Dave James

I'm not sure you can get news that's much better than that. Glad to hear you're back in the saddle.

Many more years ago than most will remember, this guy was huge. The Johnny Carson of daytime television. As you can see from the clip Jim posted, he had an easy, accessible everyman manner about him that endeared him to his audience both on radio and television. Count me among those who thought he'd left us already. From what I've read today, however, I guess he was in excellent health until just a few years ago. Good for him. R.I.P. Mr. Linkletter.

The real question that should be addressed by this scientific study is what happens afterwards. Does the male stay and cuddle or does he make up reasons he needs to leave? I'm going to be really disappointed if I find out it's anything other than the latter. That would really be "douchie".

Just one guy's opinion, but I've never thought Exile was one of the Stone's better efforts. To me, it pales in comparison to the likes of Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers or even Steel Wheels. I'm pretty sure I have the original vinyl in pristine condition around here someplace, but I'll not be knocking down the doors anytime soon to find it. At any rate, does it really startle anyone when the "suits" go to redo this album in a manner they hope might appeal to younger fans, that their first order of business is to make it sound as much like the crap that this newly targeted demographic has been listening to all along? As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise."

Absolutely. Couldn't have been better. I guess now all we have to look forward to now is the feature film. Who knows if that will work or not. What I do know is that the series has set the bar awfully high. Between this and the conclusion of Lost, you feel like you're losing two old friends. I suppose having survived without The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, I'll figure out a way to muddle through.

The Yankee's season is spiraling into total disarray. Injuries, poor and untimely hitting, all-of-a-sudden shaky starting pitching and an unreliable bullpen are turning 2010 into a death march. Losing two of three to the hapless Mets shines an even brighter light on the myriad problems that beset this team. Mark Texiera is a mess. Now that his history of poor April performances has been expanded to include the month of May, I'm not sure what you do with him. What I do know is that you can't have anyone hitting third in the order who is this unproductive. Everyone talks about the injuries, but you have to ask yourself, would Jorge Posada playing full-time be putting up any better numbers than Francisco Cervelli? Would Curtis Granderson, who everyone seems to forget was hitting a lamentable .252 when he was injured, really make that big a difference? Other questions. Are we witnessing the beginning of the inevitable decline and fall of Derek Jeter? Is the chemically unenhanced, 2010 version of A-Rod a doppelganger for David Ortiz? Right now I'm as down on the Yankees as I've been in quite a while. I just don't see this team as it's currently configured making much noise over the long haul. Further, wasting a season like they're starting to waste this one is something they can ill afford given the overall age of the team.

From Marc Myers JazzWax blog: http://www.jazzwax.com/2009/12/lyle-murphy-west-coast-tonal.html His recordings are well worth seeking out.

Among my friends, I'm famous for going too far out on limbs, but the way Chicago is playing right now, there is no conceivable way Philadelphia can beat them in a seven game series.

See below. Thanks to Uncle Skid.

I agree. Unless Niemi blows a tire, I can't see the Hawks losing to either Philadelphia or Montreal. They're an awfully good team right now at both ends of the rink and they're playing their very best hockey when it really counts. My personal preference, for old times sake, would be to see an original six match up in the finals. Just think of some of the names that have graced those two sweaters over the years. And, even though he's turned himself into a "this gun for hire" kind of guy, it would be fun to see Marian Hossa finally win a cup. He's been close the last couple of years with the Penguins and then Detroit, but so far, no cigar. He played his Tier One Junior here in Portland with the Winter Hawks, so there's a bit of a local connection.

Reason #42 the Red Sox hate the Yankees:

Well isn't this special. Along with everything else that's breaking down, the Yankee's starting pitching is looking more than a little suspect over the last week. Tonight it's formerly reliable Andy Pettitte's turn to dial up his ERA. Great.

Bob Graham? How about Senator Mike Crapo from Idaho? Not to pick on the Gem State, but this might also be of some interest to Larry "Widestance" Craig.

Before I retired, I listened to music at work all the time. Same in the car to and from. With everything going on around you in those situations, that type of listening is way less than serious, more along the lines of background music or just white noise. Now that I'm retired and I'm home by myself during the day, I can listen however and whenever I please. Unfortunately, what I'm finding is that it's a struggle to listen as seriously as I would like. Apparently I'm way too easily distracted by whatever is going on around me. It's starting to make me wonder if I'm really capable of serious listening or to question what serious listening is. I don't know. Is there such a thing as MADD (music attention deficit disorder)?

I saw him for about 30 seconds on American Idol last night. I'm not sure if they're running him through Auto-Tune, but there is definitely some voice processing going on there. Bieber is just the latest flavor of the week. He'll be on the same scrap heap as the In-Sync and the Jonas Brothers in no time at all.

Some teams would be able to dip into their farm system to get help. Unfortunately, the Yankees aren't one of them. Tonight's game was another bullpen let down. Logan and Melancon combined to pitch 2 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and four runs in the process. That's not exactly what I'd call shutting the door. Had they pitched effectively, it could have gotten a lot more interesting. I am not liking what I'm seeing. The Yanks have a lot of problems and I'm not just talking about injuries.

I found a nice DJ promo copy of Pee Wee Russell's New Groove on Columbia today from a local vinyl seller for $20.00.

I've been pretty happy with this guy. I've had it for about three years. My only complaint would be that it has no controls to manage the bass and treble output.

I test drove this unit at a local retailer. I thought the sound was a little porky.

Jamie Cullem? Huh?

Last night was a pitching disaster saved by some timely ninth inning hitting. Tonight was another pitching disaster without the heroics. No matter how you slice a 1-1 split with the Red Sox, there have to be major concerns about the bullpen. Again tonight, Girardi lets someone go who is struggling to find even his B game. How is it you leave Chamberlain in the game when he was firing nothing but blanks. I'm lost.

Sure would be nice if the NBA could find two teams that were competitive. So far, this post-season has been pretty much defined by the blow out.

Bev, I'm not entirely convinced that music is behind uptick in the popularity of festivals and concerts. Here in the colonies, attendance in many instances is more a question of making some kind of peceived scene or finding another place to get s**t faced. While I'm sure there are lots of people who attend these gatherings for the right reasons, there are just as many or more who do it for the wrong ones i.e. the musical equivalent of a soccer match.

Not as low as his daughter's.

That was a genuine 2004 moment. It was made even more surreal by the fact that Aaron Boone was working the booth for ESPN. I don't think I've ever heard a crowd react to a swing as quickly as they did A-Rod's. It almost seemed like the fans were screaming at the very instant the bat met the ball. Congrats to Marques Thames. That has to be the biggest thrill he's had in baseball. This was the quintessential good night...bad night...good night game. I'm just glad the Yanks found a way to win. Now I've got to go out and find some audio of Michael Kay calling both those shots on the YES Network.