Dan Gould

Torn ACL for the rookie Dobbins who showed some pretty decent stuff and poise this year. Need for starting help and relievers is getting extreme. Especially with Tanner Houk suffering from suckitis after his supposed breakthru campaign, and at the end of his allowed rehab stint, and Slaten not even throwing yet after his supposed dead arm situation at the end of May.

Very sad to hear this. RIP.

He recorded twice with Willis Jackson and also with George Benson. Actually three times and if it were cheap enough (and I found other albums I wanted) I would consider this one: https://www.discogs.com/master/139515-Harlem-Underground-Band-Harlem-Underground

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/arts/music/dave-baby-cortez-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Vk8.PLVt.9u3ROSzIdPyR&smid=url-share

I think it is a "you" problem - my friend was a very big baseball fan, and when the players struck and the World Series was cancelled, he swore off baseball forever, and I do mean forever. I mention him because to me, your issue is akin to him telling me that I shouldn't watch or care about baseball anymore, the same way he doesn't watch or care. They messed up, they suck, how can you watch? Rose didn't cheat, he leaped over a bright red line every player and coach is supposed to know and respect: No Betting. I don't recall any evidence of coaching decisions that were designed to make the Reds less likely to win a particular game. The PED era - I would absolutely have objected to any of the identified miscreants signing with the Cubs or Sox and gone looking for a new favorite team. Cheating for personal fame, inflated salaries and ill-earned spots in the record books ... that to me is unforgiveable. Teams have been stealing signs since forever. I don't know what players were happy participants in their system or if any had qualms. As for Hinch and Cora, do you think their success is predicated on having done something once that was "cheating"? They can't exist in baseball because of it? They didn't apologize enough over it? Honestly it never occurred to me that I should have judged the Bregman signing based on him being a member of that team, as opposed to judging it on the basis of WTF, you already have a guy at 3B who is signed for 12 years.

Nobody was banned from the game for their actions ... its a mark against the championship they won, and I guess directly against Alex Cora (don't know the extent of Bregman's involvement, did he come up with the idea?) ... players move on - and most fans move on. Is your attitude common in Texas? They cheated, f-em for all eternity? This seems to me an overreaction. I'd have a harder time rooting for certain players, like if Aaron Bleeping Boone had signed with the Red Sox after 2003, or Reggie in the 80s. To be clear Aggie, I didn't "condemn" the Astros for cheating ... they got away with something that other teams have also done, like the Bobby Thompson homerun. I don't really think about the fact that they cheated in a very long time.

Season starts for real for the Red Sox, with Bregman due back and having at least taken care of business with the White Sox and Rockies and sweeping both. Now its the Rays, Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers on tap starting tonight. Truly, where they are at July 28 will really depend on these next four series against top teams. What is interesting is that with Bregman coming back and what's his face sent away to the Giants, they have a plethora of talent vying for playing time. Alex Cora will earn his paycheck but there is real talent between OF/DH and 2B and 1B, to wit: Abreu, Rafaela and Duran, plus Refsnyder and the number one prospect for the OF (whose bat is looking very much advertised). Number two prospect should slot to 2B, and Toros and Romy Gonzalez (who was a GREAT pick up two years ago) in the mix for 1B, with Gonzalez a more than adequate 2B as well. In short, on days that Connor Wong (1 HR, 1 RBI) isn't catching, this is a lineup with no easy outs, and whatever starters AC puts out there, there will be very solid bats coming off of the bench when the starter is out. Don't be shocked but now I am starting to have fucks to give about this team this season. Edit to add: I totally forgot about Yoshida, who was activated last night and went 3 for 4. If he isn't rolling over pitches and grounding out to 2B, he's no slouch at the plate.

Here's a good 'un, and we should also take note of the many collaborations Sweets had with Lockjaw.

Sweets is an all-time favorite, without a doubt. Not "sweet" as BBS mentions. And definitely not "jazzy" - JAZZ. Countless small group recordings from the Verve years to the end of his life can be recommended. Sweets with Ben is a great combo but he also made several with Buddy Tate that are very nice.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/arts/music/ringo-starr-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Tk8.-b8U.pZVIuUI9N-aW&smid=url-share

Since it seems like anyone who stops the drugs gains back the weight, this is certainly good to hear.

OK why is this so f-ing important to you? The question was Ozempic using "It's Magic" for their ads and the fact that the lead singer/composer participated in the advertising and didn't just license his composition means he made beaucoup dinero.

I wish my VO coach were still alive (for more important reasons than this issue) so I could ask her.

Well it had to have been licensed and that happened at a time when rights holders weren't doing it on the cheap. It's also entirely possible that they paid a smaller fee because the composers couldn't believe their good fortune and took what was offered. OTOH its been in use for a while and I think normal practice is a time-limited license, so any renewal could/should have been at a higher cost. Wiki says that the lead singer was actually hired to record the Oh-oh-oh Ozempic line for the spot(s). Guarantee he got paid, paid well, and has made lots more in residuals too (every 13 weeks they run a spot or reuse a track for a new spot = CHECK). The guy who played Carleton (the doorman on Rhoda) also voiced the Parkay margarine ads in the 70s. I was told by my VO coach that he bought a ranch with the proceeds of that one recording session and called it Casa De Residuales.

in general I of course agree with you however, when I heard this the first time the main thing I thought was "I bet whatever band members wrote that song could really use the money" - predicated on the assumption that they were a one-hit wonder and that the tune was written by band members. If that is the case, then this isn't like licensing and ruining a hit by some guy who owns an island in the Carribean.

Nice!

I could not care less about this but the way these sessions are being described, they aren't really outtakes, but cohesive performances that he chose not to issue at the time. I can't be made to care but at the age of his fans, they probably have enough cash flow to buy enough of these to make it worthwhile.

I found Devers comment when this series started to be disengenuous at best ("if they had asked me in spring training to take grounders at 1B, I would have"). At the start of the season they were protecting his shoulders and had Casas recovered from his rib cage injury, with Romy Gonzalez behind him on the depth chart. There was no need for Devers to work at 1B then, the need became acute when Casas went down again. And his interest in the team was zero, because he was still butthurt over being replaced at 3B. I guess I should watch to see if John Henry takes on some salary to improve the team this year or if it really was to free up money for his other interests. That would be truly pathetic, even if dumping Devers was the right thing to do. Is Harrison under team control long enough to enjoy his bright future?

Proof that signing Devers for a crap ton of money didn't mean shit when it came to helping the team, but now at San Fran he's happily taking ground balls at 1B. Fuck him: Devers will likely split his time between DH and first base for now. Devers got some work in at first on Tuesday, but the Giants want to get him up to speed before they consider giving him his first start at the position. “We talked to him a little bit today. He goes, ‘I’ll play wherever you want me to play, I’ll hit wherever you want me to hit,’” Melvin said. “He’s going to DH today. He’s going to hit in the three-spot. We’re going to work him in and get him some ground balls at first and make sure he’s comfortable before we put him over there. That’s pretty much the way we’re looking at it right now, a little bit of DH and a little bit of first.”

Will @Matthew stop by about Giants acquiring Devers from the Red Sox for barely more than a box of baseballs and an equipment bag? Apologies if he is not the resident Giants fan, it's been a while ... While I wasn't thrilled at the length of the contract given to Devers, the fact remains that this is a top hitter very much at the height of his talents. It basically means that for the Red Sox to crawl into the post-season this season, at least two of three rookies have to hit as advertised, with no growing pains. I would feel a lot better about this if the players received included someone that the Giants might actually miss in the future but this ain't that. About the only thing I can say about it is that it (somewhat) relieves the logjam of outfielders and rookies finding playing time, and if that had necessitated sending Duran or Abreu away, I would have been quite upset. I want to see what those two can do as they are not at their peak and are very good already.

This is interesting but I suspect sites like my own www.percyfrance.info and others like it won't be that effected. You'd have to have a specific question, and no other serious interest, to want to just get an AI-generated answer and move on. Obviously fan sites like mine are predicated on there existing people that are interested in what a well-curated site looks like for a topic of interest. You have to want to know more ...

@Coda I am sorry to hear that your wife is in such a bad mental place and if she's found help thru AI, that is good to hear. It's also interesting that this is the same program as that featured in the NYT article. I hope she gets the help she needs whether its thru AI or talk therapy or, if necessary, anti-depressants.

Any thoughts on the way AI relates with people when not used for professional or educational purposes? The article I posted is just one of many indicators of deeply disturbing interactions that harm people in serious ways. And to Mark Z of Facebook, I say if you want a friend, get a dog. AI "friends" are way too hazardous.

Curious how people are using AI as well as opinions (or even experiences) with the ways it goes off the rails, inspired by this article in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/technology/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PE8.OMPy.qvxipUYfiVB1&smid=url-share

Listened to the entire track. Rouse is fine, didn't care especially for the accompaniment.