tkeith

What the hell is up with Upton? He's showing *my* power (he's on my fantasy team and he's KILLING me!).

Got mine through eMusic as well (aka, legal thieving -- very little payout to the artist from eMusic and I'm still trying to reconcile that). Chuck, I saw that at said location (I always surf for OOP stuff when I have the chance). Any coincidence that the ring leader at said blog is one of the major assholes among that crowd? I think not.

Huh?!?! Check the evidence. I'd pull the trigger on that one in a heartbeat, but they'll never do it because the townies would revolt.

Since we are talking about Montreal, I recommend checking this guy out if you get the chance: Matthieu Belanger Saw him as a sideman at Upstairs last fall with a band that, frankly, wasn't in his league.

Looks like you get your wish for Masterson -- sent to Pawtucket today to train for being a reliever. I understand the need and sort of swallow the decision, I just hope they don't leave him there the way it's panned out with Pap. I'm old school -- gimme Roy Halladay-type starters who want the ball for nine. I was broken hearted when Pap returned to the 'pen, I just hope they don't do that again. The Teixiera rumors are flying high around here as are Bonds rumors. I know the latter is easy to ignore, except that he actually worked out for the team and met with some higher-level guys. Egad... am I actually going to have to root for the Hulk? With Jeff Bailey called up, it's likely he could be auditioning for the Braves. I'd guess something along the lines of Bailey, David Pauley, and Justin Richardson for Teix. In a perfect world, I'd throw in Kottaras and Youk and Beau Vaughan if they'd give us McCann, too.

Testify, brother! I hate to jump on my "the standard songbook is broken" perch, but Route 66? C'mon... this music has stagnated and it's our (the musicians') fault.

One can be a POS without being the biggest POS. And Papelbon has had many, many times this season he has been a POS. Hehe! Good point. And when one is teammates with Julio Lugo, one is guaranteed to NOT be the biggest POS!!! Boy... great game tonight, but pulling this one out of our ass may have left a bruise.

He throws him out while stretched out on the ground? Cano was running all the way and he'd have been lucky to throw him out if he had fielded it cleanly. Actually, not what I said at all. My thought was, knock the ball down and the runner will have to hold 3B. But in order to knock the ball down, you'd likely need to either have good range or be taller than 5'10" (yes, I'm saying Sox' mini-infielders have cost them this year). Pap has not been as dominant this year, but that's to be expected -- hitters aren't stupid, they adjust to any pitcher over time. That said, I'll take him over at least 27 other closers. Pap is not the problem.

It's an ill-timed group slump. Uhm... Pap is a POS? I think he's overrated (less than great control) but a POS? the best news I've heard is when Gammons drooled on himself that they were shopping for a SS. That tells me there may be hope, yet. If Slim gets to that ball up the middle cleanly, that run doesn't score. And how about points for Robinson Cano for his work in that game. He may be the most underrated Yankee. I'm interested to see how they recover on this home stand. Manny concerns me, but I think he's got value this year, then let him fly. I was pissed to see that Varitek was voted to the AS game. I understand why, but he needs to sit his ass home and rest. In fact, I'd give him the weekend off before the game, then send his ass home. The team should pay him the bonus to opt out for some unforeseen nagging injury. Let Pierzynski play in that meaningless exhibition.

Double crap if you were watching the still-born comeback by the Red Sox while seeing the Cub score change in the bottom of the ninth. As a pal of mine IM'd during the ninth inning: "You've gotta be shitting me! Bases loaded, game on the line and we send these three guys to bat? We deserve to lose." Pinch-hitting for Cora was asinine. Then, using Moss to pinch-run for Manny leaves you with no replacement for Lugo or Varitek. Captain or not, confidence be damned, he needed to sit his ass down in the ninth. As for the Cubs, if they were going to blow it, I'd really have appreciated it if they'd skipped the tease so I could get credit for the win--Lohse is on my fantasy squad. By the way, my league may have an unexpected mid-year opening if anyone is interested. I've offered the team to a new manager, but he has yet to except the invitation, and managing two teams is exhausting. Drop me a line if interested.

As a person that would have to travel, I get your point. On the other hand, I can drive an hour to Boston and pay $40 to see Curtis Stigers. A festival is rarely going to please everyone, but the do tend to fall into patterns. Sadly, many musicians don't do a very good job of promoting themselves. I've missed some really excellent people locally (w/in a 15 minute drive) due to poor promotion (e.g. -- John Tchicai, William Parker, Frank Lowe, Andrew Cyrille, Sheila Jordan), and nearly missed several others (Daniel Carter, Donny McCasslin, The Fringe, Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble). I don't know what the answer is, but part of it needs to start with solving the promotion issues.

Enjoy it, but don't count it! And remember, all calories consumed on one's birthday instantly go away the next day!

I love all Air, and all configurations of the band. I think my favorite is Air Lore, but there are probably sentimental reasons why -- it was my introduction to the band. I got to see 2/3 of air with Andrew Cyrille on drums. It was Threadgill's trio, but not Air; still, it was great music and I feel lucky to have experienced it.

Ahem! Please see: Lugo, Julio. You think you've got an axe to grind? I'm fahkin' Paul Bunion over here!

The advice may be reasonable but I can't stand drunken ass hats like him and his ilk. Uh-oh.

I understand. I also understand that the same view is held by Francoma within the organization. As for last year, I started making this statement last year when 110 pitches only got 6-innings out of a pitcher. Nonetheless, I have to share this with you -- I just got to this and... well... I think we could both heed this advice. Fitzy's Mid-season WPWC

Again, I don't agree with the call in that situation, but having Tek HnR is not, in itself, a bad move. But, 9th inning, you're correct -- dumb. Well, Timlin was called up, and as scary bad as he has been, I would actually now prefer to see him pitch against the Yankees. He had strong performances at Pawtucket, and Hansen is a joke and MDC has completely lost whatever feel he had when he was on his hot streak. Bring on Timlin! I hope you're right. If we get Timlin of 2 years ago, this would be fine, but this guy really looks done to me. Even so, he could be lightening in a bottle. This is really unfair. Everything I read about this guy is that he is an outstanding coach. No one tells his pitchers to nibble. And a shitty pitcher in the majors wouldn't say "do what I did". I'm not suggesting that he would intentionally do this, I'm just wondering if it's something in his philosophy. A pitching coach is going to be the guy who dictates mechanics and habits, and as a player, he had a lot of skill, but struggled with the same issues his staff is currently struggling with. I don't think that's unfair at all. Do you remember the year Mike Greenwell lead the team with 9 home runs? Who was the hitting coach? (Rick Burleson) Regardless, you can't fire 11 pitchers, but I won't be surprised if this guy goes if this slide continues. Francoma [sic] has managed to get himself untouchable status, barring something extreme. His coaches have not.

I'm not so upset with the Hit-and-Run call, though I agree a PH would have been smarter. Varitek is royally fucked right now, so make him swing, concentrating on contact. Now, I'd prefer you do it at a different point in the game, but I think he knew there was no chance the captain was going to get a hit, so why not roll the dice. More importantly, what do you do about the bullpen? Seems to me ALL the Sox pitchers have that nibbling habit (even if Wake and Lester have been on a bit of a respite from said habit). That sounds very much like a philosophical issue -- meaning perhaps the pitching coach is the issue. Check out what he did as a player and you'll see I may have a point here (and not the one atop my head). For some reason, this guy gets a pass, and I think he's caused a lot of the issues this staff has had. Regardless, second place going into the break is not so bad. Even if it is a prolonged thing, there are advantages once you move past the trading deadline -- particularly if Ortiz is slow to return. You would be in position to block Tampa Bay from getting the bat they need. However, I'd much rather be clear and away the front-runner, but there are many issues to be fixed. I'm not going to panic yet -- Manny is due for a tear, as is Ellsbury; perhaps the return of Ortiz can spark that. As for the issue with Frenchy in Atlanta, I sure hope he can turn it around -- he's on my fantasy squad and things have gotten so bad that I started Hinske as one of my OFs this week!

Hmmm... I wonder who verified these 'facts' for Wikipedia -- I hear no trace of Art Pepper. Always loved this cartoon, though.

The John Coltrane Quartet plays the Dave Brubeck songbook. Thank you, try the veal. Can't believe nobody came up with this one: THE COMPLETE ANDREW WHITE Is there a limit on the number of discs a box set can have?

Either one. There should now only be the one for downloading the .zip file (I trashed the .rar version, figuring that WinRar can cope with .zip anyway). Option B, you can listen right over the 'puter if you click the other link. Nobody is thick, this is all a huge beta test (seriously!).

Al, I'm going to assume you see more of them than I get to. Is Saltalamacchia ever going to make the next step, or did the Braves really pull one off?

I'll never rule out the Yankees -- if only because it allows me to focus my hatred. Interleague sucks and should go away. I know it's great to see teams play each other that don't usually get to do so, but that's been in place for over a century -- it's called the World Series. Don't get me wrong, Goodspeak, I love baseball in general, even the pathetic state that is the West this year. However, it's fun to watch you have a tantrum just because people are passionate about their own teams. Funny, should I expect you to chat about the Sox? Probably not. I like the Cubs, and appreciate the rivalry between southside and northside, but if I have to spend one more Sunday night watching Ozzie Guillen stare at the camera, I think I'm going to take a hostage. Now, back to the really good stuff -- I love that Tampa Bay is finally showing its promise. I just hope it keeps up. I'm tired of the Spankees and Red Sox every year, but I'll be damned if I'm going to sacrifice the hometown team in the name of variety. So here's the Spanks going the way that that terrible mustache of Jason Giambi's ought to. Next two series for the Sox ought to be some of the most exciting baseball we've seen in ages, and I'm really counting on some good ball -- maybe even a Donnie Brook! And I promise, I will do my best to talk about the West now that interleague is behind us and the West can get back to losing against the East in their own league.

Syntax. Should be fine now. (Beta testing... beta testing)

Oh! That was cold... true, but cold. I'd like to talk about the Dodgers... but, really... why? San Diego was just outscored by a tee-ball team... San Fran - Barroid* is rather... eh... bland? I mean, one of the flying Molina brothers was batting cleanup last I saw... Seattle... let's not be mean, we'll just leave them out... I hate Scocia, so I refuse to discuss his team (though I have two of his pitchers on my fantasy squad)... Oaktown? Nah. Really, what do you want to discuss? Why don't we just wait till October when the Sox wipe the smirk off Scocia's face... again. :rsmile: We could talk West Coast basket... oh, wait... nevermind.