Dave James

I fully appreciate the reasons behind your departure, Chris, but I do miss your contributions. Most of us are just guessing when it comes to understanding how this business works. You didn't have to guess and your willingness to share your experiences, IMO, made this board a better, more interesting place. Happy birthday. Up over and out.

Quincy, To be honest with you, I didn't really feel shame. As I'm sure you've noticed, this thread requires some thickness of the skin. I should've confirmed the Lee statement before I went to press. Go Yanks! Up over and out.

I feel shame. Up over and out.

I picked this up from a website called ISporticus: Because we live in a city where the equilibrium of the collective sports mentality is as stable as Stephon Marbury, people are panicking about the Phils’ recent slump. Sure, they are coming off a 4-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Astros. And with the notable exception of Ryan Howard, the team is in a huge offensive slump (Cliff Lee has the best batting average on the team, .316, followed by Shane Victorino’s .295). Let’s not even mention the closer spot–Bob Ford has an unusual take on it–or the worst bench in the National League (Matt Stairs is now 0-29 since the A.S. Break). Up over and out.

I'd be dreading his times at bat. Lee is currently hitting .316, the highest batting average on the entire Philadelphia team. Up over and out.

Very cool, Jim, very cool. Up over and out.

Well there's no doubt the guy can sing. Even the throw away stuff from the "Road" pictures is listenable. I grew up watching Crosby and Bob Hope act like a couple of morons in those movies and I loved every minute of it. Matter of fact, I still do. If for no other reason than that, I think I'm going to go for this set. If I sound like I'm trying to talk myself into it, you're probably right. I feel like I owe it to Bing for all the laughs. I can't wait for the Dorothy Lamour Mosaic. Up over and out.

How about a loose connection to reality? That's more like it. Up over and out.

I admit I'm starting to wobble on this set. The samples do sound awfully good. I'm a sucker for the pairing of piano and rhythm guitar. However, don't overlook the fact that only 13 of the 160 tracks (8% or the total) include horns while two of the five samples (40%) have horns. Point being, the samples are a somewhat misrepresentative of the overall composition of the collection. On the upside, there are 160 separate and distinct titles, no duplicates. Up over and out.

I don't want to be overly cynical, but what assurances do you have that this didn't originate in Nigeria? It sure has some of the earmarks. Up over and out.

I'm with Paul. A recent convert. In the past when I've experienced bouts of hard bop fatigue, I've usually turned to more outside jazz or gone back to straight rock and roll. The last time this happened, about six months ago, it coincided with another passion of mine, German history and WWII. I had seen a program on the History Channel that dealt with the women who were closest to Hitler. One of those was the niece of Richard Wagner, Hitler's favorite composer. That led me to some exploration of Wagner's music which I quite enjoyed. Then a couple of months ago, I had occasion to investigate a website called Pristine Classical. To make a long story short, I began downloading some of the music they had available but with more of a focus on lesser known composers like Bruckner, Delius, Borodin, Sebelius and the like. Strangely enough, I've found it quite compelling. My beef with classical was always tied to the lack of improvisational opportunity. All you had to do was play the notes as they were written. Come to find out, that improvisation does exist in the form of the conductor and the various orchestral voicings he has at his disposal. I think I'm hooked. Up over and out.

Probably cussing out a fellow employee, his neighbor or some other unsuspecting bystander. Not sure we're going to hear from Dan for awhile. At least on this thread. The kind of Red Sox meltdown we all just witnessed is the sort of thing that would require major decompression for someone whose as big a fan as he is. Add to that the fact that he may be unhappy about being censored by the moderators on a couple of occasions over the last week and we might be seeing the start of a lengthly hiatus. Up over and out.

I have a poster from the 2007 Portland Blues Festival that's signed by everyone who appeared that year. Among others, Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, Dan Hicks, Brian Auger, Joan Armatrading, Mavis Staples, Eric Burdon and The Neville Brothers. I also have a framed cover of an EP by a long ago Portland band called Sleazy Pieces that's signed by their lead guitarist and local music icon, Steve Bradley. Also, a picture of some unknown, uncomfortable looking jazz band circa early '30's that I picked up at an antique shop many years ago. But my pride and joy is neither jazz nor music related. It's a framed and matted B&W picture of Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson taken after Thomson hit "the shot heard 'round the world" that put the Giants in the 1951 World Series. Accompanying the picture are each of their autographs and their baseball cards from the 1951 Bowman set. Up over and out.

If there's any doubt why the Red Sox lost, look no further than the numbers below. Ellsbury .250 Pedroia .167 Martinez .182 Youkilis .083 Bay .125 Ortiz .083 Lowell .200 Drew .222 Gonzalez .167 When you're best hitter clocks in at .250 and seven of your nine starters are below the Mendoza line, you get what you deserve. Up over and out.

I'm pleased to report that I have not bought a CD from da bastids for almost seven months. In that entire time, the only physical product I've purchased is the Amos Milburn Mosaic and the Beatles Mono Box. "Geez, Lonesome Dave, how did you do it?" Simple. I removed Dusty Groove from my bookmarked websites. Out of sight, out of mind. That, in combination with some serious storage issues, has scratched me from the list of those whose lives are governed by the daily new release listing at Dusty. It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood. Up over and out.

Dan, You'll have to admit that a Yankee Dodger Series has a fair amount to offer. That possibility, what with the Torre tie-in, has to be giving the networks a 24/7 stiffy. These two teams haven't faced off since way back in 1978. It would be a fun one to see, at least IMO. Up over and out.

Remember when there were only 154 games in a season and enough double headers that you could actually finish a World Series before the weather went completely gunnysack? MLB needs to figure out some way to play the most important baseball of the year when the weather is conducive to playing it at its highest level. Of course, with former car salesman B.S. at the helm, and the owners wanting/needing to milk every drop of financial blood out of the regular season turnip, that is, alas, highly unlikely. Trust me though, it's only a matter of time before the powers that be are hoisted on their own petard. I hope I'm still around when that happens. Up over and out.

No idea, but ESPN does have an Ombudsman. He might be able to track down the source of the music they're using. His name is Don Ohlmeyer. If you go to EPSN's website and scroll down on the left side of the screen until you see ESPN Feedback. Click on ombudsman and it will take you to a screen with an e-mail link. This might wind up being a total dead end, but it's worth a try. Good luck! Up over and out.

A couple of comments: Bud Selig is an idiot. The fact that baseball ownership continues to retain him as commissioner makes them idiot complicit. If I recall correctly, the players have rated Chuck Meriwether as the worst umpire in the American League. I don't know how baseball deals with incompetency, as I'm sure there is some union related protection in their C.B.A., but this is a guy who needs to be shown the door. Umpires at the MLB level earn between $83,000 and $300,000 per year. Meriwether has been in the bigs for 14 years, so you gotta figure he's at the upper end of the pay scale. Wow! Up over and out.

Yup. Up over and out.

Dan, I love ya, man. Up over and out.

Does this mean the Yankees suck or they don't suck. It could be interpreted either way. If it means they don't suck, I will be pleased. As I've said numerous times before, there are only two kinds of baseball fans. Yankee fans and those who don't know it yet. Up over and out.

I don't think you should come down too hard on Holliday. Of course he's a major league ball player and of course he should be able to field his position, but let's not fool ourselves, he's in the lineup for his bat, not his glove. I'm not bragging, but I've played a fair amount of outfield both in baseball and 25 years of slow pitch softball. Balls that are hit directly at you are the hardest ones to judge. Also, depending on how they're hit, they can do some pretty funny things. On more than a few occasions, I've had them act like someone has thrown you a darn good knuckle ball. Other times, the balls are hit with a lot of spin and they can move quickly to your right or left making it hard to react quickly to what's happening. They can also drop or rise. I haven't heard any interviews with the perp at this point, but he's the only one who can tell you exactly what happened. What can't be argued is that that was a hell of a way to lose a ball game. Up over and out.

I can't believe how slow David Ortiz's bat has gotten. He's more like Small Papi. I'm pretty sure I could get my fastball by him. And poor Mike Lowell. He runs like a tree. It's not often you see the hitter doubled up when he's only half way down the base line. Watching the Red Sux is like visiting a old folks home. Up over and out.

In 2008, the Angels were 8-1 against Boston. How did that turn out in the Division Series? In 2007, the Yankees were 6-0 against the Indians. How did that turn out in the Division Series? In 2006, the Yankees were 5-2 against the Tigers. How did that turn out in the Division Series? I just said they were 7-0. I didn't say it meant anything. Late breaking news. Make that 8-0. Someone want to tell my why Ron Gardenhire didn't walk A-Rod with Jeter on second, two outs and a left handed hitter (Matsui) coming to bat? Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy on ESPN, said Gardenhire looks like he should be wearing a wife beater T-shirt and scratching a lottery ticket. Perfect. Up over and out.