Dave James

Quincy - If I'm not mistaken, your avatar is none other than Reddy Kilowatt. Wow, does that take me back. He was the "personification" of PP&L. I know him well cuz my dad was an HR Manager with PGE for over 30 years. My brother and I always liked Reddy better that the lightening bolt PGE used. Up over and out.

Led Zeppelin. I had the pleasure of seeing them live three different times and, I might add, in three distinctly different states of consciousness. I still think their first album is among the top two or three rock albums ever made. They were the model for so much that was yet to come. To coin a phrase, "never were so many influenced by so few." Have a look at their recent live DVD release if you have any doubt about the power they brought to the stage. One of the few bands that could just flat blow you away. Up over and out.

The only Wynton I have is the Village Vanguard set. I think there's some awfully good music included among these CD's but I doubt I'll ever feel the need to add anything more of his to my collection. Up over and out.

Interesting question. I agree the best way to determine a reasonable value for OOP Mosaics is the somehow incorporate E-bay. It's just too bad there's no way to access an all inclusive "completed items" database that would show you what certain sets sold for for longer than just one month. That would let you average the costs over a longer period and come up with an "all things considered" price. As others have pointed out, the problem with only having access to recently closed auctions is that you have to deal with some bidders who get the "I wants" and will bid things up beyond any reasonable level. For instance, the recent prices the Basie sets are commanding are as high as I've seen in awhile. A couple of other thoughts. Once you've finally arrived at what you believe to be a fair price for your sets, protect yourself by establishing a reserve for each auction. I'd also recommend bleeding these into the system a few at a time. That way you give collectors a chance to recover and bid again for other sets. Otherwise, you'll minimize your potential buyer base. Timing is everything. Problem is there's no way to anticipate a bull market. Up over and out.

I'm not at all adverse to banning fighting altogether. I agree that it detracts from the sport in a major way. Like Patricia said, there's a beauty in the European style of play that you rarely see on this side of the pond. Unfortunately, fighting has been always woven into the fabric of the game, for better or for worse. You can't even begin to discuss hockey history without discussing the great and memorable fights and fighters...Fontinato/Laycoe; Howe/Fontinato, the bench clearing brawls, the Broad Street Bullies, Eddie "Clear the Track" Shack, Howie Young, Ty Domi...it goes on and on. I'm not endorsing this, I'm just saying it's hard to separate the game from this unfortunate aspect of the game. And, let's face it, just like a lot of people watch car racing for the accidents, a lot of people watch hockey for the fights. When you have the kind of limited fan base that hockey has, the powers that be have to be careful about alienating anyone. As outrageous as that might sound on its face, it's just smart business. Up over and out.

Chrome - There's just something about having a stick in your hands and the speed of the game that makes for a different dynamic. Not to mention the fact that in football, you're hitting someone on just about every play. I think that may tend to dampen aggressive tendencies that might otherwise manifest themselves in the absence of near constant contact. Up over and out.

I played ice hockey for 15 years, so I can relate to the statements that are being made about the emotion that's intrinsic to the game. I know it sounds silly, but if you haven't played it, then you really don't understand. However, that doesn't mean there aren't lines...and lines that shouldn't be crossed. Bertuzzi is a hard nosed player...I've seem him play at least 10 times...but he's not known to be a goon or a cement head. The fact of the matter is, he lost his head...he crossed the line and now he's paying the freight. While I think the suspension meted out by the NHL is fair (and probably more severe than I thought it would be) I think a better approach would have been to tie his return to Moore's. Suspend Bertuzzi for the lesser of one year of when Moore is able to play again. I love this game and I hate to see it besmirched by actions like those of a Todd Bertuzzi, a Marty McSorley or a Claude Lemieux. The League is doing the right thing by drawing down on this kind of behavior. With the game struggling like it is and the spectre of the CBA and a possible work stoppage on the horizon, they simply couldn't afford not to drop the shoe. Up over and out.

Was wondering if there's anyone else out there who enjoys the Bill Moody jazz themed mystery books as much as I do. I haven't read one since "Looking for Chet Baker", but I was reminded of him when I got the most recent issue of Jazz Times magazine. They did their monthly "up close and personal" feature with Ray Drummond and he mentioned that the last book he read was "The Sound of the Trumpet". That's the one about finding some unknown Clifford Brown recordings and it happens to be my favorite of the five books Moody has written, followed closely by "Death of a Tenor Man" about the murder of Wardell Gray and the aforementioned "Looking for Chet Baker" which fictionally examines the circumstance surrounding Baker's mysterious death Anyone else a fan? Up over and out.

I'm afraid Owen Wilson has become the poster boy for bad career choices. That's kind of unfortunate because in the right vehicle, he's pretty good. I thought he was fine in "Rushmore" and "Meet the Parents" and even better in "Shanghi Noon", but the movies he's done lately are just dreck. Maybe he's become like the late in life version of Lawrence Olivier, i.e. just put a movie deal in front of and tell me where to sign. I don't have to read the script cuz I'll do anything. I know the money is probably pretty good, but you'd think he might pay a little more attention to quality. Up over and out.

Kind of disappointing that Clint Eastwood didn't win. Call me a mouldy fig if you will, but I much prefer old time story telling over the computer generated, style over substance movie making that seems to dominate Hollywood these days. Mystic River the book and Mystic River the movie is that rara avis where one is as good as the other. I really thought Eastwood would win. He's been around a long time and while everything he's done viewed singly may not be overwhelmingly impressive, he has put together a nice body of work. In past years that has been known to influence the Academy. Plus, he's a jazz guy. Up over and out.

Dan, Welcome to the ranks of the heavily mortgaged. Congragulations. There's nothing quite like owning your own place. I don't think it should take you more than an afternoon to show the wife how to run the lawnmower. Up over and out.

I've used IMO's to pay Mr. Tanno on several occasions. Never a problem, but then again, he never asked for payment in Japanese currency. I think they have some fairly weird banking arrangements over there that can wind up costing sellers money if things are not handled correctly. There used to be several posters from the old BNBB who lived in Japan. Too bad they don't play in this pen. I recall several years ago buying Tina Brooks' "The Waiting Game" CD from Early Records for Victor Christensen who lived in Denmark (old timers will certainly remember Vic). Hiroshi sent it to him for me. I agree with what several other posters have said, if you're going ask Hiroshi to act in your behalf as an intermediary, it would be a good idea to offer him some sort of compensation. It would also help if you have done business with him in the past. Up over and out.

Last full set, Mulligan CJB. Last Select, Big John Patton. Up over and out.

I think it was the Serge Chaloff, but it could have been the Tina Brooks. I keep the receipts in he boxes too, but I'd have to look to be sure. Up over and out.

Does anyone have any idea where I could locate a CD copy of Cecil Taylor's "One Too Many Salty Swift And Not Goodbye"? I believe it's a 2 disc set on the Hat Hut label. Thanks. Up over and out.

To coin a phrase from Seinfeld, "It's gold, Jerry, gold." You should not be disappointed. Up over and out.

Dan, With regard to the format of my last e-mail, I knowingly replicated your approach. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, I must tell you that I deliberately left out a most important piece of the puzzle. The one arrow in the Yankee's quiver about which Red Sox Nation can only whisper. I speak of ghosts my friend. The ghosts of 1978, 1986...the same ghosts that reappeared on a cold, late, October evening last Fall in the House that Ruth built. Dare I say it? THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO The three "B's"...Bucky in '78, Buckner in '86 and Boone in '03. The fact that the Sox have been in but four World Series since 1918 and have lost all four in the 7th game. I'm not one who generally holds with this sort of mumbo jumbo, but in this case, the evidence rises to a level that's at once indisputable, irrefutable and undeniable. Woe is you. I know both of us are looking forward to the coming season with more anticipation than ever before. Should be fun. Let the games begin. Up over and out.

Under no circumstances would I stick my neck out far enough to say the Yanks are a lock. There's no such thing. For a round object, a baseball has been known to bounce in some mighty strange and unpredictable ways. I still like the Yank's chances, but to say they're a cinch to win it all, or even to win the AL or the AL East for that matter would be sheer folly. I know the Sox have beefed up and the Yanks lost some key players, but consider this. The Yanks won 101 games last year and added the following players: Javier Vasquez - 13 game winner 3.24 ERA for MONTREAL! Kevin Brown - 16 game winner 2.39 ERA. Paul Quantrill - 89 games 1.75 ERA. Tom Gordon - 77 games 3.16 ERA. Not to mention Jon Lieber who won 20 for the Cubs two years ago, He may be the key piece of the whole pitching enchilada. Or, Steve Karsay who may be ready by mid-season. On the offensive side: Gary Sheffield - .330, 39 HR, 132 RBI's. Kenny Lofton - .296, 30 steals. Alex Rodriquez - only the AL MVP. Tony Clark was signed to back up Giambi, so while he's no Nick Johnson, he won't be asked to do what Johnson was asked to do. I also expect that the Yanks may work Eric Almonte at second base. He's probably their best minor league hitter. I'd also like to see Jeter at the "4" but that isn't going to happen. As I said earlier...I like our chances. Up over and out.

Dan, Well that's not exactly what I said, but now that I think about it, I can probably live with your interpretation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with all this October trash talk, my cheek has begun to smart. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's almost like someone has throw down the perverbial gauntlet. Can this possibly be true? Up over and out.

I haven't commented under the Hot Stove League thread as I haven't been able to get my hands to stop shaking since the Yanks landed A-Rod. They finally settled down this morning. I'll tell you one thing, if you're either a Yankee fan or a Red Sox fan, this is war. I love it. Now, having said that, you'll get no argument from me that what The Boss is doing isn't good for baseball. Nonetheless, he is still coloring inside the lines, no matter how antiquated and unbalanced those lines may be. Baseball needs to get its financial house in order and if this kind of thing in any way hastens that eventuality, then more power to it. I will also say that I'd rather have an owner like Steinbrenner who's not afraid to plow money back into his franchise. That's a whole lot more than you can say for an ownership group like the one that has the Mariners. The M's sell out Safeco Field for almost every home game and you absolutely know someone is making a boatload of money, so what do they do...they go out and sign tomato cans like Raul Ibanez. If I was an M's fan, I'd be marching in the streets. You had to love the smackdown The Boss laid on Sox owner John Henry last week. Someone said it reminded them of that famous picture of Ali standing over Cleveland Williams after he'd knocked Williams into the middle of next month. Henry should know better than to haul that weak s__t into George's kitchen. Up over and out.

Chris - I think your review was right on the mark. Part of any reviewer's job is to point out the plusses and minuses of that which is being reviewed thereby affording those who read the review and who may be to a greater or lesser extent influenced by or dependent upon it, a fair and balanced perspective. Like many others, I had been curious about the Benedetti for years, but I was reluctant to drop $112 on something that was so obviously flawed. Finally, I took an exploratory plunge when I won an auction on e-Bay for CD's 3&4. I was also able to get ahold of Phil Schaap's notes, so having the booklet was less of a reason to buy the complete box. However, after listening to the two CD's, I find myself no closer to a decision than I was before. The recording quality is, in a word, abyssmal. But, the musical documentation itself is fascinating. I guess it would boil down to what others have said...if you're a big fan, it's certainly worth having. If you're not, you'll probably play it once and wonder what you were thinking about when you decided to buy it. My bottom line? I'll probably end up getting it. Just not for awhile. Up over and out.

After observing this new board closely for the last several days, I have drawn two conclusions. First, it walks like a duck. Second, it sounds like a duck. I have therefore determined that it is, in fact, a duck. Point being, you can "Europe up" this board all you want, but for all intents and purposes, it's the reincarnation of the original BNBB. My question is, why are they going to the trouble of disguising it? Why not just put up a new BNBB? Can someone help me understand what I'm missing? Up over and out.

According to the March issue of Downbeat, the following boxes on on the horizon: Mosaic: The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet Sessions. Prestige: The Complete Dexter Gordon Prestige Recordings. Verve: The Complete Norman Granz Jam Sessions. This is the studio equivalent of the JATP. I assume it will include players like Parker, Webster, Hodges, Shavers, Peterson, Kessell and Heard. Downbeat says most of these sessions have never been released on CD. Had not heard any of this before. The Jazztet recordings are particularly welcome. I had been toying recently with the idea of picking up Japanese reissues of all these recordings. Now I can just sit tight and wait for the Mosaic. Up over and out.

Gotta go with Wingy Manone. Up over and out.

I guess I'm not surprised. Tower isn't very diversified, and this kind of niche marketing operation is going to stuggle in the face of the online Hun. We used to have two Tower outlets in Portland. One closed a couple of years ago but the other is still kicking. They had a two hour customer appreciation sale last Friday with all CD's and DVD's 30% off. Hopefully, they'll stick around long enough to have a few more of those. Up over and out.