Dave James

I don't know Chardon, but I do know a Jardon. Hugh Jardon that is. Is this thread deteriorating quickly enough? Up over and out.

Holy schnikee. Kevin Brown just gave up six earned runs and nine hits in the fist innning against Tampa Bay tonight. Glad to see the new lineup is working well. Oops...guess they forgot about pitching. Man oh man, this is getting ugly. Up over and Harold.

Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most? Up, up, up over and out.

I'm not going to say at this point that I can remain ambivalent about what's going on in The Bronx. Nothing seems to be working very well. Bernie is just the latest in a series of disappointments. I thought when he Yanks let Lofton go, that they were gambling big time on Williams ability to be their everyday center fielder. And, to answer the question about Matsui, no, I don't see him in the middle at all. At best, he's an average left fielder, but covering Death Valley at Yankee Stadium is a wholly different and much more challenging assignment. The other problem is he hasn't been hitting a lick lately. This will just put more overall pressure on his overall game. Not a good thing. Matsui certainly can't be what they have in mind for the long haul. Maybe they're just trying to shake Bernie out of the doldrums or, for that matter, shake up the whole team. I'm kind of wondering what Steinbrenner would be up to if he wasn't concentrating so much on the horse he owns that's the favorite in the Kentucky Derby. I have to think at some point, even though I've heard absolutely nothing along this line, that Torre's position has to be in jeopardy. I mean, he's been there 10 years. Maybe it is time for a change. No comment on Karsay. His arm is dead and so's his career. Probably a good idea when they signed him that just turned out badly. At this point, I'm a lot more concerned about Tom Gordon. He's getting lit up pretty regularly. With regard to the term "chin music", that one goes back a lot further than Jim Grant. Those of us who have been around for awhile will fondly recall, Sal "The Barber" Maglie...he of the close shave. I believe this term may have originated with him. Up over and out.

Big Marx Brothers guy here, along with all the other classic stuff that's been mentioned, A&C, W.C. Fields, the Road pictures etc. We have most of this stuff on DVD and watch it regularly. Something else I've gotten into lately are the 12 part serials they used to show along with a double feature at the neighborhood movie house. Stuff like Gene Autry's "Phantom Empire", "Radar Men From the Moon w/ Commando Cody", "Don Winslow of the Navy." You know, a cliffhanger at the end of every episode. Horrible production values, but about as campy as you can get. You can get these on line for about $5 per DVD, so they cost very little considering how much fun they are to watch. My S.O. has a 14 year old daughter who's seriously into acting at her high school, but if you try to get her to watch anything in black & white, she about shrivels up. No interest whatsoever. I keep trying to convince her of how much she's missing, but she'll book none of it. I tried to get her to watch "Arsenic and Old Lace" the other night, and I think I would have had to tie her down to get her to stick around for more than about five minutes. Teenagers seem to have no patience for plot, nuance, character development or anything else that makes old movies so enjoyable for me. Makes me wonder what was different for me when I was that age. I always loved the old stuff. Kudos to those of you who have been able to get your kids engaged. Up over and out.

JK, I'm sure there are probably lots of chat lines out there where Spyro Gyra is well thought of. This just doesn't happen to be one of them. Organissimo is a harder core main to avant board, i.e. little room for the smoothies. So, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with your being a fan of this band, you've been here long enough to know that it isn't realistic to expect much if any support for your position. Point being, it's not fair for you to be upset with the replies you're receiving. Not when you should have been able to anticipate them. Up over and out.

Noticed a bevy of VSOP/Modes on the Dusty Groove website this morning for $9.99 a copy. The usual suspects along with a few I'm not sure I've seen before. Up over and out.

I think this is just the law of averages catching up with the Red Sox. I did not realize this, but last season, Boston's scheduled starters pitched in 157 of 162 games. That's unheard of. With regard to physical conditioning, that could very well be a factor in Wells' problems. He can pooh pooh this all he wants, but at nearly 42 years of age and after years of not really taking very good care of himself, maybe this kind of thing is inevitable. Frankly, he looks heavier to me than he did even last year with the Padres. That can't be very encouraging in terms of his being able to pitch effectively this season. Not sure I buy into the "field conditions" argument. Any major league home team's groundskeepers are going to groom a mound just like a particular starting pitcher likes it, just like they trim the grass or water the infield dirt to try to minimize the strengths of the oppositing team. Up over and Harold.

What a night. First, A-Rod dials 9 three times and comes within a no runners on base homer of making baseball history, i.e. hitting for the home run cycle, and, in the process, plates 10 runs. As the 'ol Red Head, Red Barber, used to say "Whoa, Doctor!" Then, as if that wasn't enough, the Orioles open up a can of industrial strength whupass and beat the Red Sox like a rented mule. It doesn't get any better than this. You know, I think I'm gonna sleep pretty well tonight myself. Up over and Harold.

I just began listening to the Columbia Small Group Swing Sessions last night. At this point, I've made it through the first three Ruby Braff entries. This is great music, but the biggest surprise I've encountered thus far is the baritone sax work of Ernie Caceres. I'm only familiar with him (and to a very limited extent) as more of a trad oriented player, ususally with Jack Teagarden. His tone is really interesting...not light and airy like Gullin, or in your face like Chaloff or the gutteral approach of a Pepper Adams, but something else entirely. The material that also includes Coleman Hawkins and Caceres is first rate. He acquits himself very nicely as a swing player. Just wondering if he ever did anything on his own or if he spent his career backing up others. Up over and out.

I was doing an internet search this morning on the Spanish outfit Lonehill, when I came across the e-tailer, ejazzlines.com. I had never run into them before, but they seem to have a pretty substantial catalog of available recordings and their label listing covers everything from Arbors to Zephyr and all points inbetween, including many Japanese and European imprints. Has anyone done any business with these guys? Up over and out.

I agree that if you don't like a thread, don't get involved with it. These poll type topics have gone on forever. They don't solve anything, but give people who want to play a chance to do so. On the other hand, JK seems to have become the Organissimo equivalent of Elmer Roper. Tapping the brakes every now and then to keep from careening out of control is not a bad thing. Up over and out.

$130 is a pretty good deal for this one. Seems to me it's gone for a whole lot more than that on quite a few occasions. I really like this box. It has the look and feel of a genuine jam session. Real loosely goosey type stuff. fluffs and all. My only beef is the organization of the tracks. I know we've had this discussion before, but putting the master take and all the alternates back to back and, in one case, back to back to back, is overkill. I love the tune "Robbins' Nest", but 31 minutes of this is just too much of a good thing. I'd much prefer they were presented differently. Enjoy. Up over and out.

Same here. Would like to read this. Up over and out.

If Mia gets lonely, all she needs to do is call. I will gladly make time for her in her hour of need. Up over and Harold.

Dan, Allen and Jim, Thanks for making this a reality. Those of us on this board are probably among a relatively select few who will ever hear this music. Up over and out.

Dan, Repeat after me. It's only April. Up over and Harold.

Wow, that leaves a hole. NHOP was the quill. Up over and out.

Third. One I picked up as a direct result of the "Before OJC's Go Away" thread. Glad I did. Terrific music, consistent from start to finish. Up over and out.

I don't really care what network does the NFL games. What I do care about is the announcers. I absolutely cannot stand the current ESPN grouping, the one that features the NFL equivalent of The Bickersons, Paul McGuire and Joe Theisman. They just wear me out. If I'm watching a game on ESPN, I have to turn down the sound. And the lead guy, Mike Patrick, isn't any better. This guy never met a superlative he didn't like. The uncrowned king of hyperbole. Up over and out.

Finally saw this last Friday. Not sure why it took so long, but maybe it proves the old adage that good things come to those who wait. Bottom line, a very entertaining movie. It's so peculiar these days to actually see something that's geared to adults. An intelligent script, with a good story and actual character development is so rare these days, that I hardly know how to deal with it. I saw this as a coming of age movie...the guy just happened to be in his '50's. Music was OK too, provided by some aggregation called "The Sideways Jazz Orchestra." I also like the deliberately inconclusive ending. Interestingly enough, I have a friend who really knows wine, so I asked him if the Giamatti character was really on the ball. He said mostly, yes, but he did point out a couple of inconsistencies. First of all, if you recall the winery they toured when they first hit the Valley. Miles makes a reference to the nose of asparagus in one of the wines they're tasting. My friend tells me that that's one of the last things any vintner wants to hear. Apparently, that's not a good trait. It can actually happen when a wine is starting to turn. Also that special 1961 he was keeping for just the right occasion to drink with just the right person is about 5% Merlot. I'm sure you'll vividly recall Miles' distaste for that particular variety. Wish Hollywood would make more movies like this. Maybe not Oscar caliber, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Up over and out.

Baseball cards...football cards...boy is that a sore subject. When I was growing up, my twin brother and I had thousands of these. All kinds of cards from the early '50's thru the early '60's, the period when we were both really into collecting. While I can't say we took great care of these, the sheer volume was overwhelming. We kept them in a four drawer chest in a storage room in the house we grew up in. Periodically, my mom would go through this room and clean it up. I still rue the day when we were in high school and didn't pay any attention to cards, and she asked us if we really needed to keep them anymore. We both told her we didn't want 'em and she threw them away. Jeezus...when I think of what went into the dumpster that day, it makes me cringe. I have a friend who thought the same thing had happened to his collection. About five years ago, his Dad was going through a bunch of boxes under their basement stairs and found all his cards. I mean tons of them, all in good condition. Some very valuable stuff. He's since sold off about $10,000 worth, but has kept many of his favorites. It actually got him back into collecting. Now he just concentrates on complete sets from certain years. Everything he buys now has to be PSA 8 or above. You want to talk expensive. Right now all I have is a complete set of 1959 Topps Yankee and Cincinnati Reds cards and some assorted others of interest. Jim Boutin's rookie card, a '50's card of John Beradino, who played for the St. Louis Browns and Pittsburg Pirates and later starred in the soap opera General Hospital. Also, some cards with weird names. Guys like Memo Luna and Coot Veal. The prize of my collection though, is a framed and mounted B&W picture of Ralph Branca choking Bobby Thomson, taken the same day as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" with each of their autographs and 1951 Bowman cards of both players. Up over and out.

I agree. For the very reasonable cost of these LPR's, why not take a flyer on something like the Cugat? How bad can it be? Up over and out.

I'm an end game bidder too. Sometimes that costs me because I wait a few seconds too long to submit a bid and an item I would've won goes to someone else because I didn't pull the trigger fast enough. Caveat emptor. What I don't understand at this point, is why anyone even bothers to bid while an auction is ongoing. There are so many snipers out there, it's almost like anyone who bids before an auction concludes is just wasting their time. So, who does this? I suspect it's mostly neophyte bidders who really don't understand how the game has come to be played, or others who just think they'll get lucky and grab something that stays under everyone else's radar. I'd guess that in a couple of years, you simply won't see any action on any item until the very last second. Not sure that matters much in the great scheme of things. I suppose that might make it a little harder on the seller (of which I am not one), but that kind of goes with the territory. With regard to sniping programs, I don't use them, but I think I understand how they work. Seems to me this takes some of the fun and excitement out of the bidding process. Up over and out.

Is the Krupa LPR big band stuff or a smaller ensemble? Any chance these might include Eddie Shu? It's very hard to find any of his recordings. He is very good. Up over and out.