Dave James

I'll tell you WTF happened. Joe GIrardi doesn't have a clue how to manage a pitching staff. Leaving Hughes in the game when he'd clearly lost his stuff was just the latest indication that he's in way over his head. I'm 3,000 miles away and I can see it, why can't he?

On the CD side of the fence, I've slowed way down. On the vinyl side, not as much since i've only recently gotten back into LP's. However, I can already tell you that there is no way vinyl is ever going to create the level of intensity that CD's generated for so many years. That intensity was a function of two things. An irresistible force (getting seriously into jazz music for the first time) meeting an immovable object (the initial availability of music on compact disc). Also, the fact that, as Dan so aptly puts it, the golden age of reissues is long gone has a significant effect. There just isn't much out there that still falls into the "gotta have it at any cost" category like so many things used to. That was sure fun while it lasted, but I haven't felt that tug in years. I can still remember the rush I'd get when a new batch of Connoisseurs would show up unannounced at my local Tower Records. I'd squirrel them all away in my plastic basket and then walk around the store trying to figure out (or rationalize) how I was going to be able to get them all at once. Not going to happen again. Not ever. As Bruce Hornsby likes to say, "that's just the way it is."

With all due respect to the Flyers and Canadians, I think the Stanley Cup finals are now underway in the West.

When my twin brother and I turned 10 years old, my folks bought us a 1948 Seeburg jukebox similar to the one shown below. It was filled with 78's from the likes of LIttle Richard, Fats Domino, Elvis and, of all people, Spike Jones. This machine, known affectionately as the "trashcan" is what first lit my musical pilot light. Stereo-wise, I got my first real system when I was in college. It was made up of a Sony integrated amp, a pair of 8" JBL speakers I mounted in some prefab cabinets I bought at a long gone shop called Lafayette Hi Fi & Recorder and, my pride and joy at the time, a BSR 810X turntable.

I'm still having trouble believing that a release from Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill or Sam Rivers has more long term sales potential than sets devoted to mainstream jazz or even MOR artists like Bing Crosby or the Four Freshmen. From a purely intuitive standpoint, I can't get my arms around this.

John and Chas, Thanks for the quick response. Much appreciated. I guess it could be worse in terms of duplication, although not much. For the time being, however, I've decided to let myself live. I recently bought a French LP called Messages, one-half of which is Handy's Roulette recording, Jazz. So, if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly, by locating Tales of Paradise, Hi Number and Prettyside Avenue from No Coast Jazz, I will have successfully rounded up all of Handy's Roulettes. That was the idea when I first undertook this fiasco. Thanks again for all your help.

I think I just fucked up. I bought two John Handy LP's on eBay earlier tonight, In The Vernacular and Quote, Unquote. For some reason, I thought the latter was one of the three Roulette albums Handy released in the late '50's and early '60's. Obviously, that's not the case. What now appears likely is that I bought the same album twice. I know what tunes are on In The Vernacular. but it's impossible to find the tracklist anywhere for Quote, Unquote. Could someone let me know which of Handy's earlier Roulette releases are replicated on Quote, Unquote? That way, if it becomes necessary to shoot myself, there can be no question that my actions are entirely justified. Thanks.

Since the show began, Richman has just over a 60% success rate.

Surprisingly enough, all these are available on iTunes for between $11.99 - $24.99 apiece. Pretty intriguing. I Stuff.

Nope, this is a first. The current playoff format has been in place since the 1993-94 season. Before this year, the lowest two seeds to play for the conference championship were Anaheim (7) and Minnesota (6) in 2003 and Anaheim (8) and Edmonton (6) in 2006. Like I said, I've never seen anything like it.

Oh yeah, I love this show. Mostly because of Adam Richman. It's hard not to like the guy, he has a great personality. You can tell by how people react to him. I also like learning about the history of many of the restaurants he visits. I have no idea where he puts the food. He's not that big. Interestingly enough, he has a Masters degree from the Yale School of Drama.

I'm no Philadelphia fan (I refuse to root for any team that includes Chris Pronger), but give them their due. Coming back from a 3-0 deficit and from three goals down in tonight's game seven is an accomplishment for the ages. Congrats to the Flyers and all their fans. What a weird NHL playoff this has been. I can't remember anything quite like it.

I'm pretty unhappy with the way eMusic has started handling popular recordings. I was going to DL two or three Eagles songs the other night, but everything they have available is on an "album only" basis. That forces you to buy an entire release when that's not what you want. I don't know, what these guys seem to be best at is coming up with new ways to make them harder to deal with. This used to be best deal out there. At one point, I was getting 90 DL's a month for $20.00. It's now down to 50 for the same $20.00. Then it was albums that "cost" more credits that there were tunes and now this. I'm staying the course for now, but a few more tweaks like these and I'm history.

Paps, Stay tuned. The Yanks and Tigers play the second half of a twin bill starting in just a few minutes. Hughes vs. Bonderman. It's on ESPN. Me? I can be found watching Montreal and Pittsburg in game 7 of the NHL Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Even though the Yankee dropped their second straight game to the Tigers today, Javier Vazquez had an encouraging outing. He threw seven innings, struck out seven and gave up only five hits. If you're a Yankee fan, you've got to cross your fingers and hope he's turned a corner.

PM sent on Turrentine box.

This is a pretty interesting article. Be sure to open the embedded links. They are worth a look. Also, read the comments. Several fairly knowledgeable people weigh in on the issue of sound quality. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/business/media/10audio.html?src=me&ref=homepage

When you get a phone call from the A&E Television show Hoarders asking if you would consider appearing on a future episode.

ESPN is reporting that Ken Griffey Jr. was found napping in the clubhouse during a game last week when Dan Wakamatsu went to use him as a pinch hitter. Given the Mariners trials and tribulations so far in 2010, this gives new meaning to the expression "You Snooze, You Lose."

She always struck me as a very classy lady. I remember years ago watching Ed Bradley interview her on 60 Minutes. Let's just say he was clearly under her spell. Here's a nice retrospective put together by CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/05/10/obit.lena.horne/index.html?hpt=C1

Between the recently released biography on Willie Mays and this new one reviewed below, The Last Hero, A Life Of Henry Aaron, it's been a pretty good few months for baseball books. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/books/10book.html?hpw

I'll give credit where credit is due. Throwing a perfect game is a remarkable accomplishment.

I'd like to take my lie #6 Northland and break it over Brian Rafalski's head. His heads-down no-look-behind-the-back-next-thing-you-know-the-pucks-in-the-back-of-the-net pass that led to the winning goal was an all-time bonehead move. For someone with that much experience, inexcusable and unforgivable. On the upside, now that the Red Wings are eliminated, I can watch the rest of the playoffs without a scintilla of emotional investment. Time to figure out who to root against. How about Pittsburgh? Yup, that'll work. As to predictions, if Antti Niemi can stay hot, I don't see anyone beating the Blackhawks in the West. And, as much as I hate the idea, Pittsburgh probably comes out of East. My heart says the Hawks take the Cup in seven. My head says Pittsburgh in six. What a bummer that would be. I'm afraid for Detroit fans everywhere, this is the last hurrah. This is an aging team whose best days are clearly behind it. I'm not one who is particularly enamored with the moving parts in the farm system, so I'm not sure with the restrictions and realities imposed by the salary cap, that the Wings will need to be reckoned with for some time. It was sure a nice run.

Mercer time for Dave.

So Nick Johnson's near magnetic attraction to the DL continues. The only positive that could come out of this is that he'll remember how to hit when he's activated in a month. What would you give to have Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon available to DH right now? I don't think the Cano injury is very serious. I did not see the game last night. Was it a purpose pitch that hit him or just one that got away?