Dave James

I think the word "pieces" equates to the number of jewel boxes. As I recall, both the Krupa/James and the FF sets use doubles jewel cases. At least with the K/J, that would make sense as the first three "pieces" contain two CD's and the last, just one. Total four. Up over and out.

Two books about baseball in Japan are pretty good reads. "The Chrysanthemum and the Bat" and "You Gotta Have Wa". Jim Brosnan's book (can't recall the name right now) was also pretty good. Up over and out.

At the Border's here in Portland, I saw the Dexter Gordon for $75.00. Not only that, but the copy is long gone. I guess as long as there's someone out there who is willing to pay that kind of freight, it justifies their price points. Up over and out.

Has anyone seen my inner self? Up over and out.

As is the case with many things in life, anticipation is often greater than realization. Although this made sound odd, I generally get pretty amped up about ordering a set from Mosaic, and even more so as I anticipate its arrival. Then when it finally gets here, and I crack the pack, I sense something of a let down. In the immortal words of George Costanza, "Is that wrong?" I think it would be interesting to cut a psychologist loose on this kind of behavioral reaction. Up over and out.

I don't care what any dog looks like. Ugly to beautiful and all points inbetween, they're still the best thing anyone ever invented. There should be a picture of a one next to the word "loyalty" in the dictionary. Up over and out.

St. Louis is clearly the class of the National League and to a lesser extent, Atlanta. The really fun place is the junior circuit. As Jayson Stark said this morning on ESPN, all the teams in the A.L. playoff hunt are so fundamentally flawed that it should make for the most interesting race in recent memory. Even the White Sox, who made so much Cardinal-like noise in the first half, are only 3 games over .500 since the All-Star break. The A's have supplanted the Angels in the West, but now, they're starting to lose. The Red Sox have major pitching woes and my Yankees are so messed up, where would I begin? Bring on the dog days. This should be fun. On an unrelated note, I see Barry Bonds is saying he may be back with the Giants in September. Can someone do us all a favor and wish him to the cornfield? Up over and out.

I don't have a car with a built in jack...I don't think those exist yet, although, much like satellite radio, it won't be long before car makers begin to offer dashboard iPod connections. What I do have is a Monster cable hook-up that runs my iPod though the cigarette lighter. The cable has a selector that allows you to choose from among eight different low end FM settings so you can find the one that works the best for you, i.e. the one with the least interference. I've had pretty good luck with this. There will always be some static at times when you use a rig like this, but, by and large, I've been very, very satisfied. Not sure of the cost. It was a birthday present. Up over and out.

Punitive damages are the only reason the legal community is interested in cases like this. It's where the real money is...especially if you tie into an operation like McDonald's that has very deep pockets. Punitive awards are designed to punish the perpetrator for having the timerity to serve hot coffee without telling its customers that the coffee is hot. Also, with regard to the argument about the temperature of the coffee, does that mean that if it had been brewed at "only" 185-200 degrees, this would never have been a problem? Who put the balm on, indeed! Up over and out.

I think it's impossible to underestimate the stupidity of the American public. Look who they elected in 2004. Seriously though, this is a situation where "stupidity" and "sue-happiness" can peacefully co-exist. The lady who started the disclaimer ball rolling was the one who spilled scalding hot coffee in her lap, burned herself and then successfully sued because the restaurant failed to remind her that coffee is hot. In today's topsy turvy world, where personal accountability is a casuality of the culture and no one is accountable for their own actions, this made her a victim. Victimhood means that any time you do something stupid, it can't possibly be your fault, so it must be someone else's. If what you do turns out to register a "10" on the stupid scale, then an action is sure to follow. Litigation allows you to legally establish the fact that you're not stupid and it provides you with a chunk of unanticipated cash to split between yourself and your attorney. What more incentive do you need...it's the American way. Up over and out.

I'd steer clear of Zamfir's early years. He really didn't hit his stride and develop that special, signature sound we all know and love until he was in his 40's. It also helped when his manager suggested he adopt a Pele-like moniker and start calling himself Zamfir instead of Gheorghe Z. Here's something else you probably don't know. Zamfir struggled for some time working out different sidemen. He really didn't find the right mix until around 1968. In that respect I kind of look at him as the Miles Davis of the pan flute. The other similarity to Davis was his tendency never to look back. He was always moving forward and looking for new musical challenges. Did you know he never recorded the same tune twice? So, when you hear a memorable tune like "Volga Boatmen", you're hearing it the one and only time he committed it to wax. Here's another piece of Zamfir trivia. He coined the phrase, "one time...at band camp?" That's the line they cribbed for the first American Pie movie. Don't look now, but a successful thread hi-jacking is underway. Up over and out.

Lon, This is interesting. If I recall correctly, you work in the public sector. That tends to be an area where employees are more protected than are their counterparts on the private side of the fence. It's also an area that's generally more sensitive to incidences of age discrimination. Further, and correct me if I'm wrong, early retirement with more or less full benefits is a viable and often used option. That being the case, the idea of older employees being "forced out" peaks my curiosity. If that's really happening (and I don't have any reason to think it isn't) and it's happening on something other than a voluntary basis, I'm surprised someone hasn't slapped someone else with a wrongul termination lawsuit. Up over and out.

Cool. You could wind up being a latter day Willis Conover. Up over and out.

Ever seen a syndicated TV show called "Street Smarts"? Two contestants are given a question and then asked to decide on the basis of looks alone which of three "man on the street" interviewees will be able to answer it correctly. The questions are so manifestly elementary that, well, an elementary school student with a C average could nail 99% of them without even breaking a sweat. That's the "fun" part. As it turns out, most of these "man on the street" types couldn't pour water out of a boot with the directions on the heel. Funny, yes, but when you stop to think about it, that level of ignorance is scary. Up over and out.

I stumbled onto two jam session OJC's on e-music the other night called "The Birdlanders" Vol. 1 & 2. This was a group that was largely spearheaded by French pianist Henri Renaud. It included such luminaries as Al Cohn, Kai Winding, Max Roach, Milt Jackson , Tal Farlow and Duke Jordan among many others. These sessions were all cut in 1954. Not bad stuff if you like this kind of thing. Up over and out.

Why do I feel like I need to take a shower? Up over and out.

You have to know how bad its gotten when the Yanks sound like Jered Wright's return next week is akin to the second coming. Apparently, Carl Pavano's stay on the DL had now been extended at least another six weeks due to rotator tendonitis, and with The Unit's back acting up, I guess just about anything positive pitching-wise has to be reason for optimism. Forget about the fact that Wright was stinko early in the year even when he was healthy. Another loss to the Sox today in extra innings ruining another great pitching performance by the unlikliest of all the pinstripe hurlers, Aaron Small. The Yank's vaunted offense was able to generate all of two run in the last two games. I know Steinbrenner is already band aiding the season by blaming bad luck in the pitching department, but for all they money he's paying his offesive guys, they sure don't do much in the clutch. Signed, Bitter and marginally disenfranchised Yankee fan. Up over and out.

$688 for the Ventura/Phillips and the auction still has 5 1/2 hours to run. This has to be close to the highest price any Mosaic has ever fetched, with the possible exception of the Cole or the Ferguson, both of which were considerably larger sets. I mean, this is an excellent outing, but I did the math all by myself and this works out to over $115 per CD. Someone needs to have their friggin' head examined. Up over and out.

Who cares about the music. If this is the album cover, it's worth the price of admission. Up over and out.

Does anyone know the street dates for any of the first batch of reissues? Up over and out.

Dan and Paul, Please remove my Yankees from an consideration in the White Sox / Red Sox equation. They're playing like chopped liver. Come to think of it, they are chopped liver. Up over and out.

Have it but haven't read it . Unfortunately, that describes about half the books I own. Up over and out.

From one old mossback to another, hope you have a good one. Age is just a state of mind. Besides, no matter how old we all get, we still tend to see and think of ourselves as being 25. Have much appreciated your contributions, advice and all around savoir faire stretching back to the earliest days of the BNBB. Up over and out.

Dan, Yes. Anything that happens must happen by the end of this month. Up over and out.

Most people seem to think that once the trading deadline passes, players can no longer change teams. That's not true. Don't forget, Larry Walker moved from the Rockies to the Cards in August of last year. All someone has to do is clear waivers. Guys with huge contracts like Manny or Alphonso Soriano, would slide through without a hitch. Jayson Stark said on ESPN this morning, that he wouldn't be surprised to see some of the big names that were being discussed a week ago playing someplace else before the end of August. Up over and out.