Dave James

Well said, Lon.

No offense to the true believers among us, but too many Christians being too willing to forgive too many things is part of the reason we're where we are today. So much evil has been done in the name of religion over the years, it's impossible to fully comprehend. And, IMO, part of the reason that's the case is because of this overwhelming need to forgive, thereby affirming in some sort of Mobius strip-like skein of ill-founded logic that man is inherently good. I consider myself to be a left wing agnostic, so I'm coming at this from that angle. I have many friends who are very religious, so I've butted heads with them in a friendly way for years. I don't want to convict Bill before all the facts are clear. That's not forgiving, that's just not knowing. If he is found responsible, though, then forgiveness for me is not an option. There are too many kids out there who will be totally and completely screwed up for the rest of their lives and, as hard as it is to contemplate, probably a few who won't have any "rest of their lives" to live. Seems to me a true Christian would be actively involved in finding out how they can help the real victims here, not just wrestling with the moral dilemma of forgiveness. Of course, the more important issue is this. How can a loving God allow this to happen? You want a moral dilemma, try that one on for size.

Surprised no one has mentioned that today is the 16th anniversary of Jerry Garcia's passing. Here's my own little tribute. A late in the game video with some really nice guitar work in the inimitable Garcia style . He was, for better or for worse, one of a kind.

I don't know how Was will do with what's left of Blue Note, but at one time, I sure liked this song. Still do.

At some point, guys like this will wind up looking like five day old road kill on the interstate. Chances are you won't see that video.

I'm still trying to figure out why the Yanks bother using Mo in Boston. I swear, as soon as he came in tonight, I knew it was over. You're right, David, that was a tremendous effort that wound up being completely wasted. Damn, I hate losing games like that. I'd much rather get blown out like we did last night.

Tough call, but I've gotta go with the original. More Brando and more Sonny make it the winner by a nose. This may sound weird, but the first one is way more "up" than the second. Godfather II is one of the darkest movies I've ever seen. The closing shot in II with Michael sitting by himself on the lawn of the Vegas compound is one of the very bleakest I can recall. Not a word is said, but volumes are spoken.

Is the someone who's watching over you taking on any new clients? I'd like them to watch over me.

Agreed. I'm a little concerned, given the title of book, that it may be more of a social commentary than a straight up biography. Something along the lines of Douglas Henry Daniels' book about Lester Young.

Very nice "win by committee" at Fenway tonight. I'm starting to think the Bomber's bullpen may wind up being as good as originally advertised. Plus, with talk heating up of promoting Dellin Betances, it could get even better. On the offensive side, and if reports are to be believed, Jesus Montero may also coming to the big club. It would be nice to see him behind the plate on occasion, but more so as a DH replacement for Jorge Posada.

If I understand correctly, this guy is going to be in play next year. I'm guessing this will make the transfer fee the Red Sox paid for Dice-K look like pocket change. Darvish is Persian Japanese, not a lineage you see every day.

If anything comes of MLB's investigation into A-Rod's gambling, I wonder if the Yankees could void his contract. Be still my racing heart. Yes, a nice outing from A.J. tonight. He continues to shout from the highest hills, "get me out of this rotation!" I still say if Hughes can pitch like he did last night, it's Burnett who should take a hike. Can you imagine going into the post-season with A.J. as your #2 starter? It's like asking to lose. I'm starting to think we may have another Ed Whitson/Kenny Rogers head case on our hands.

Given that I'm turning 63 in three days, I'm inclined to agree with you.

A bigger than life character, both figuratively and literally. Here's a link to the story on ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6831506/bubba-smith-ex-baltimore-colt-turned-actor-dies

I don't eat much ice cream, but when the mood strikes, I have a hard time staying away from pralines and cream. I'll leave the Albert Ayler options to those who are more adventurous.

Hopefully, Hughes will not end up replicating A.J. Burnett's "now you see him, now you don't"approach to pitching. I'll have to see two or three consecutive good starts out of him before I'll buy into the fact that he's all the way back. If he continues to throw well, I really think it's Burnett whose spot in the rotation is at risk. He didn't win a game in July and every time Ivan Nova throws he gives the team a fair chance to win. Why would you put up with the eccentricities of A.J. when you have a more reliable guy in Nova?

The Onion might be able to do something with this. They're the ones who speculated that by the year 2075, there will only be five intelligent people left on the planet.

Back in the '50's, I cut my musical teeth on the Lawrence Welk show. We used to watch it on Saturday nights when it was still airing live. Larry Hooper was always one of my favorites, along with drummer, Johnny Kline, violinist Bob Lido and trumpeter Rocky Rockwell. Even back then, I had no time for the shtick, but when it got down to cases, that band could fire up and play.

Several sources are reporting that Winehouse purchased $2,000 worth of crack and heroin the night she passed away. Self-destructive to the very end. The idea of a death wish has to be part of the discussion. Makes you wonder what might have happened if she'd never hooked up with that scum sucker Blake Fielder-Civil. As I understand it, Winehouse was vehemently opposed to drugs until she met this guy. But, I suppose if it wasn't him, it probably would have been someone else. On a more upbeat note, there is a fair amount of chatter concerning a third Winehouse album. I guess she'd finished a lot of the vocal work on about a dozen new tunes, so filling in whatever blanks remain, assuming the lawyers don't get involved, shouldn't pose an insurmountable problem.

That's a shame about Buchholz. Hopefully, there aren't any lingering, long-term career threatening ramifications associated with this. Just goes to show you once again, that the human body was not designed for throwing overhand.

Some people would make the case for Bob James' version being the definitive one, and I'd not argue too vehemently against that myself. Agreed. In general Bob James does nothing for me, but this song and one other, a cover of The Stylistics You're As Right As Rain, just seem to hit all the right notes.

Since the Red Sox ended up giving up a pretty nice CF prospect from Taiwan, and their most defensively advanced catching prospect for that waste of space, can I be relieved of accountability for my actions? I can understand if they thought Bedard's stuff was fine on Friday night, just rusty. He was supposedly touching 94 and broke off a few nice curves. But he hates the spotlight. He hates the press. He hates everything about baseball outside of the paycheck, as far as I know. How can they think he'd thrive for even two + months in Boston in a pennant race? I'd love to eat my hat on this one but I'll be shocked if he doesn't break down or crack up. With that offense to hide behind, I'm not sure you and I couldn't pitch effectively in Boston. 7-8 runs a game can cure a multitude of ills, including the limelight.

One of my favorite songs from that era: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2ud1vIsA6s&feature=related

I think both teams were in the mix but felt that the Rockies were asking too much. At one point, Colorado wanted the Yankees top three pitching prospects (Nova, Banuelos and Betances) and their highest rated position player, Jesus Montero. That seems like way more than they wound up getting from the Indians, which makes me wonder what went on at the 11th hour. Oh well, like I said a few posts ago, if the Yanks think they can stand pat and still make a run at the World Series, they are sadly mistaken. One other thought. If the Yankees do wind up making a play for Bedard, I cannot be held accountable for my actions.

This seller has 15 other items listed and none of them are described anything like the "Bettles" album. Not sure what that means, I just found interesting.