Ted O'Reilly

An obituary has finally made the New York Times... https://nyti.ms/2ZO7sCa

Steve Wallace's Yogi piece. Good research, good writing... A while back I had occasion to look over Yogi Berra’s career stats and noticed something for the first time which shocked me a little: in his long and storied career, he never led his league in a single offensive category. That’s not to take anything away from him, but I just assumed a player that great would have led in something – maybe doubles or sac flies or RBI – at least once. Because he looked funny and sounded so funny, a lot of people don’t get how great Berra was as a player, they just think he’s famous because he played for the Yankees and said all those goofy things. But to me, he’s still the easy pick as the greatest catcher ever to play, and it’s not real close. He won 3 MVP awards, a record for catchers equalled by Roy Campanella during the same era. But Berra was more consistent than Campy, who had a habit of alternating monster seasons when he won the MVP with average ones. Berra also finished in the top 4 in MVP voting four other times. Think about that for a second. That means that professionals who watched him play every day went on record to say he was one of the best 4 players in the AL 7 times – that has to carry some weight. Then there’s the 10 World Series rings, also a record for a player, and the most important one there is. Joe D is next with 9, and obviously some of those were the same rings. It’s universally accepted that great teams have great catching and Berra was the catcher for the greatest team in history. Case closed. He wasn’t the best at any one thing. There were catchers who played better defense or threw better, catchers who had more power (though not many) and catchers who were better all-around hitters. I doubt any catcher was ever any smarter or better at handling pitchers. But Yogi combined all the things a catcher had to do with a really productive bat and he did it longer and better than anyone else. Anyway, it turns out I shouldn’t have been so surprised that Yogi never led his league in any hitting category. I looked into a bunch of other really good catchers who played a long time and very few of them did either. Basically, I learned three things. One, the rigours of the position and all the nagging injuries make it really hard for a catcher to lead his league in even one batting category. Two, the list of really good-hitting catchers is a short one, maybe 20 guys, and their long suit is usually power. And three, if a catcher is going to lead his league in anything, it will be grounding into double plays (GIDP), because they’re usually so slow. Other terrific catchers who never led their league in any hitting stat include Pudge Rodriguez, Yadier Molina, Bob Boone, Thurman Munson, Bill Dickey, Jorge Posada, Benito Santiago, Mike Piazza (maybe the best hitting catcher of them all) and quite a few others. Well………….. Piazza, Pudge and Santiago each led the league in GIDP once, but that’s a negative thing. Posada did it twice and Ernie Lombardi, maybe the slowest player ever, did it 4 times. Gabby Hartnett, one of the best NL catchers ever, led his league once – in strikeouts. Carlton Fisk was one of the best ever and ked the league once – in being hit by pitches. Basically, it comes down to a few catchers who have been offensive leaders, even just a few times. They’ve won just seven batting titles, and it was four guys. Joe Mauer won three (an amazing accomplishment in itself), Ernie Lombardi won two, Buster Posey won one and so did an old-timer named Bubbles Hargrave way back in 1926, the first to do so. Mickey Cochrane won two MVPs and led the league once in OBP. Gary Carter was no slouch – he led the NL in RBI and sacrifice flies once, but also in GIDP once. Campanella led the NL in RBI once. Apart from the three batting titles, Mauer also led his league in OBP twice, and in slugging, sac flies and OPS once, all between 2006 and 2012. The most dominant guy was Johnny Bench, who led the NL in RBI and sac flies three times, homers twice, and total bases and intentional walks once, all from 1970-74. Because of injuries and wear-and-tear, he wasn’t able to sustain his dominance after that, but for five years there he established a peak level that was the highest for a catcher ever. But Yogi was great for 11 years as a full-time catcher, 1949-59. The most surprising fact I discovered is that Tim McCarver, who caught even longer than he’s yakked on TV – 1959-1980 – led the NL in triples in 1966 with 13. I’m not sure but I’d bet money he’s the only catcher to do that. It’s a good bet that no catcher ever led the league in stolen bases, that just doesn’t compute. Getting back to Yogi, I’m no Yankees fan but if I was choosing players for an imaginary all-time great team, he’d be my second pick behind Honus Wagner. Any team with Yogi on it would win a lot and laugh even more. It’s a hard combination to beat. As to what catchers might do as the game changes, who knows? As Yogi said once (maybe) – “Never make forecasts, especially about the future.” Good thought! I'll let him know. I wonder what the Strike-Calling-Robo-Ump is going to change about pitch-framing. That skill will be minimized, I'd think.

There's something about both jazz and baseball that links them. Like, no matter how constraining "the rules" may be (90' between bases, blues changes) on any given day something can happen that has never happened before. Steve Wallace is a top-rank jazz bass player, and a fine writer about both (and wine, but later for that...). His musing about Yogi Berra, written just for a couple of us -- he'll let me send it out, so I shall -- led to a chat about catchers/bassists, which I'll share first. "Yeah, for sure a lot of parallels. We’ve talked about this before, Ted, and Merv, too. I should probably do a blog on it because the connections are both interesting and funny. Like, catchers have their “tools of ignorance” – mask, shin guards, chest-protector, huge glove - and bassists have the doghouse itself, plus the amp now. And the stuff with the hands and body, the wear-and-tear. When a catcher is really doing his job, you barely notice him, ditto bassists. Catchers have to handle pitchers who struggle with control, bassists have to handle drummers who struggle with tempo. And after all the stuff they do, catchers are expected to get in there and hit as well as anybody else, whereas bassists are expected to solo after playing 40 or 50 choruses of quarter notes, with very little meat left on the bone as it were. I’m a good defensive bassist – i.e. playing in the rhythm section – but as a soloist I’m batting about .250." Nah, Steve...you're a solid .350 at least... I'll put the Yogi piece up separately, to save your eyes if you're not interested in the pure baseball side of Steve Wallace...

Right you are, there... My first radio job in the early '60s was to host an evening show of the Candlelight & Wine ilk: lots of Mantovani, Frank Chacksfield,101 Strings, Percy Faith... But boy did I learn some songs a.k.a. The Great American Songbook. And was able to slip in some slightly hipper nice Mancini, Ray Conniff, Robert Farnon, and got to appreciate some great arrangers, who could make treacle appetizing.

He did indeed, Peter and I got to know him quite well over the years, recording him as early as about 1972 when I recorded Bob as a member of the WGJB at Massey Hall. That was quite a gang of veterans which as Big Beat Steve sort of remarked, were all still playing great (Vic Dickenson! Bud Freeman! Ralph Sutton! Gus Johnson! Billy Butterfield! and of course the leaders Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart!) and showing a kind of professionalism that was often lacking in those days... Bob was an intelligent man and widely-experienced musician who really lived for jazz as he knew it (Bechet! for crying out loud!). I was once told that he came from a well-to-do family and that he could afford to indulge himself in the kind of music he loved. If that's so, he spent his largesse well...

I've note seen details yet, but it's on Wikipedia that he has died... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Wilber

Maybe Savion Glover will show up...that'd change Flamenco Sketches...

I saw Armstrong, with Trummy Young, Peanuts Hucko, Billy Kyle, Danny Barcelona and I think Mort Herbert, at the Arena in Hamilton Ontario, in the autumn of 1959. I remember the event, if not the exact date. Most of my college classmates were already deep into rock, and me liking jazz was considered odd.

I wouldn't go anywhere that I can't keep my shoes on, even to listen to Miles...

One tune, three takes. Short trip to heaven, sgcim...

You have to include The Artist's Jazz Band of Toronto... https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/artists-jazz-band-emc

That little baby has grown up to be a wonderfully talented young actress -- it's PJ's daughter. (Believe me, PJ undertook a LOT more dangerous activities earlier in his life...)

"Moe Koffman Quintet Plays" is the best of those, I'd say. If you're into searching on small, now-dead labels, look for a 1998 issue on Duke Street Records (DSRD 31048) "Oop.pop.a.da" with Dizzy Gillespie, Ed Bickert, the wonderful Bernie Senensky on piano, bassist Kieran Overs and drummer Barry Elmes. And, likely even harder to find would be a December 16, 1985 concert recording that I did as part of a radio broadcast series, released years after I left the station. It was a fund-raiser for the station, issued as a tribute to Moe after his passing, with the slightly-less than an hour padded out with a couple of interviews I did with Moe. Same fine band as above (sans Dizzy of course) and with Terry Clarke in for Elmes. It might represent the working MK quintet in a pretty typical way, rather than the projects that Moe used to undertake. I suppose one could approach the station and see if they had any still kicking around. ("Live At The Ontario Science Centre" jazzfm CD 005) www.jazz.fm is the link, I think.

Simon, are these in mono or stereo? I once had the CBS CD, and if I recall it was stereo. But earlier in this thread it's indicated as a mono issue in the 12 CD set.

Be very careful in ordering the "Grits, Beans and Greens". I thought I was ordering the two-CD version, but in fact clicked on the single-CD. My fault completely, of course, but the covers are identical, and unless you're very observant -- and it's late at night -- you might not get what you want. For some reason, this whole Hayes Adventure has been somewhat confusing for me: it's 2 CD set, then learn it's also part of a 12 CD set, then get a single CD after thinking you ordered the 2 CD version too soon because you'd likely get the 12 CD.... Wow, I guess I'm just getting really old. Now, all I need is to put the single CD in a machine and see if it'll even play! What the hell is MQA-CD? The Hayes booklet says "When a conventional CD player is connected to an MQA-enabled device, the CD will reveal the original master quality." What fresh tech-hell is this? Hmmm... Why buy it at all? Looks like the whole thing is up for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN6eKuLqsxU&list=OLAK5uy_m3BKnRW85upgM_ttVXoF_sJWeUFszN_a0

The veteran Canadian altoist, in a duo setting with Bill Mays... Gee, I've never thought that the cover picture needed to have anything to do with the actual recording session. But maybe it does explain this Monk cover:

Ms. Bley has a great sense of humour, in music and visually She told me once in an interview that when the artwork for the cover of Dinner Music was sent to Japan for issue there, they spent hours removing the wine stains on the napkin.

It was just a simple pop-ish blues, a quartet performance tacked on at the end of a Moe Koffman Sextet session, but it caught the ears of a lot of people. Some remarked that it brought the jazz flute to the forefront for at least a while. I think maybe Buddy Collette did a cover version, the Basie band had it in the book for a while. I was at an Ella Fitzgerald performance in Toronto one time when she realized Moe was in the reed section backing her, and lit into an ad-lib version of it, much to Moe's delight. I don't know anything about this version of it:

Why is this the first time I've heard of a 12 CD set???? All I've seen (and ordered) was the unissued "Grits, Beans, Greens" release... Oy!

Yeah, but it's fake. Ruby's pic was taken as a publicity shot when he appeared onstage in a Broadway production, and inserted into the rest. Whoever the darkroom artist was, he was GOOD! Very easily done digitally these days...

I think there's No Moe, but ask Louis Jordan. But then, Ray Charles told us there's also "dontcha come back No Moe, No Moe..." or that's what I heard.

He may still be practicing, but it looks like that picture was taken on March 11, 1999...or maybe 3rd of November, 1999.

There was commercial Moe and there was jazz Moe. The latter is heard well on two-LP set recorded "Live at George's" (Moe's jazz home for decades) for the GRT label. It dates from 1975, and if I'm not mistaken it has never shown up on CD. Ed's on it, so is Don Thompson, Jerry Fuller...

JSngry croons: "Nobody know the troubles I've seen..." There are other places that get hot, other places that get cold. Some of those places without air conditioning, without central heat. I think Houston has both, as does Toronto.