Dan Gould

I found Devers comment when this series started to be disengenuous at best ("if they had asked me in spring training to take grounders at 1B, I would have"). At the start of the season they were protecting his shoulders and had Casas recovered from his rib cage injury, with Romy Gonzalez behind him on the depth chart. There was no need for Devers to work at 1B then, the need became acute when Casas went down again. And his interest in the team was zero, because he was still butthurt over being replaced at 3B. I guess I should watch to see if John Henry takes on some salary to improve the team this year or if it really was to free up money for his other interests. That would be truly pathetic, even if dumping Devers was the right thing to do. Is Harrison under team control long enough to enjoy his bright future?

Proof that signing Devers for a crap ton of money didn't mean shit when it came to helping the team, but now at San Fran he's happily taking ground balls at 1B. Fuck him: Devers will likely split his time between DH and first base for now. Devers got some work in at first on Tuesday, but the Giants want to get him up to speed before they consider giving him his first start at the position. “We talked to him a little bit today. He goes, ‘I’ll play wherever you want me to play, I’ll hit wherever you want me to hit,’” Melvin said. “He’s going to DH today. He’s going to hit in the three-spot. We’re going to work him in and get him some ground balls at first and make sure he’s comfortable before we put him over there. That’s pretty much the way we’re looking at it right now, a little bit of DH and a little bit of first.”

Will @Matthew stop by about Giants acquiring Devers from the Red Sox for barely more than a box of baseballs and an equipment bag? Apologies if he is not the resident Giants fan, it's been a while ... While I wasn't thrilled at the length of the contract given to Devers, the fact remains that this is a top hitter very much at the height of his talents. It basically means that for the Red Sox to crawl into the post-season this season, at least two of three rookies have to hit as advertised, with no growing pains. I would feel a lot better about this if the players received included someone that the Giants might actually miss in the future but this ain't that. About the only thing I can say about it is that it (somewhat) relieves the logjam of outfielders and rookies finding playing time, and if that had necessitated sending Duran or Abreu away, I would have been quite upset. I want to see what those two can do as they are not at their peak and are very good already.

This is interesting but I suspect sites like my own www.percyfrance.info and others like it won't be that effected. You'd have to have a specific question, and no other serious interest, to want to just get an AI-generated answer and move on. Obviously fan sites like mine are predicated on there existing people that are interested in what a well-curated site looks like for a topic of interest. You have to want to know more ...

@Coda I am sorry to hear that your wife is in such a bad mental place and if she's found help thru AI, that is good to hear. It's also interesting that this is the same program as that featured in the NYT article. I hope she gets the help she needs whether its thru AI or talk therapy or, if necessary, anti-depressants.

Any thoughts on the way AI relates with people when not used for professional or educational purposes? The article I posted is just one of many indicators of deeply disturbing interactions that harm people in serious ways. And to Mark Z of Facebook, I say if you want a friend, get a dog. AI "friends" are way too hazardous.

Curious how people are using AI as well as opinions (or even experiences) with the ways it goes off the rails, inspired by this article in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/technology/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PE8.OMPy.qvxipUYfiVB1&smid=url-share

Listened to the entire track. Rouse is fine, didn't care especially for the accompaniment.

Thank you for confirming that I have absolutely no need of Rouse on Strata East. @HutchFan's post above does pique my curiosity.

I don't know why I thought he had died already. Maybe I just heard that health issues meant no more public appearances? Anyway I have never gotten deeply into the catalog that made him famous as musical/production genius, I just loved the hits off of Endless Summer which I got as a birthday gift around 1973 I think. RIP.

This should be fun ... Michael Weiss as musician host, spinning his own selections and commenting on the music, with interview by Phil Schaap at the end. https://aviary.library.vanderbilt.edu/collections/2137/collection_resources/145981

I heard most of the first tune and sampled up to about 20:00. Hard pass.

thanks @mikeweil, I am going to have to hear some tracks before I go for this one. I hope Rouse's family is well-compensated for the reissue, I know his son is on FB and a member of the Rare Jazz Photos group.

If anyone can shed light ... this release is a worthy one? Seems slightly surprising to me but if Klabin was the original producer/engineer that's a leg up in giving it the Resonance treatment.

Right now she is afraid to jump off the couch and just stays there as long as someone is with her. She's mostly going to be in crate or playpen we set up next to my wife's desk. We're fortunate so far she's zonked out all morning so far. We have to see if playpen next to chair is better than in crate. We should enjoy the weeks we presumably have before she'll jump out of playpen as easy as pie.

Doesn't this make me Chick (Webb)?

Say Hello to Ella (Fitzgerald), a Rottie - Rhodesian Ridgeback mix we just adopted yesterday. We went to the animal rescue service for a different, older puppy but this 9 week old cutie chose me, instantly reacting to my voice and being relentless for attention. She even very amusingly gave her littermate the stink eye when he tried to horn in. Oh, and also, another NYT article in their usually silly series: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/arts/music/ella-fitzgerald-jazz-music.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NU8.IO2J.pWLcIn80MrmT&smid=url-share

OK but they are working three years ahead ... so to me, absolutely zero assurance that its "just around the corner". Probable that its mastered, no idea what year it might show up.

I read it entirely as (we announce new titles in November, I am not sharing information about the next three years publicly, you'll know 2026 in 5 months.)

the dreaded reverse endorsement or as I first thought when I read this .... Danger Will Robinson!

Considering that the only Sanders I ever kept was an Evidence CD from this era, this goes from a "never" to a "maybe" - if indeed he is more on the "inside" thru out, compared to his fire breathing days of yore. Will be interesting to see if indeed this is judiciously chosen as Mosaic has been more in the mainstream than Sanders is known for, yet this is closer to the mainstream than that earlier era.

First series with Yankees this weekend and I have fewer than zero fucks to give. Thank god the Cubs have an actual roster of talent or baseball season would be over (and cricket is not something I am about to start watching).

I have this courtesy of former board denizen Stereo Jack. Anyone who wishes to hear it can DM their email and I will send an MP3. (the A side was Midnight Cowboy, I guess that did come out on a comp?)

Given his health woes for like, three years in Boston, this is even more impressive.