Brad

Fabio, I'm fluent in Spanish and sometimes post on web sites relating to Spanish football. Even though I'm fluent, I sometimes use Google Translate to double check what I'm saying. Before I post, I copy my post into Google Translate just to sure it makes sense and sounds right.

Fabio, it’s a little difficult to follow your posts sometimes. Could you please use one of those internet translation services like Google Translate. Although not perfect, I find it quite useful.

It’s still listed on the main page but that could be an oversight.

You can add the Turrentine and Eddie Condon/Bud Freeman Commodore sets to the Last Chance list.

Spain beat Croatia 6-0. We are back!

David, didn’t know you did a show on the VOA. Will give it a listen!

A nice show David, thanks. The show took me back in a couple of ways. I have mentioned a couple of times that I grew up overseas: in Latin America from the mid 50s until 1964 and Barcelona in the mid to late 60s. Listening to West Side Story reminded me of when I used to play my parents’ Broadway show records when we lived in São Paulo in Brasil. I must have worn out the grooves on West Side Story. Later, when I was a teenager and lived in Barcelona, our connection to home, other than through the Herald Tribune and Time magazine, was through our shortwave radio where we’d listen to Armed Forces Radio (listened to many a baseball game while in bed) and the Voice Of America. Hearing the A Train reminded of the lead into Willis Conover’s program on VOA. Good memories.

I will please total ignorance and say I know nothing about Kimbrough so will be interested in what people have to say about this.

She is a fantastic athlete, the best women tennis player ever, no doubt about it but her on court behavior, not so much. There may be a double standard but was that the right time to make the point? It is no coincidence that she escalated the tension when she was losing. Had she not smashed her racquet, I doubt things would have gotten out of control. Let's look at why she smashed it; she had just broken Osaka to maybe get back in the match and Osaka broke her right back. She knew it might be a long afternoon so she tried to intimidate Osaka but it didn't work. Moreover, this umpire has a reputation as a no nonsense guy. He's been tough on male players too but from what I've read and heard, after a little back and forth, the players went back to playing; she just kept it going, forcing his hand. There's another double standard working here, the "Serena can do no wrong" standard. I heard one commentator say today that a person of color was being mistreated, until someone said, well, Osaka is a person of color too.

Here’s a review by a person who teaches Spanish Lit in the US. His criticism is that you don’t learn more about Barcelona and Cataluña from this book than you already knew. That may be true but he’s writing from a Catalan perspective. http://www.publicbooks.org/spanish-civil-wars/ The other book he reviews, The Winterlings, is very interesting, more a reflection on today’s Spain and meshing pro and anti Franco views, which is somewhat dealt in Giles Tremlett’s book of a few years ago. Coincidentally, tomorrow is the Diada, the annual parade for Catalan independence. Last year’s was quite contentious. I eexpect tomorrow’s will be too.

I loved it. He injected some vampire elements into it but it’s mainly focuses on the Spanish Civil War. Now, I understand that because he doesn’t completely follow through on that theme, some reviewers were not happy but the book is best viewed as a meditation on the horrors of the War.

That’s about as bad a loss you can have if you’re the Bears.

Yes, it’s terrific. I have to confess I have no Lou Bennett in my collection. This is a good one too (albeit brief) from a thread that’s gone off the rails. More Lou.

The author says that he doesn’t want to weigh the reader down with unnecessary dates and he seeks to tell what took place during the three years of “homicidal madness,” without saying who were the good guys and who were the bad ones. That’s up to reader to decide. He said the book isn’t a novel because everything happened but it was his purpose to make it read like a novel.

Good luck to him. Hope he recovers relatively quickly.

I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make with the prior video. I see a player over reacting. The other night Djokovich was called for taking too much time to serve. His reaction: he did it again on purpose. No hysterics or histrionics.

Here’s an article that appeared in Jazz Profiles a couple of months ago about Gillespiana. Gillespiana

I suspect -- but could be and may be wrong -- that a lot of wealthy people act like that, not that it's excusable. I find the reaction on Twitter amusing, people saying the umpire was sexist or racist or both. She was getting beaten and did what she could to change the outcome. Sometimes you just have to take it and smile.

Is this brother next?

They're in pretty good position right now. The NL is open for the taking. Not one team that really stands out.

This has turned into an unusual thread. Maybe a language barrier problem? At any rate, I missed this thread the first time around. Some terrific playing, to say the least.

Very nice. Really liked the two songs you’ve posted here. Same question as Larry: anything commercially available?

All the coaches do it but hers got caught. She lost her cool and let things get out of control. Calling the umpire a thief didn’t help matters. As Dan said it’s an archaic rule but rules are rules. She nearly cowed Osaka into losing but she managed to keep her composure for one last game. Displays like that are why I’ve never been a big fan of Serena’s.