Aggie87

This is a question I have been asked hundreds of times. Apparently some people were just dropped onto the planet this morning. Probably from people who can't figure out if Jethro Tull belongs under J or T.

He sure is; at this point he may be the Finals MVP. Or maybe Bowen could get consideration, if he continues to shut down LBJ.

Aric Saffron?

I think Parker's legs are still out-running everyone around the court somewhere:

They have 3 in a row at home now. I think the Cavs have one relatively large blowout win in them. Maybe one squeaker; I see the series still going 5 or 6.

Cavs having a good 4th quarter, and the Spurs shooting has gone cold. Could be an interesting end. If nothing else, it should help the Cavs mentally for the upcoming three home games.

It's that way at least partly because of the disparity between the West and the East. One of the announcers said the top 4 teams in the West could all beat the Cavaliers, and that is probably correct.

Dude, you have done dissed the Rooster's manhood. Prepare to be bitch-slapped. Or worse! Ooops, sorry Tom! Though with that much time in the car perhaps the four of you can give each other pedicures while listening to Diz & Bird.

Have they asked you to expose them to music, or is this a self-appointed thing? It might be presumptuous of you to think they want to be exposed to what you want them to listen to. I like Dan's suggestion that everyone bring music that they like, and each person in the car takes turns playing their choice. That's much more democratic. Beside, with 3 other women riding with you, it's likely they'll prefer chatting to listening to music intently anyway.

The Genesis 1976-1982 box (U.S. edition, CD + DVD) is available right now from bestbuy.com for $49.99, with free shipping (domestic shipping). Good price on a box that lists for $129.99. If your local Best Buy has this in stock, you can also do the in-store pickup (but make sure you buy it from their website, as the store price is the retail price). There's been alot of talk about the sound quality of this on the SH Forums, but I think for this price, it's worth picking up. Apparently the DTS surround sound layer sounds decent, and better than the redbook layer. The extras sound interesting though, plus there's a whole bonus disc of non-album tracks from the same timeframe.

Not gonna say it, wouldn't be prudent!

Picked up a couple of DVD box sets at FYE today: Oliver Stone Collection (14 discs; includes Salvador, Platoon, Wall Street, Talk Radio, Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, JFK, Heaven and Earth, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, U-Turn, Any Given Sunday, and Oliver Stone's America) X-Men Trilogy (for my son ) Both were $9.99 apiece! Well, they will be after I receive the mail-in rebates. But I have patience, and thought both were worth it at that price.

Happy Birthday Bertrand!

The greatest floppers in NBA history 1. Bill Laimbeer 2. Vlade Divac 3. John Stockton 4. Reggie Miller 5. Dennis Rodman 6. Manu Ginobili 7. Anderson Varejao 8. Danny Ainge 9. Raja Bell 10. Robert Horry Honorable Mention: Shane Battier Andrew Bogut Bruce Bowen Sam Cassell Reggie Evans World B. Free Derek Fisher Richard Hamilton Karl Malone Andres Nocioni

He's irritating, disliked, a little dirty ... and good SAN ANTONIO -- Know what the most irritating/allegedly dirtiest player in the NBA did on his off day Friday? He helped dedicate a reading and learning center. Know what the guy who Isiah Thomas said he would beat the (expletive) out of wants to do when he's done playing in the NBA? Become a high school teacher. Bruce Bowen attracts hatred like Paris Hilton, which is strange considering he has numerous good works to his credit -- including a foundation that helps underprivileged children -- and has one of the most inspirational stories in the NBA. Bowen overcame a drug-addicted mother, turbulent upbringing and fought his way through the CBA and French leagues. But it's difficult to think of another NBA player who has more detractors than Bowen. He has been a marked man for awhile, but the dislike of Bowen reached a fever pitch this season because of a perceived knee to Steve Nash's groin, and being vilified by Thomas, Ray Allen and Amare Stoudemire, who accused Bowen of purposely standing underneath players to injure them. Bowen certainly gained a few more enemies after holding LeBron James to 0-for-7 shooting in the first half and 14 points total in San Antonio's Game 1 victory over Cleveland. Very quickly the talk shifted from the greatness of LeBron to the greatness of Bowen and the Spurs' defense. Asked what makes Bowen such a great defender, Cavs forward Drew Gooden rolled his eyes in aggravation -- a typical reaction in some NBA circles whenever Bowen's name is mentioned. "I don't know [what he does]," Gooden said. "He ain't never guarded me." Touchy, much? "LeBron James has had success against Bruce Bowen in the past," Gooden added testily. "Bruce Bowen is a great defender, but we shouldn't let that get in our heads. I've seen other great defenders and I've seen LeBron James have 40-50 points on them. I don't even want to get into the subject of Bruce Bowen because I feel like LeBron James can score on anybody." If Bowen, who on Friday reminded the media they have voted him runner-up for defensive player of the year three straight times, were liked he wouldn't deserve to have his name mentioned among the best defenders to play in the NBA. Think about it: Did anyone like Dennis Rodman or Bill Laimbeer? "I don't take pride in being a villain," Bowen said. "I wish it was more or less a situation of people saying, 'He's a competitor.' When people go to the basket and make layups and things of that nature, they talk about what a warrior they are. They just have such a strong drive. How come it can't be that way for defenders?" So what makes Bowen so good? Oh, and in the minds of certain players and some fans, so dirty? Based on an unofficial poll of Cleveland and San Antonio players, here are the five things that make Bruce Bowen a great defender: 1. Desire. Sounds corny, but this is Bowen's foundation. Most players today want to be offensive juggernauts. Bowen did whatever he had to do to play. His route to San Antonio is a big reason Bowen is relentless on the floor. He was undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton. He played a year for the CBA's Rockford Lightning and two seasons for a pair of French teams. The Spurs are his fourth NBA team. "The main thing is he wants to play defense," said Cleveland's Eric Snow, who played with Bowen in Philadelphia and has stayed in the NBA 12 seasons, in part, due to his own exceptional defensive ability. "That's where it starts. He has the ability, but he wants to do it. He understands, 'If I do this for my team, we have a great chance of winning and I can stay on this court.' He came into this league having to play defense to play. He's just developed the craft." 2. Hands and feet. "My man AI [Allen Iverson] used to call him 'Happy Feet,'" Snow said, "because he's always moving his feet. He's just irritating. He's always constantly moving, constantly has his hands on you. If there's ever a limit to what a defender can do, he'll always be to that limit." 3. The ability to sense frustration. "When you're trying to score the basketball, you have to go to second and third moves to even have an opportunity to score," said Cavs guard Damon Jones, who played with Bowen in Miami. "Scorers really don't want to expend that much energy." 4. He's a bit of a smart ass. Nobody is questioning the kind of person Bowen is, but he does possess some edge. Consider this exchange he had with the media on Friday: Reporter: "Isn't it kind of weird there's a dynasty growing here in San Antonio?" Bowen: "Weird? Why would it be weird? We have the talent here, so why would it be weird?" Reporter: "For the most part, Boston and L.A., those places have the money. This is the first time this is happening in a small market." Bowen: "I will knee you in the groin." (Kidding. He didn't really say that. But how cool would it have been if he did?) 5. Bowen's mug -- and I don't mean his ability to mug. "I don't know, maybe it's his face," said San Antonio center Francisco Elson. "He scares you with his face." Better that than his knee.

Twilight Time also has the added novelty of Stevie Ray Vaughan performing on a couple of tracks; I believe it's his only time on Blue Note.

Bowen clamped down on LeBron pretty well in Game 1, holding him to 4-16 from the field for only 14 points. Gibson was the Cavs' high scorer tonite with 16. LBJ did hit a couple of pretty 3 pointers toward the end, but they couldn't build on those. Parker had a good game, 27 pts and 7 assists. edit - ESPN's write-up is calling LBJ's performance a LeBrick.

Ordered Friday, arrived today from Switzerland - that's pretty quick! Thanks again for the heads-up, Flurin!

Aw, c'mon and be serious - what has he Aeberdone to you??

Finally picked this one up, and it's great! Some very solid playing by Hino and Scofield, and the rhythm section (Ron Carter & Tony Williams) are very locked in - no surprise there. Took me a long time to get this, but I'm glad I did. edit - it just dawned on me while listening to this that Scofield has recorded with each member of the 2nd Miles Quintet. I know Carter's played with everyone, but are there really that many musicians that can claim to have recorded with all of them?

I just got the same message. Maybe it was a one-day only code. I successfully ordered 4 cds (plus 2 free) with that code yesterday. My total order (with tax) was $30.28, or $5.04 apiece, which is actually cheaper than the original $4.99 (plus tax) price. Hopefully they'll do it again.

Dreyfus has a new Bireli Lagrene live set out. It's two discs, one solo, and one with the WDR Big Band. Niceley recorded! The solo set is a compilation of tracks from various performances, but holds together well, and the big band date is a Django tribute (naturally) from either 05 or 06.

87 +87 + 13 = Fr Fr Al (Free for All) 27 + 7 + 7 = Co N N 5 + 87 + 86 + 19 = B Fr Rn K 102 + 32 = No Ge (Nojjy) 16 + 16 = SS 47 = Ag

Happy Birthday Ray!

Where the corn is as high as an elephant's eye? Happy Birthday Kalo!