Dave James

Negotiations between the Yankees and Derek Jeter are at a standstill until Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, "drink the reality potion," according to a source close to the negotiations. This is getting nastier by the minute. Even as a Yankee fan, I can't say this isn't interesting. Here's a team that has thrown around money like the federal government all of a sudden becoming fiscally responsible. On the other side lives an ego that's as big as all outdoors. The interesting thing is that when Jeter and Casey Close negotiated his last contract, they did so on the basis of Jeter's on-field contribution to the Yankees. Now that Jeter is 37 years old, their demands are based not on what he does on the field, but what he means to the Yankee's legacy. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. There are rumors floating around that the Giants have contacted Close who, interestingly enough, is also the agent for Buster Posey. Further, Brian Sabean, the Giants GM, is the guy who signed Jeter for the Yanks back in the early '90's. Can you even imagine Jeter wearing someone else's uniform?

Dizzy Cellespic.

When I was kid, I loved trains. After I worked four summers on the Union Pacific, not so much.

Nielson played the lead in one of the two best science fiction films from the '50's, Forbidden Planet. I first saw him in a Disney show called The Swamp Fox. If I'm recalling correctly, It was one of those Spin & Marty, Hardy Boys, White Shadow serialized adjuncts to the Mickey Mouse Club. I'm not sure I've ever laughed as hard as I did the first time I saw Naked Gun. That scene where he knocks out the real umpire and winds up calling the baseball game is classic. That guy was definitely responsible for some good laughs. When it's all said and done, that's not a bad way to be remembered. Goodnight, Frank.

There are quite a few interesting offers for OOP Mosaics (both LP's and CD's) on eBay right now. A lot of them are in the Buy It Now category. Worth checking out.

Sure do. I remember talking to the guy who owned Euclid Record in St. Louis about opening up a channel to the Japanese market so those of us who were stateside could have access to BN's that were only available in Japan. Two of the prime movers behind that phone call were George Braith and Don Wilkerson. To make a long story short, the Euclid connection never materialized, and by the time the Braith and Wilkerson two-fers were released here, I had long since added Japanese copies of the three albums each of them cut for Blue Note to my collection. Boy, that reference to the BNBB sure brings back some good memories. I remember the first time I tied into it when it was still in that crazy one on top of another post and response format that could go on forever if the thread was long enough. That's the first time I ran into guys like Lon Armstrong and Kevin Bresnahan. I was just a novice back then and it seemed to me they knew just about everything there was to know about jazz. Learning was the great thing about that board and this one too. Two things transpired as a result. My head got heavier and my wallet got lighter. Those were the days.

This is photo shopped, but I couldn't resist:

Love in vein courtesy of the scrumptious Marian Sensabaugh:

Bill Simmons from ESPN was talking to his Yankee friend Jack-O on the B.S. Report the other day and they got into the possibility of the Red Sox making a play for Jeter. Just upping the ante like they did with Bernie Williams a few years back. They could offer him $75 million for three years and really put the Yankees on the spot. Not to mention the fact that the Sox could use a shortstop. It's not like John Henry couldn't afford it. Just think of the size of the mark he'd leave in Yankee fans everywhere. I think it would almost be worth it to him just to see the reaction.

Yes. The program begins by you sending me all the iPods you have that are clogging up your life (160 gig models preferred). This may sound harsh and perhaps a bit self-serving, but once you've dropped these in the mail, you'll be amazed at how good you'll feel and how much less complicated your life will be. Trust me. Let me know if you need my address.

The street date for the new Ellington Mosaic is starting to look like a moving target. When they first posted this set as an upcoming release, it was supposed to be out in late November or early December. Since then, it's been moved to early December and now to mid-December. I'm not complaining (wink-wink-nod-nod) but wouldn't you think after having released a couple of hundred sets that they'd have a better idea of when something would actually be available?

In 1931, when Babe Ruth was 36 years old, the same age as Jeter, he hit 46 home runs, had 163 RBIs and batted .373. The Yankees rewarded him by cutting his salary from $80,000 to $75,000 for the 1932 season. That year, as a 37-year-old, Ruth's numbers slipped to 41 homers, 137 RBIs and a .341 batting average, so they cut him to $52,000 for 1933. In 1933, the 38-year-old Ruth was clearly finished: a mere 34 homers, 103 RBIs, .301 batting average. Numbers that Jeter would have killed to have as a 24 or a 36-year-old. In 1934, his last year with the Yankees, Ruth hit 22 home runs, had 84 RIB's and batted .288. His salary was $32,500.

Any time the Yankees are involved (with the possible exception of the current negotiations with Derek Jeter) the phrase, "money is no object" has to come into play. They are notorious for paying whatever it takes for however long it takes to get the guys they want. Just look at A-Rod. They'll be paying him $30 million when he 42 friggin' years old. No way is Cliff Lee worth what they're discussing. If I were Cashman, I'd up the annual ante and reduce the years, but then I suppose that would be offensive to Sabbathia in terms of total annual dollars. Kids, this is what it is and nothing is going to change what it is until MLB implements some kind of meaningful salary cap. Glad to see Pettitte leaning towards another year. Jim, I think if the Rangers don't get Lee, they will make a serious play for Zack Greinke. They could do a lot worse. He's both younger and healthier than Lee. Plus they wouldn't have to worry about losing him to New York since he's already said he'll never play for the Yankees.

A couple of other comments. I notice that you can change operative currencies by using a drop down menu at the top of the page. There's also a spot where you can ask for a different sort, e.g. high to low price, but it doesn't seem to work to well. If you can get it to work, it will display the items that have a price listing first. This may very well be the on-line equivalent of a consignment operation (like an antique store) where the store acts as a clearing house for a small percentage of the take. Lastly, these are almost all LP sets. Before I spent anywhere near that kind of money they're asking, I'd want some guarantees about the condition of the vinyl and the packaging. Given that this shop is located in Greece, I'd hate to try and get my money back if grading became an issue. Even if you aren't interested in buying anything, it's pretty fascinating to see what these guys have on offer and, as Jazzsphere2005 points out, it's not just music, but lots of other interesting, collectible stuff.

If this is for real, I'm blown away. It's almost exclusively LP sets, but they have multiple copies (many times six or more) of some long, long OOP Mosaics including The Complete Commodore Sessions Vol. 1, 2 & 3, Clifford Brown, Tina Brooks, Bud Powell, Monk, Pepper, Hodes...pretty much you name it, they've got it. They only give the prices on a handful of items. On the vast majority they say "Ask For Price". That makes me wonder if they really have these in stock, although in many instances they do provide the release sequence number. If this is indicative of the cost, they're asking 820 Euros for The Basie Roulette Studio set. That's about $1,116 U.S., so this stuff ain't cheap. Nonetheless, if you were someone with unlimited resources who was seriously into collecting Mosaic LP boxes, this would be like opening up King Tut's tomb.

It's small consolation, but know that all your friends here are thinking of you. As others have said, keep the good memories close to you now, and even closer as time goes by. I am so sorry for your loss.

Dizzy and Pops together on The Jackie Gleason Show:

Here's my favorite from the Copenhagen concert. Man, talk about energy. Watch everyone's feet in the band tapping out the rhythm. I love the way Armstrong struts around the stage like he's making sure everything is working just right before he moves to the microphone.

Aggie, I have Wolf Biermann Plays For Lovers. Can I get the Dylan box?

I posted this on the dedicated thread, but thought I would here too. The newly released Hendrix box set, West Coast Seattle Boy, is now available on eMusic. At the very least it will provide an opportunity to listen to brief audio clips.

This set can now be downloaded from eMusic. All four discs for $30.00. Audio clips available.

I've seen worse looking women. Still, anyone who pays more than passing attention to the comings and goings of the British royal family needs their head examined. A living, breathing anachronism.