Royal Oak

Could I join please?

Well, England were soundly beaten by the Stanford Superstars last night. A very one-sided game with England playing very poorly. England captain Kevin Pietersen said after the game that his team had failed to concentrate on the game, allowing themselves to be distracted by "a lot of nonsense" over the past week - a reference to the Stanford/WAGs incident and the subsequent media brouhaha, and the fact that Stanford had walked uninvited into the England dressing room (I understand this is fairly common practice in US sports) So, did anyone watch it?

Seriously though, the Wiki guide to baseball did make things clearer for me, thanks Dan. I was surprised that a game of 18 innings is completed in less than 3 hours. (Adopts Yorkshire accent) - 3 hours? Pah - you want to play for 5 days and still not get a result!

Somebody has been buggering about with Wiki's description of cricket. See second para of the game and its objectives. Yoicks! Thanks Dan Bloody hell - they don't use those rules in Cheshire league! Tempted to say something about Jerry Lewis's latest gaffe here...

I would bet a fraction of 1%. An alternative question would be, with the obvious similarities, do many people from cricket-playing countries become baseball fans when exposed to the game? I would love someone to sit me down and explain how baseball works. I read a thread on AAJ about the game, and it did make me want to get into it. I liked the idea of the sunny day, the hot dogs and the beer and all that. One night when I couldn't sleep I caught some coverage of a US baseball game on TV. It probably didn't help that I had to have the volume off so as not to wake everyone up, but I found it incomprehensible. Much of the action I saw centred on a middle-aged man (I presume the coach) chewing gum, spitting, and making a series (and I mean a series) of non-verbal cues - touching his cap, his ears, nose etc.

I suspected as much. Stanford plans to use this game as a way into the American market. At $20 million (plus prize money for the build-up games) it's a bold move. I really can't see it happening - I seem to remember similar attempts to introduce American sports to the UK. American Football had a go in the 1980s, then Ice Hockey in the 1990s (I went to a "Manchester Storm" match once) along with basketball, but none of them seem to have caught on.

This is causing quite a stir in the cricket world. Texan tycoon Stanford has arranged a $20 million cricket match between England and the "Stanford Superstars" on Saturday. My question is to the Americans on the board - is anybody watching this? I read a quote from Stanford today that 700 million people will be watching the game on Saturday. I haven't watched any of the build-up games as I don't have Sky Sports, but it seems that the most exciting thing to have happened so far is the diplomatic row caused by pictures of Stanford flirting with some of the England players' WAGs during England's last game. This included Matt Prior's (England wicketkeeper) wife sitting on Stanford's knee while mugging for the cameras, watched on a big screen by Prior himself while the game was going on.

Probably Firehose some time in the early 90s, maybe Primal Scream in 1989, when they were a rock band, or possibly the Fatima Mansions, also around that time.

Karel Poborski Andrei Kanchelskis Ryan Giggs

If only me left arm'd work

Melodica, Vocoder and Stylophone? Actually, I reckon that would sound pretty far out.

Theo Paphitis (spelling?) James Khan Duncan Bannatyne Probably meaningless to non-UK residents...

That's a wonderful Evans album. Well worth going to Manchester for! Yes Bill, spent a pleasant half hour in Vinyl Exchange. The apparently alphabeticised CDs were all over the place, which rather added to the pleasure of browsing. I'm looking forward to the Evans very much - the choice of material is interesting.

A very rare trip to Manchester brought: Sonny Stitt - "Kaleidoscope" (Prestige/OJC) Coleman Hawkins "Hawk Eyes!" (Prestige/OJC) Gil Evans - "Great Jazz Standards featuring John Coles" (Pacific) None of them were what I was really looking for. Bought the Evans partly because everybody digs Gil Evans and partly because it opens with "Davenport Blues", a tune I was shamefully ignorant of until I looked up Bix in the Penguin Guide.

I've never heard that one, Richard, but I was surprised to see it on sale last year as a new 12" LP at Fopp, just off Market Street, which I'm sure you know. I don't think you've missed anything Bill. From 1957, it's a nice line-up - rhythm section of Horace Silver, Curly Russell and Blakey, but it seems uninspired. I have to go into Manchester for work next week (not been for about 2 years) so I'll have a look in Fopp and Vinyl Exchange. Surprised to hear that you haven't been into Manchester for two years, Richard, as you name Manchester as your location. Which part of Greater Manchester do you live in? (I'm in Didsbury). Not so far from you Bill, in Stockport. I say Manchester because no-one outside the North West has heard of Stockport! Also, my family is from Wythenshawe, so we do have a Mancunian heritage. Having children put paid to trips into Manchester - like mobilising an army. I don't get time to go alone (and let's face it, who wants to browse jazz record shops in the company of stressed spouse/whining kids?). I used to go regularly as a single man, when Decoy was still open.

I've never heard that one, Richard, but I was surprised to see it on sale last year as a new 12" LP at Fopp, just off Market Street, which I'm sure you know. I don't think you've missed anything Bill. From 1957, it's a nice line-up - rhythm section of Horace Silver, Curly Russell and Blakey, but it seems uninspired. I have to go into Manchester for work next week (not been for about 2 years) so I'll have a look in Fopp and Vinyl Exchange.

I've been listening to Clifford Jordan/John Gilmore's "Blowing In From Chicago" today - for the first time in many years. I bought this when it came out as a Conn in 1994 and it didn't do anything for me. Other than now being able to tell the two tenors apart (paid some listening dues over the years), it still rather bored me. Jordan is OK here (I much prefer "Spellbound" however) but Gilmore is unremarkable IMO.

Yes, but that's only one out of five or six marvelous tracks! Rightly regarded as a classic, IMHO. Bill - I should perhaps explain myself. The Sidewinder was one of my first jazz CDs, and I played it to DEATH. Consequently now, I can't listen to it any more.

I bought Smoke Stack and Black Fire expressly to 'get' Andrew Hill, and it didn't work. Others I think are OK but don't love: Maiden Voyage The Sidewinder Minor Move The Sermon Gravy Train (come to think of it, I find Lou Donaldson slightly boring)

Relative newcomer here, so forgive my two penn'orth. I agree with you on Lush Life - I bought this last year, and hate it - very syrupy. Horace-Scope I'd also agree with - I've since traded it. I like that Cook/Mitchell incarnation, but I don't think those albums hold up well against Song For My Father, Cape Verdean Blues or The Jody Grind.

Freddie Redd Red Norvo Red Rodney

Bully Eric Bristow Phil "The Power" Taylor

Corey PM sent

The Motorcycle Boy The Boy With The Thorn In His Side The Girl With The Flaxen Hair

Some OJCs arrived yesterday: Gene Ammons - Late Hour Special Charles McPherson - McPherson's Mood Harold Land - The Fox (looking forward to this one)