Big Al

When I saw this thread had been bumped, that was the first thing I thought of. The proverbial quiet before the storm. Absolutely beautiful!

Haven't heard GET YOUR SOUL TOGETHER, but if I ever run across a used vinyl copy, I'll snap it up in a heartbeat!

Wow! Nice to see this title get the upgrade. I've only heard "Big P" which was on The Riverside Records Story, and I liked that one a lot. It has what I consider to be the quintessential "Riverside sound," if such a thing exists. I'll definitely be picking this one up!

Honestly, I think I enjoy CTI-era Freddie more than I do Blue Note Freddie. I love those first four albums he did for CTI, as well as his work on the aforementioned Sugar. But then, I'm a huge sucker for Don Sebesky arrangements, so YMMV. Having recently acquired the LP Giant Box, all I can say is I'm in CTI-era Freddie heaven!

Wow, just when you think Clemens can't be any bigger whore....

Oh yeah, Paul Desmond's liners to any of his albums were always memorable. Pity he wasn't asked to write more liner notes, either for his own albums or others! Hands down, the most memorable liner notes for me are Jack Tracy's liner notes to TERRY GIBBS DREAM BAND, VOLUME 5: THE BIG CAT. A lot of times, I'll read these if I'm just needing a good chuckle. Which happens more often that you might imagine!

I agree. If anyone wants to know why I keep banging on about the genius of Idris Muhammad, compare Love bug to Blue Mode and hear the difference he makes. Hot Rod, the first and best track from Love Bug is all Idris. In the sleeve notes Wilson says that he gave this one to Idris to his own thing with, and what a groove. I don't mind one track albums if the one track is as good as this. (There are other good moments on Love Bug including the title track). Blue Mode is a more consistent LP but for my money, the man IM is sorely missing. True dat, and I wonder how different BLUE MODE might've sounded with Idris at the skins. Having said that, though, I'm glad he's not, just because of the sound that percolates the grooves on MODE. I'm sure Idris could've done that with one hand tied behind his back; question is would he have been content to just ride the groove the way Tommy Derrick does? Interesting thought, nonetheless!

A-frickin-men!!!

By all means, all props to the W's; I hope that what I've said hasn't taken away from the fantastic job they did these past two weeks. Obviously, I haven't been watching the W's as closely as you have; I'll tell ya, even I still don't know what hit us. Here's what I do know, and again not to take anything away from the W's fantastic effort: if last night's game had been a close game, I might have taken some solace in that. It still would've hurt like hell, and it still would've been the biggest upset in NBA history; but at least I'll have known that the Mavs gave it their all. Simply put, they caved in the 3rd quarter. Their superstar never showed any killer instinct. Their deep bench came up short in every way possible. Some of it was due to the Warriors spectacular defense, but I think they just never had that gleam in their eye. I'll say it again: the W's wanted it far more than the Mavs did, and the Mavs thought this was gonna be a cakewalk (or at least, that's how they played). Again, major props to the W's. If they can keep up this intensity, who knows how far they could go? At this point, I'll be happy if the Suns (Nash) or the W's (Nellie) go all the way this year!

I have lost so much respect for Dirk Nogutzki, it ain't funny. They've been replaying his speech all morning about how he feels bad for the Mavs fans. Fuck you, Dirk. Maybe if you'd showed up at some point during the series, or even PRETENDED to care, we wouldn't have to be listening to your worthless ass giving yet another concession speech. Time to trade his ass.

Sure you can. This was supposed to be the team that could dominate, could adjust to any game situation, could figure out a way to beat anyone, anytime. Nellie got the Mavs to play right into his hands. When all is said & done, the Mavs respond more to Nellie than Avery. They're still convinced they can play Nellie-ball. They'll never learn. And therein lies the difference between Dallas and Oakland (as well as the reason why GS is in it and we're not): GS wanted this series. Dallas thought it was already theirs. Dallas, the Mavs and the fans, grossly underestimated the W's, thinking they could just phone in their performance while getting ready for the next round. The fact that urgency never showed up shows how either lazy, gutless, or careless the Mavs are/were. Maybe all three, for all I know. I love the Mavs, but it's gonna be a helluva long time before I start talking about what a good team they are.

Yanks facing my dead Rangers sure didn't help your cause either. He'd certainly be playing better than the current occupant, that's for sure! This is starting to feel like a press conference! Who knows why he isn't hitting? Who knows why nobody on the Rangers is hitting right now? Personally, I think it's manager Ron Washington's fault. Everybody feels too comfortable around him. He's spinning everything in a positive light, and not challenging or pushing these guys at all. He's coming dangerously close to making me miss Showalter. Man, it really sucks to be a sports fan in D/FW right now. Stars out, Mavs collapse, Rangers suck even more than usual, and I couldn't care less about the Cowboys.

When I turned the game off in the third quarter, the W's had amassed a 19-point lead. More power to 'em. I hope Donnie goes all the way. Sangrey, I humbly and reluctantly admit you were right all along: the Mavs are GUTLESS. There is no other way to describe them. This was their season, and they cratered. I doubt we'll ever see this bunch in the playoffs ever again, and deservedly so. This season, AFAIC, will go down as THE worst season ever, even worse than those years when they were winning only 9-10 games. Way to go there, Nogutzki. Enjoy that MVP trophy. (Of course, this is all gonna look pretty silly if I open up the paper tomorrow to find that the Mavs staged the most miraculous comeback ever)

My son and I are Spongebob maniacs, now that we have all four seasons on DVD! And despite the fact that he's eleven now, he still digs out his Thomas tapes and DVDs every now and then. I always enjoyed watching that with him when he was little, and I still enjoy watching them with him!

Yeah? Well when the hell will the "real" Dice-K stand up? FIVE f-ing runs in the first inning to freaking Seattle. All started by walking the first three batters and then hitting the fifth (there's a fucking suprise). This guy isn't getting better, he's getting worse! What if KC was the best he can do? I am freaking pissed right now. Ah, fond memories of the Chan Ho Park years down here. I feel your pain. Really.

Because this is the Rangers? Because untrained monkeys could make better deals than Rangers mismanagement? Tex is yet another overrated superstar from the stable of Scott Boras, the man Tom Hicks is incapable of telling "no." When this trade was originally made, Eaton was such a hot prospect until injuries sidelined him. That was unfortunate, and likely a freak accident. Billy who? Aki saved 32 of 36 last year. His reward? Demotion to set-up man so Rangers mismanagement could sign perrenial DL-man Eric Gagne, who hasn't pitched since I was in grade school. Gagne is on the DL right now (gee, whatta surprise) and Aki hasn't seen much action cuz the Rangers have no offense at all. Including the aforementioned Tex. No surprise there. Every pitcher the Rangers have ever traded away has flourished. Even Mitch Williams! It seems like any time a pitcher for the Rangers shows any potential, he gets traded away, usually for an alleged power-hitting outfielder. Kenny Lofton anyone? As a lifelong Rangers fan, all I can say is: welcome to my world. Been putting up with this shit since I was in diapers.

BLUE MODE has some of the sickest groooooooves EVER!!!

Those first three certainly aren't essential, but they are fun for the most part. If nothing else, snag DANCE TO THE MUSIC, as it lives up to its title in spades. Small Talk.... yer not missing anything, trust me on this one.

Not exactly clear. He was clapping... and then he got ejected. I thought you needed two technicals for that, but apparently Jackson is on the accelerated program. Guy

Definitely a possibility. Guy Nahhhh. Once they get back to that jam-packed insanity of the Oracle, the Warriors will get it back in gear. Don't forget: they overcame a 21-point deficit on Dallas home court. The Warriors have got to feel good about that, at the very least.

I've had it on mute while listening to the record player. Why'd he get ejected?

Unless the Mavs can figure out a way to blow a 6-point lead in 8.9 seconds, there will be a game six. Jackson's gone again. Wow!

Rappin' Rodney - Rodney Dangerfield Forgot how much I enjoyed this back in the 80's

I was at that game tonight, and we were all wondering why the guy was leaving right in the middle of a no-hitter. Much as I hate the Yanks, this is still sad news for this guy. I hope it doesn't leave any permanent damage. Strange how we were just talking about Kerry Wood and Mark Prior today.

If my Mavs make it to the next round, I want that LP back from Bright Moments!