Dave James

Unfortunately, when something like this that should be very personal and private, is turned into a media circus and the family plays right into its hands by making a spectacle of the funeral service, it's difficult to stay on task.

I think you can add A,J. to the list of pitchers who couldn't handle the City heat. Guys like Kenny Rogers, Javier Vasquez, Kevin Brown, Jeff Weaver and Carl Pavano. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Burnett bounce back in Pittsburgh. Probably not from a W-L standpoint but in terms of ERA and other, more esoteric pitching statistics.

Let's review. The family wanted the funeral to be a private, so they limited to attendance to just 1,500 people AND they allowed it to be broadcast live on the BBC and CNN. I'd sure hate to see what would have happened if they'd opted to make it public. With respect (and I used that term loosely) to Alicia Keys, they should have invited T-Pain so he could have provided auto-tuning assistance. Just like so many others of her particular ilk, when she has to go it alone, it's an embarrassment.

Hope you're doing well, VIc. Many happy returns.

There's another Cuban baseball player in the mix other than Yeonis Cespedes. His name if Jorge Soler and he's just 19 years old. The Yankees, Phillies and Cubs are the current front runners. I'm guessing this kid's life is going to go from rags to riches in the very near future. http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/323781-yankees-phillies-show-most-interest-in-soler?eref=sihp&sct=hp_bf2_a11

In my YouTube travels this morning, I came across a video from 1968 of The Horace Silver Quintet unwinding for about 15:00 on Song For My Father. It features, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Bennie Maupin on tenor, Johnny Williams on bass and Billy Cobham on drums. Some nice stuff going on here on what is probably my all-time favorite Silver composition.

I've been holding this one in reserve. It's a late '60's band called Chamaeleon Church. It's distinguished by two things; incredibly bad lyrics and Chevy Chase on drums. He's third from the left in the shot of the back of the album at the beginning of the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGa3M4bIP48&feature=related

One of the unsung heroes. As tasteful a pianist as you're like to encounter. Of course, I didn't know him personally, but from reading the recollections here of those who did, he seems to have been as good a human being as he was a musician. That's a nice combination. RIP.

ESPN is reporting that Oakland will sign Yeonis Cespedes to a four year, $36 million dollar contract later this week. Gentlemen, you are witnessing the death of Moneyball. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7570918/yoenis-cespedes-agrees-4-year-36-million-deal-oakland-athletics

If they're hurting for proof, they can drop by my place just about any day of the week.

She had the whole package. What a waste. Although it's not a very nice thing to say, it's too bad it wasn't Bobby Brown. If she hadn't hooked up with that loser, who knows what might have become of her. Or, maybe she was just self-destructive like Phyllis Hyman whose place she essentially took at Arista Records. Guess it doesn't matter much now, does it? RIP, Whitney.

Amen to that. I once took a copy of the Brian Auger Oblivion Express LP Closer To It back to Music Millenium six different times trying to find one that wasn't warped. After the sixth copy, they just gave me my money back. That RCA stuff was a complete joke. Anyone ever try to straighten out a warp? Man, I wrecked a bunch of records trying to do that.

As close to actually being there as I'd ever want to get.

Have you spoken with your Mom's doctors about your school related concerns? Also, I take it that she has been doing the same sort of thing for many year, but without any prior problems. If not, I might worry about her being continuously exposed to germs from handling books and A/V equipment.

From 1970: http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/miles-davis/video/miles-runs-the-voodoo-down_-2123015594.html?utm_source=NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120206video

Gronkowski should not have been playing. I doubt it took too long for the Giants defensive people to figure out he was running at about 50%. That opens up some things you wouldn't normally be able to do on the other side of the ball. Combine that with the fact that his counterpart, Aaron Hernandez, seemed to be fighting a bad case of alligator arms and you've just about cut the Patriots offensive options in two.

Yeah, I'm still recovering from the halftime show myself. Someone needs to tell Madonna that's she's 53 years old, not 23 and that she's not doing herself any favors by trying to pretend otherwise. I'm thinking an album of jazz standards might be just what the doctor ordered. One other observation...Cee Lo Green may have the best set of teeth God ever granted to a human being. I'm in awe. With respect the the game itself. Boring and pedestrian for the first three quarters, off the charts interesting for the fourth.

Not to be a thread blender, but Cyrkle isn't a bad example of sunshine pop.

Sharon Stone?

Speaking of support systems, I heard that Ian Kinsler actually showed up at the bar. In these kinds of unfortunate situations, your teammates absolutely have to have your back. Kudos to Kinsler for his willingness to get involved.

"Oceans made of lemon pie?" Sheer lyrical genius. Call off the dogs...there's a new leader in the clubhouse.

Anita O'Day?

Baseball is very different from other professional sports. It's not an "endurance" sport requiring that one be in tip top shape to play well. It's only relatively recently that baseball players paid any attention to being in condition. Isn't that why they have spring training? Also, it's pretty common knowledge that weight training for baseball is entirely different that it is for other sports. The muscle groups you use are different, so the way you work in the weight room is different as well. I'm not making an argument that you don't have to be in shape to play at the major league level, but it's such a twitch reflex/eye-hand coordination sort of game that it's not going to make the sort of difference that is does in other sports.

Shure es530's. Wouldn't trade these for any other headphone.

I know there are a number of GSH fans on the board. Some may find news of his recently released autobiography of interest. Here's a review from the L.A. Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-gil-scott-heron-20120129,0,3794274.story