guys who came after KB like Geoff Keezer. I like the lines of the alto player, but he's under-executing them, almost like alto isn't his main horn. 14 - I know the tune, but can't name it. At times I was thinking Kenny Drew on piano, but it's not him. 15 - There's A Song In My Heart. Modern recording. Billy Pierce on ts. I'll guess Alan Dawson on drums, because it's flawless and I'm totally not diggin' him. Don't know the trumpet player. Sounds like James Williams on piano (but I could be biased by the association with BP). 16 - My Love is Here to Stay. No idea, but I have to wonder if it's two women a friend of mine sent me a video of. They were both about 30 and absolutely shredded. I'll say it's a modern recording with modern personnel. 17 - Evidence. (or as I heard Clifford Jordan describe it, "I've heard it called 'Just You, Just Me,' ... then somebody called it 'Justice'. I'm thinking somebody modern, like George Colligan or Ben Walzer. Drumming reminds me of Eric McPherson -- busy but inspired. 18 - No idea. Modern recording, lacks the authenticity. 19 - ???

The Youk deal will play out -- they're just bidding on the idea that the economy will suffer. He likes it here and they'll time the deal right (not when he's pissed because they just offered the farm to a comparable player). That said, expect something in the 5-6 year range, for probably $12-15-mil, which is too much, but they did it to themselves. Would have made more sense to get the Youk deal done BEFORE the Teix play. Lowell will be fine, it's Papi I'm concerned about. I think they're banking on the chance that Lars Anderson can be Papi's replacement if necessary. Still, I'm feeling good about this team. Next year? Well, that's a ways away now, isn't it.

Strangely enough, even with all the signings, I don't think the Yankees have improved all that much from last year. Well, IF CC and Burnett are healthy, their starting pitching must be better. Tex is a much better fielder than anyone they had there last year. Has more power than Abreu. And now they have tons of outfielders to trade off for relief pitching. It seems to me that the key is going to be Burnett, if he can come up big, he could put the Yankees over the top. As I said before, I don't see CC equaling Mussina's win total in 2009, and there is still the need for a quality three starter. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see what kind of effect on the team the move to a new park will have, maybe none, but you never know. I gotta ask, why does Wang get no respect? He was the #2 starter for a couple of years and was reliable in that role. He could easily be the #3 guy (I mean, he has records of 8-5, 19-6, 19-7, 8-2 over his four years in MLB, and he gets no love) on *any* staff. What's funny is, I had to talk my brother-in-law in off the ledge. He was all set to give up and convert to Yankee nation (okay, he's a bit of a fool to begin with, but basically harmless). We ran down both rosters, position-by-position. Skanks got the edge for SS, 3B* (when we talked intangibles, this was a push at best, as Lowell is a god; given his injury, we gave it to PayRod), and C, assuming the Sox *don't* pull the trigger on Buchholz-for-Saltalamacchia. 1B is not a given, but I'd give them the nod there. Pitching: Sabathia-Beckett is a push, and it's less likely that Beckett will eat himself out of the league. Burnett-Lester is a no-contest -- Lester wins. Wang-Matsuzaka I'd call a push, but most would say Matsuzaka; he's definitely more of a power pitcher, where Wang is all about finesse. #4 starter is open for both teams, #5 starter will be a young guy on both teams. Sox have a stronger bullpen for middle relief, and closer is a push. Mo is great, so is Paps. These two teams are really well matched. One of them will have a $190-million+ payroll with marginal flexibility (their economy of scale is likely to change in the current economic crisis, and if it doesn't, MLB *will* get a salary cap). One of these teams was, as it sits, a playoff team last year. The other will need time to gel. I'll say it again, now -- The Skankees do NOT intimidate me, at all. I predict they'll make the playoffs, but I also predict they're out in the first round.

Ironic, isn't it? As for the previous Manny tongue bath, uh, I mean post, I was definitely one of those that bitched about Manny's money. He's a *one* dimensional player. Yes, he would occasionally have a Swaboda-like defensive play, but basically, he was a liability on defense... and on the base-paths... and eventually in the clubhouse. He can hit like hell, no two ways about it. But to ignore the baggage is denial. Teix will NOT have any easier time in NYC (ask the Giambino). When he's hitting .268 in May with low production, he'll feel the Bronx pressure, just as he would have in Boston. I'm *thrilled* to not have this team under the weight of another 8-year megadeal for umpteen million ducats per season. As I said yesterday, bring on Lars Anderson!

Richie Havens' autobiography THEY CAN'T HIDE US ANYMORE

Don't know about Manny, but seriously, there's no sign these guys are done. I would have loved to have had Teix in Boston, but I'm not at all sad about avoiding another HUGE, interminable contract, particularly for a position that is easily filled. No matter, keep spending -- judgment day will come for that team at some point. $765-million committed to 4 players. Even my father, a life-long Skanks fan, is incensed by this.

F*ck him. Bring on Lars Anderson. Yankees won't win anyway.

I can't take credit for that. I think MG id'd the album. I did in my mind, but couldn't bring the title to mind. I remember really liking about half this record, but it led me to the older Farmer stuff (like the Argo recordings) and that was pretty much the end of its tenure in my record collection (along with the pitiful Joe Henderson co-lab on CTI).

I'm shocked this was actually those guys. I had them pegged as young guys trying to play like them. I don't mean to kick your record collection, but to my ear, these guys had each lost a step by the time of this recording.

Huh... guess it really was a cleaner Pharoah sound. I'm somewhat familiar with FK, but he sort of rubs me. He makes the same error Wynton made in the early days -- playing too much like his influences. The other thing that bugs me is the hyper-compressed sound of his drums on most recordings. That said, I need to check this disc out because that was really nice.

Actually own this one, too, but never really dug it. There is one tune that really cooks, but the rest of it just didn't resonate for me. Still, I should have done better on this one.

Jee-heee-ZUSS! I actually picked this up a couple of months ago, but haven't gotten around to spinning it, yet. I need to win the lottery so that I can free up some listening time.

I don't know why the Sox are waiting to contact him ? Yeah, J.D. Spew is due for a breakdown this year; bring him on!!!!

Funny, I remember the Game of the Week being almost exclusively out-of-market games. Wonder if they had the brains to do that on purpose. Wish they'd go back to that. Stupid cable packages prevent it, though.

As it should be.

Jim Rice should be in the Hall .....i found this in response to a fans question : [Question from fan:] I remember watching you when I was in high school and how they always talked about the strength of your forearms and your bat speed. I also remember an "urban legend" that you could break a bat at the handle just by swinging and flicking your wrists. Any truth to that? Tom F. Tyngsboro, MA [Rice answers:] I did it twice in games. On two separate occasions I broke bats without ever making contact with the pitch and both were check swings. I think one was in Oakland and a curveball started out high and I committed to swing, but when it broke downward on me and I tried to stop my swing I was left just holding the bat handle in my hands. Now, doesn't that sound like a Hall of Famer? Bob Lobel had a great round-table discussion a few years back with Yaz, Fisk, Evans and Rice (if I remember correctly). It was one of the first times I'd ever seen that side of Rice. He was always very surly as a player (though, not so much towards fans). Then a couple of years ago, I saw another interview where he was asked about his attitude towards the press. I had heard Steve Buckley (who's an ass) talking about Rice saying, "When he was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and 2 double plays, those were the days he'd talk to you, and he was fine. It was the days when he went 3-4 with 2 homeruns that he was so difficult." Rice addressed that very phenomenon in the interview, saying, "I never wanted the focus to be on me, I wanted it on the team. That's why, hey, if we lost because of something I did, I'll take the responsibility. If we won, that's a team victory." *THAT* sounds like a Hall of Famer. If Rice had had Lasic at his disposal, he might well be in The Hall.

Good point. I have some theories about the problems with the writers. As I understand it, a writer must be a beat writer for 10 consecutive years to have a vote. Realistically, that means some of the current voters may have never seen Ted Simmons play as a Cardinal (not everybody had access to out of area broadcasts in the 70s and 80s). Given that, how may of these voters are influenced by what a terrible GM Simmons was?

Pete Rose broke the one rule that should never be broken- he bet on the game. Since the 1919 White Sox that's been the one sacrosanct rule and he broke it. No argument. Your comment is about the game. Are you denying Rose was one of the greatest to ever play the game? Put a disgraced players wing in, if you must, but for the history of the game, he's got to be there. One thing that's always bugged me, Pete was accused of betting on his team to win. The biggest argument I've heard about why that's so bad is that if he didn't bet, that sends a message to the bookies. Who gives a shit about the bookies?

Good work! I guess you had an unexpected day off, today! My last shot at justifying Morris, then I'll shut up. For me, he was always like Dave Stewart was during his great 4-year run: The one guy I did NOT want to see on the mound facing my team. Every time I watched a game where he started against a team I liked, I'd always have the same reaction, "Oh, shit!" I felt that way from 1979 until 1992, and that says a lot about the guy, in terms of how long he was that good. The last time I had that reaction was in the 1991 playoffs against the Braves, which may have been one of the greatest games I've ever seen. As for Simmons, Busch definitely hurt him, but excepting a couple of years (negated by the two years he hit better there), the difference was not as great as I would have expected; or rather, not great enough to reverse my opinion. I think he falls into that Garvey class. To me, Dawson is the real travesty. Bill James can write all the articles he wants, but I watched a TON of Expos games, and that guy was something special. The fact that he did what he did on those knees is even more incredible. What irks me is that there are two things that hurt the Hawk: 1) The discovery of OPS as a meaningful stat for the common fan (thus the common reporter), and 2) The fact that he won that stupid MVP trophy for a 6th-place team. It's like the writers are continuing to shaft this guy for THEIR mistake. Two more travesties: Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose. The Hall isn't about the writers, it isn't about the players, hell, it's not even about the game; it's about the fans. Find me one true baseball fan that doesn't get a stiffy when s/he sees that black-and-white of Pete diving for third base. OH! That's it, I've gotta go rub one out.

I wonder how many anti-Morris voters ever saw him pitch live. Morris was the workhorse of some shit teams, and if he'd been used correctly, he might have 20-30 more wins. Blyleven has longevity and that counts. I like Kaat better than either of them overall. Blyleven's propensity for the gopher always irked me. And I've secretly begrudge him for 30 years for netting only 17 decisions for the '79 Pirates despite 37 starts (mind you, he was backed by one of the best bullpens in history and a hook-happy manager). I'll have to give Simmons another look. I was never all that impressed with his defense, though (that was my position, so I've always been very finicky about D). Still, your point about the effect of Busch Stadium is a good one.

In the meantime, the talking heads of the sports world keep mentioning that the Skanks will "actually have a lower payroll this year." That does not speak to any sort of restraint or management on their part, it merely underscores how ridiculous their past spending has been. I predict they will bankrupt that franchise, and I can't wait. They've held up the city for tax-free bond money and repeatedly demonstrated a mercenary nature that is NOT good for the game (even worse than Boston and the Mets). No matter, I'll call it now -- the Skanks will not win shit in 2009. Burnett will not win 10 games and over the live of this contract will look more like Carl Pavano than the guy who won 18 games in Toronto last year. Whoop it up Skanks fans, your team has just set the advances in contract negotiations back 10 years. On the bright side, that bubble will soon burst -- baseball is not bullet proof, so I say, bring it and kudos to you Hank. Wonder if Bud Harrelson and Rick Cerone are willing to start another league up.

I think the way Simmons' production fell off so quickly hurt him (like Rice). Even though he was still knocking in runs after a point, his inability to run and his relegation to being a DH made his decreasing batting average stand out more. He definitely would fall into that Garvey range, excepting that when he was a major offensive force, he was stuck on that mediocre St. Louis team. One other guy I think needs to go in is Jack Morris. His high ERA works against him, but anybody who saw him pitch knows the real score.

...if Santo gets in, then make room for Dave Parker, Al Oliver, Andre Dawson, Bert Blyleven, Steve Garvey, et.al., they're all on the same HOF level. Dawson and Blyleven belong (as does Dale Murphy) and a legitimate argument could also be made for Garvey. Santo belongs.