Big Al

Do the Rangers hold the lead in this, or does another team have a worse run differential than the Rangers? I'm being serious.

You're not alone in this. Some friends of ours have been trying to sell their house for the last few months with no takers. They found a house they liked and they "qualified" for the mortgage. The quote marks are there because even our friends were surprised they qualified! If I'm not mistaken, they even got a decent interest rate. So now, they have two mortgages: the one on the old house and now the new house. Obviously I'm not privy to their income status, but carrying two mortgages like that for any kind of middle-class family is a potential back-breaker. It leaves me & my wife to wonder what happens if/when they can't make one of the mortgage payments? I guess the answer is, based on the events of this week, don't worry about it. Think I'll go looking for a house now....

Dan, I'm not sure I understand your point when you say "A run differential of 158." Does that mean the Red Sox score 158 MORE runs than the opposition or LESS? If it's less, then I see your point. If it's more, then it would seem to me that this year may be one of those years where no matter how good the Sox are, the Rays might be better.

Well, yeah.... maybe the case could be made. And Hans, what makes you think the 16th century wars would be any different than the ones waged today (besides the obvious advances in technology and weaponry)? What is it about Thursdays that gets me so feisty?

Checked out AYE and Ladyland from the library this past weekend and was reminded how much I enjoyed these albums at one time, and wondered why the heck I ever lost interest in them. Now it seems like I'm enjoying them even more than I did back when I first heard these albums (1988). Gotta go get my own copies now, along with the woefully underrated Axis: Bold as Love. Any opinions on First Rays of the New Rising Sun? That's got a lot of my favorite Hendrix tunes on it: "Angel," "Dolly Dagger," and "Room Full of Mirrors" among others.

I heard it was withdrawn because of its controversial title. It is being reissued as 'Creation'. (the same smilie goes for your signature line as well)

Can't really agree or disagree with that, not knowing anything about modes & scales, but I always felt the Allmans were more listenable than everyone else in their attempts at "modality." i.e. I can listen to the whole hour of "Whipping Post/Mountain Jam" from Fillmore and never lose interest; can't say the same thing about anything by the Dead (assuming the two are even comparable in this case).

Dan's like most Red Sox fans: they're completely dissatisfied unless the Sox go 162-0. And even then, they'll still bitch. It's what Red Sox fans do.

End of an Ear? Just saw it sittin' in the rack there on Tuesday night. Not to derail the thread, but this is the first I've ever heard of End of an Ear. Got another destination for my next trip to Austin! I thank you, and my wallet hates you.

This definitely falls in the category called "If you like A, then you'll like B" because the Parlan sessions with the Turrentine brothers are worth the price of admission alone!

Yup, these get my vote as well. Just about any of the sides he did with Max Roach are at the top for me.

Stand by for a long-term shift to lower valuations worldwide. I suspect it won't significantly recover for a fair old while and nowhere will be immune IMO. The imploding of 100% mortgages on houses (not to mention 40 year repayment periods, never mind 25) were a time-bomb just waiting to happen. I expect we'll be back to something like the old prudent system of 3 to 3.5 times employer certified income on max. mortgages for the longer term. No more 'liar loans' And not before time either ! I'd like to think that. Unfortunately, last night while listening to the news, y'wanna guess what the first commercial I heard right after the announcement of all of these financial woes was? That's right: "NO CREDIT? NO PROBLEM! INTEREST RATES ARE AT THEIR LOWEST EVER! WE'LL GET YOU INTO THE HOME YOU DESERVE!" There, in a nutshell, is the cause of this whole mess: an inherent attitude of "the world owes me a living" and not learning the lessons even in the middle of being taught such lessons!!!!! This goes WAAAAAY beyond partisan politics, although a lot of that is involved as well.

I'll bet those sound sweet!

Never in a million years would I have thought that the Rangers could play a game just as exciting and intense (albeit meaningless) as the Cowboys on the same night. I sure love that kid Taylor Teagarden, homegrown local talent! I hope the Rangers don't squander this one away.

Well now that it's the morning after and the adrenaline has worn off and I've slept some, I can now clearly comment on last night's game. I know one thing: I sure feel sorry for any Eagles fans whose hearts might've gotten ripped out last night. I'm just kidding: I never feel sorry for Eagles fans! Although, to be fair, I thought last night's game was probably THE worst-officiated game ever called in the history of the NFL. There were at least TWO blatant face-mask calls that should've been called against the Cowboys (one damn-near ripped an Eagle's head off!); later in the game, pass-interference was called against the Cowboys when the Eagles receiver had a wad full of Cowboy uniform in his hand and was dragging along the Cowboys defender who had his hands in the air. Just pitiful! Where do they get these guys, the NBA? I mean, I hate the Eagles as much as anyone else, but until that pass-interference call, I was really starting to wonder if the refs were on Jerry Jones payroll! You have to admit, though, that last night's game was one of the most exciting, intense, and frustrating games ever played. I don't care what anyone says: neither one of those teams is going to the Super Bowl. The Eagles can't finish off a big game, and, like I said before, the Cowboys keep shooting themselves in the feet with stupid penalties and costly blunders. Mark my words: this ain't the Cowboys year, either.

I thought I was the only one who was bugged about those stickers!

Man, I'm glad I got this one. Got it as a Father's Day gift this year from my family. Wonderful music from start to finish. Scrape any available dollars and coins together and get this set! This is one not to be missed!

Well, don't feel bad: the Cowboys won't ever win a Super Bowl with all those damn penalties they keep committing.

Couldn't agree more. Got Piper, Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here lined up for the rest of the day. A lasting memory will always be the Live 8 concert and a close-up they got of Rick Wright playing the piano during "Wish You Were Here." Sent chills down my spine. RIP, and thanks for the wonderful music.

I think the Hoffman site has turned me into an anti-audiophile. Yesterday I bought the new Metallica album. Went to the Hoffman site to try and find some reviews about the music and there was maybe one comment about the material for every ten posts screaming about how loud the album was. Yes, it's bone-crushingly loud. Last time I checked, metal was supposed to be that way! The new REM album and the new Elvis Costello record are also allegedly too loud, but they're good enough for me, though, and I have nothing even resembling a high-end stereo system. Hell, most of my listening is done in the car (usually with the windows down) or at work (usually with the Windows down. haha). I am very likely the poster child for the dark side of the "loudness war."

Happy Birthday, Dan, and thanks for the stupendous CD sale!

First no-hitter in 36 years. Cubs now have a baker's dozen. HOLY COW!!!!! :excited::excited::excited:

"Bob" I, man, am regal - a German am I Never odd or even If I had a hi-fi Madam, I'm Adam Too hot to hoot No lemons, no melon Too bad I hid a boot Lisa Bonet ate no basil Warsaw was raw Was it a car or a cat I saw? Rise to vote, sir Do geese see god? "Do nine men interpret?" "Nine men," I nod Rats live on no evil star Won't lovers revolt now? Race fast, safe car Pa's a sap Ma is as selfless as I am May a moody baby doom a yam? Ah, Satan sees Natasha No devil lived on Lonely Tylenol Not a banana baton No "x" in "Nixon" O, stone, be not so O Geronimo, no minor ego "Naomi," I moan "A Toyota's a Toyota" A dog, a panic in a pagoda Oh no! Don Ho! Nurse, I spy gypsies - run! Senile felines Now I see bees I won UFO tofu We panic in a pew Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo God! A red nugget! A fat egg under a dog! Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog (actual song by Weird Al Yankovic)

Judging by the shot of his hands, it's as if they wanted you to think the B3 was the entire orchestra. Well, it fooled me... Now cut that out!!!

Is it Jimmy Smith Plays Pretty Just for You? Horace Silver THE STYLINGS OF SILVER, Blue Note 1562. The Jimmy Smith is Blue Note 1563!