Dan Gould

Well I'd like to know that Bubba gets some solo room before turning the world upside down to locate a copy.

Yeah, what is this? I have a CD that was two dates, one Doggett with Bubba Brooks, one with Hamp and no Bubba.

That's a fucked up page. How can the Red Sox be 3.5 games ahead and have the same magic number as the Rangers? Since when does a team that isn't in the lead for a playoff spot even have a "magic number"? According to MLB.com, any combination of Red Sox win and Rangers losses totaling 30 will give them the wild card. How the hell does this site come up with 39 for both teams? Meantime, on the field, the Rangers may be in the middle of a team and season defining game: Down 11-0 in the fifth, they trail the Jays only 11-9 with eight outs to go and a runner at first.

There were absolutely zero reports about "Penny is an a-hole" in Boston. Tito went out of his way to praise him from the beginning all the way to the end. And as you might know, the Boston media laps up the type of story you are talking about, and you won't find any such reporting.

Aside from the Messengers, did Wayne ever play with Lee outside of the studio?

The trouble is that as someone posted, jazz offered by an on-hold company is best described as "generic". If you check out the samples on Amazon and report back, it would give people some idea about other possibilities. Another thing to consider is what do you notice about the jazz that you do like? I.E., is the rhythm "contemporary" like programmed drums or modern R&B type rhythm, or something different? Are there particular instruments that you like more than others?

Its one of them or Dice-K or Buchholz. Buchholz was great last night - easily his best since the no-hitter - but again it was against Toronto which has been hitting terribly. Smoltz' failure is what will kill them in the playoffs, if they get there. Penny wasn't going to help them but Smoltz was supposed to be the final piece. As it is, they are a lot like the 2003 team - missing at least one starter.

On July 17, the Sox beat the Jays to go 21 games over .500 at 55-34. They beat the Jays today to got o 22 games over .500 at 76-54. Six weeks played at a game over .500, and only because they won the three straight against the woeful Blue Jays. Utterly destroyed their chances, and I don't even want to mention what the Yankees did over the same stretch ... 18 or 20 games over .500, I'd guess.

I am sure the Giants winning the Wild Card would really bother J.H. and the fans of the WFC. Best hope might be that it goes to the very end of the season with Lincecum forced to pitch a win and advance game but only able to pitch once in the NLDS. Meanwhile, I am not sure what can be said about Paul Byrd's return to the majors today. Its true that he was facing the Jays who have been atrocious, especially with the bats but still - six innings of shut out ball, outpitching Doc Halladay, three hits and three walks (two of which came in one inning where he walked his way into a jam after allowing a lead-off double then getting two outs on like three pitches) after not pitching since October. He can be the new Wakefield - cringe with every pitch waiting for it to be sent into orbit but then you'll look up and the next thing you'll know he's pitched six innings and given you a chance to win. Except for the times he pitches four innings and gives you no chance. I know I hated when we couldn't hammer him but now that he's (back) in Boston, I have a little more appreciation for what he does with what he's got.

Well I guess this photo fits into either category - its Coltrane. Still don't know why the NYT's "Puppy Diaries" has rejected every single image I've submitted of Coltrane or Gracie, while publishing some pictures you can't even see the dog.

Why exactly would an on hold company need to identify a genre of jazz for its 20 lame tunes it offers clients? Whoever wrote the shit could give them an answer themselves, so I'd be curious what the answer is as far as "genre of spam".

I would guess the PTBNL is someone who is on the 40 man roster but wouldn't pass through waivers at this time, so they will wait until after the season to complete the deal. Doesn't mean it isn't someone who might be called up in September but I think typically that person's season will end with his minor league team's season and he'll go to Tampa once the season is over.

Welcome to the board. Its very hard to judge a style of "jazz" from something created for on hold music, but Wayne Shorter's Blue Note recordings are what came to mind from cut 14, for me. Try Speak No Evil Samples at Amazon You might also try Adam's Apple More samples at Amazon If the clips on Amazon are enough to make you want to hear the entire albums, my advice is to do what I did when I discovered jazz - explore other recordings based on who played on the recordings you do like. If you like the pianist on those two, you might go looking for Herbie Hancock samples, for instance. Good luck.

There's an argument for letting Kazmir go beyond his ballooning salary - his performance is going down along with his velocity, and his strikeout rate too, and its not like the guy showed Sabathia level skill at avoiding the DL. His elbow has been a problem on more than one occasion, iirc. So maybe the Rays figured that between the medical risk and the price, now was the time. Still makes no sense to make this trade now, unless getting these particular prospects plus saving his salary for the balance of the year were that important. Otherwise who knows what they might have gotten on a more open market during the off-season (that is, as teams focus on their rosters and the free agents shake out, Kazmir might have netted much more). Meanwhile in Boston, I can only say "Wow". Talk about not counting your chickens. Wakefield's back has acted up and he is scratched from his start in Tampa on Tuesday. They are pushing back Lester who was scheduled for Sunday and now Sunday is an open question - with Paul Fucking Byrd a leading candidate since he pitched for Pawtucket on Tuesday. The baseball Gods just fucking hate my team.

I don't know what's funnier/lamer: the article, or the responses its gotten:

Look at the publishing date of the article. There's a hint at the bottom too:

Why on God's green Earth do I let those fuckers pull me back in? They truly have no fucking chance in hell if Beckett is slumping, or more likely, hurt. April, May, June, July: 10 homers allowed August: TWELVE I think it was four last time against the Jays, five to the Yankees in that disastrous embarrassment, two more to the Jays now tonight, the second coming after the bats came alive and erased a three run deficit. Completely fucking brutal - and it makes it once again more and more like 2006 all over again. Back then when he popped his A.L. East cherry, it seemed like he was on pace to allow 50 homers, which is the pace he's set this month. Is there hope that everyone else can continue to lose tonight? I guess - 3-0 Minnesota over Texas and Detroit is five up on the Rays, but Jesus Christ - there is no way in hell they can hope to compete down the stretch if their "ace" and "Cy Young candidate" is pitching like this. Well - Bay erases this latest gopher ball by hitting one of his own. And with Nick Green mopping up last night's disaster, I guess the bullpen is ready to go. Please Tito, don't send that waste product out for the sixth.

It is money related, but the Rays have enough talent to let a guy who is starting a relatively expensive contract go - but what no one is mentioning is how foolish it is to do this on August 29, and then trading him to the team you'll meet in the playoffs which you are only a few games out right now - with six games against the stumblebums who are hanging on by their teeth. And anyway, the deal is dead anyway. I am sure the Rays will dangle Kazmir in the off-season, along with Carl Crawford. They've got the talent to survive and thrive and unlike the Marlins, they won't have to have a couple of horrible years before they see the benefits of dumping players.

There are multiple reports about this so it seems likely it will happen but it makes zero sense, IMHO. The Rays are trying to win the WC and if they do, they'll face the Angels. Why make a trade that makes their path to the ALCS harder? Why make their opponent, who has won with hitting and mediocre pitching for the most part, better? I could understand if they put Kazmir on the market in November but why do it now?

I aim to please. If every other Christmas CD makes you puke, than I imagine the ultimate anti-Christmas CD will be the exception to the rule. Hope it works out for ya.

It sounds atrocious and I am guessing that only die-hard Dylan fans would want to set a Christmas mood while listening to him allegedly "sing" holiday tunes. I think I'd rather hear Billy Idol's Christmas record of a couple years ago.

I'll go with a surprising one this week: "Please Come to Boston" by Dave Loggins This is from Wolfgang's Concert Vault and captures the successful songwriter (who knew Kurt Cobain called him an influence? Certainly not me) on the cusp of when his big hit was starting to rise up the charts (the fact that the song was #2 in the setlist and doesn't really get much of a response from the audience shows this). What can I say? A blast from my past, a seventies hit that stands up to the passage of time, and its cool to hear the tune as it was written, guitar + vocals and no studio sweetening.

The White Sox took three of four at home from the Yankees about two weeks ago. Coincidentally, they are in the Bronx tonight through Sunday.

On the topic of Ortiz, here are the stats I referenced earlier. From the Globe: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/reds...as/extra_bases/ Since Ortiz started hitting on May 20, his .840 OPS is second on the team, and his .520 SLG leads the team. If he keeps it up, he could be a difference-maker the rest of the way. And it certainly suggests that the team doesn't have to plan on finding a replacement for 2010.

I surely thought you were above that, Dave. If you hadn't expressed some admiration for Ortiz, I'd have guessed that a comment about "Big Sloppi" being back on steroids would be next.