Dave James

Good with numbers. Obviously, not much else.

Thought folks who haven't seen this before might find it interesting. Let's just say Miles gives no quarter. http://www.forghieri.net/jazz/blind/Davis_3.html

Oh no. Not that. Guys have to like the Stooges. It's right there in the guy by-laws. The only question is Curly or Shemp? One of the reasons I'm with the gal I've been with for the last 15 years is that when I first met her, she told me she had every Stooge short ever made on VHS. I knew right then, she was the one for me. Chris, were you a W.C. Fields or a Marx Brothers fan? Those two acts are at the top of my list. How about Seinfeld? Just curious.

I never said Carey wasn't talented. Clearly, even though he's just updating Jonathan Winters, he has talent. In Living Color was a perfect vehicle for him in that you only got him in small doses. Over the course of a full-length movie, his over-the-top schtick quickly becomes tiresome.

I live a life where certain rules are both immutable and self-evident. Among them, that I will studiously avoid films involving any of the following actors: Will Ferrell Adam Sandler Ben Stiller Vince Vaughn Jim Carey They aren't funny, they're annoying.

I see that Penn State is planning to tear down the building where the Sandusky abuse took place. Out of sight, out of mind? NIce try. You'd think they might want to leave it standing to remind themselves that when it comes to choosing between their football program and the protection of vulnerable children, you absolutely, positively must put the children first.

Mark Teixeira, boppin' the little meecy mice right on their heads. Two HR's, including one in bottom of the 8th with two on, and five, count 'em, five RBI's. Welcome to the second half of the season.

I read Marc's column on his JazzWax blog earlier today. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but The Righteous Brothers never did a thing for me. And, of all their songs, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' is the one that grates on me the most. I can't begin to tell you why...some things you like and some things you don't. It has nothing to do with Phil Spector and the "Wall Of Sound". I'm generally a big fan of his and, without him, The Beach Boys might never have risen to the heights they did. That's not the problem. I'll just have to live with my shame.

I loved early Jeff Beck, with the Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group, but I stopped listening after Beck-Ola. He just started heading down a lot of different musical paths that were not very interesting to me. I sort of reconnected with him via a series of YouTube videos culled from his 2008 appearance at Ronnie Scott's which, co-incidentlhy featured Tal Wilkenfeld on bass. Me? I find Beck to be an extraordinary guitarist with a style that's unique and all his own. Having said that, he still needs a good singer to get him over the top. At Ronnie Scott's, he's joined by the idiosyncratic Imogen Heap who fills that bill nicely and for a three song drive by from Eric Clapton. I don't know. When Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Steve Luthaker and Clapton himself say that Beck is the premier electric guitarist in the history of rock, I tend to pay attention. BTW, here's a interesting previously-unknown-to-me factoid. The Jeff Beck Group was scheduled to play at Woodstock, but he broke up the band just prior to the festival.

Nike has just announced that they will be changing the name of The Joe Paterno Child Development Center located at their Beaverton, Oregon headquarters. Up until now, they had steadfastly resisted calls for a name change.

A university in the throes of catastrophic denial.

That's an interesting point. There certainly are some cult-like aspects associated with this. Two things are really troubling to me. First, that the Penn State student body supported Joe Pa en masse without ever considering that he might be involved in the cover up. Second, that during this whole sordid affair, alumni donations actually increased. If that's not indicative of some truly upside down thinking, I guess I don't know what is. Having had some experience in this area, I am quite sure that Penn Staters and Pennsylvanians alike have "drunk the Kool-Aid" for years. Did you really expect that way of thinking to literally change overnight? Yes. We're not talking about whether Penn State can beat Michigan, we're talking about raping and sodomizing children. And your point is? Once the institution and persona were deified, there was no going back. Not for nuthin'! Believe it or not, JoePa received a higher level of admiration from his followers than even Lombardi received in Green Bay. So that somehow justifies this sort of ostrich like behavior? That the students and faculty were so anesthetized by the greatness of PSU football and Joe Pa that they could turn a blind eye to child molestation? Wow. In a sea of damning statements, that may the most damning of all.

That's an interesting point. There certainly are some cult-like aspects associated with this. Two things are really troubling to me. First, that the Penn State student body supported Joe Pa en masse without ever considering that he might be involved in the cover up. Second, that during this whole sordid affair, alumni donations actually increased. If that's not indicative of some truly upside down thinking, I guess I don't know what is. Having had some experience in this area, I am quite sure that Penn Staters and Pennsylvanians alike have "drunk the Kool-Aid" for years. Did you really expect that way of thinking to literally change overnight? Yes. We're not talking about whether Penn State can beat Michigan, we're talking about raping and sodomizing children.

That's an interesting point. There certainly are some cult-like aspects associated with this. Two things are really troubling to me. First, that the Penn State student body supported Joe Pa en masse without ever considering that he might be involved in the cover up. Second, that during this whole sordid affair, alumni donations actually increased. If that's not indicative of some truly upside down thinking, I guess I don't know what is.

Since the original thread has been locked, I'm starting a new one. This is important stuff. It needs to be seen by everyone who had any involvement in the initial posting. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/sports/ncaafootball/13pennstate.html?emc=na

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Wish I was better with Photoshop. I'd change "Contains Bonus Tracks" to "Contains Bonus Chest Hair."

Huh? If, at this point in her career, insuring the future of her family is an issue, she should be finding a good lawyer and suing her management. We're talking about someone who has been able to successfully bridge the chasm between jazz and popular music, who has released nearly a dozen well selling CD's and who plays to sold out houses where ever she goes. I hardly think money is an issue or a driving force behind her decision making. I'll double down on that assertion by virtue of the fact that she's married to Elvis Costello.

What's gotten into Andruw Jones? He just hit his fourth home run in the last two days.

Quinton McHale will be steering the great PT boat in the sky. Nice career. Oscar winner and huge TV star. Still relevant as recently as the latest MIssion Impossible film. http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

I have a couple of her CD's and the Paris DVD. I think she's fine, but I can take her or leave her. What I don't understand is why she allows herself to be sold as a sex symbol first and and a musician second. I don't know squat about marketing, but that strikes me strongly as putting the cart ahead of the horse.

Couldn't disagree more. I love throwbacks. I can see were maybe the original concept has gotten a little out of hand (*) but there are so many of them that I like much more than what the teams are actually wearing. For example, is there anyone on the face of the Earth who doesn't prefer the old Boston Patriot three point stance helmet logo to the current futuristic iteration? Besides, it may be the only way to convince my Eagles to return to those halcyon days of yester year when they sported the kelly green livery they were wearing when I first became enamored of them as a young pup back in 1959. (*)

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS). I'm going to go out on a limb and say this will disappear in 2014. Happy trails and good riddance.

Amen to that. This is so much about the money now that if it weren't for the Ducks, I don't think I'd pay any attention at all. When the BCS playoffs roll around in 2014, the money is going to get insane. It'll be like having three Super Bowls. The fat cats will be wondering why it took them so long to get this done.

I'd be willing to bet that there are a few Blue Note freaks out there who could give two hoots about the music but are really into the Reid MIles covers.

The longer term concern for Rangers fans would be the complete and total meltdown of Roy Oswalt. It's been awhile since I've seen a line like the one he put up last night.