Dan Gould

After 22 years of listening to rock/pop, I heard and grasped Charlie Parker and big band (Ellington) immediately as music that I liked and wanted to hear more of.

As for the music offered on the site that shall now remain nameless, I just looked at his latest posting: Disco-fied by Rhythm Heritage. And check out the first two cuts: The title track Caravan Does anyone really want to hear a disco-fied version of "Caravan"? I don't even want to hear another jazz version of "Caravan" but that deserves a thousand 's

Its a somewhat interesting attempt at what he's trying to codify. I think its sort of interesting that his A1 category doesn't include anything that is associated with contemporary/smooth/quiet storm type music. I think it lands in the same category of accessibility, and by his own definition, he acknowledges that some won't identify it as "jazz". Beyond that, its seems like a set of categories that "work" but aren't really that informative. For that matter, swing doesn't get an explicit place though he says that bop is squarely in category 3. And where does hard bop fit in, particularly if hard bop was an attempt to make bop more earthy, which implies more accessibility?

This report by Sean McAdam of the Providence paper really puts in stark relief how sick and tired Manny's teammates had grown, and why Theo felt obligated to make this move: Now, did those veterans include Papi, and did he feel that Manny was hurting the team, too? I don't know, but if by "veterans" he meant the greybeards, I'd bet that Lowell, Varitek and Wakefield had all exhausted their patience with Manny and let Theo know. You can throw in Drew, too, which is kind of ironic since he's seen as such a passive player, but whether he shows it or not, he does have pride in what he does, and I don't think he respects Manny either. And this is a telling statement from Theo in today's presser:

And it will be a lot less interesting. That may be what you want, but the '04 team (with Millar & Damon as well) sure was colorful. they were colorful and they were fun, and I don't think we're going to turn into the button-down, corporate clubhouse of the Yankees. Just no more guys who lack respect for the guys with them in the trenches and who won't command special privileges, or abuse people and situations because they can. And Millar and Damon and Trot and Papi were all guys who respected the game and their teammates. It was really Pedro and Manny who didn't and kept pushing and pushing and no one ever pushed back, until now. for me though I am going to enjoy watching the Dodgers not reap unbelievable benefits from Manny. Yeah, Papi is without Manny now. And Manny doesn't have on-base machines batting in front of him, and he's got a geriatric second baseman protecting him. Manny won't have as many run-scoring opportunities, and he will be pitched around more often, and he'll play in bigger parks where he'll have to crush some balls to get them out, and where his defensive shortcomings will be on much greater display. And what happens when he discovers that everyone leaves in the seventh inning to avoid the traffic? What if he decides he should be able to leave too? I joke, but that's the way Manny's mind works.

The Globe reported that the team held an informal poll of "veterans" and the message was that unless something is done, Francona would "lose the clubhouse" over all the things Manny had done/said and gotten away with. His planned 11 game vacation was just outrageous and shows such disrespect for his teammates. I think it boils down to Manny believing that since the club picked up Pedro's option and did it well before the deadline, if he played well at the start, they'd do the same thing or even come to him and start talks for another contract. It didn't happen, Manny decided they wouldn't pick up the option regardless, and decided he had to force them to get rid of him. Going forward, this team is going to concentrate on signing and keeping professionals. Guys who take their job seriously, who don't expect special treatment, respect the game and their teammates. No more prima donnas like Manny and Pedro (both of whom, you'll note, were inherited by Theo, not signed by him). And no more guys who take an extra couple of days at the break. No more of that crap, and that I believe will produce a more harmonious clubhouse without any excessive egos.

So did I! Its Gonna Happen!

Here's something to wonder about - who adjusts to different, unfamiliar pitchers quicker? If the AL throws more offspeed stuff and the NL is the fastball league - well I don't know if Bay hits or takes some time to adjust, but I know that Manny got beat more and more on fastballs, and as one report had it this week, he very noticeably sat when power pitchers were on the mound, like King Felix and Joba. Manny may not excel in the NL - and that will make me smile. If he's lucky, I'll have forgiven him by the time he's inducted into the Hall in a Sox cap.

Well the Rays stood pat, but they've got that Price guy to bring up in August or September, and he's a helluva pitcher. And no Washburn to the Yanks, so its Rasner and Ponson until they decide to give Kennedy another shot. And in the meantime, they've now acknowledged that Wang is unlikely for the start of September, he's still in a walking boot for a week or so. Best case may be middle of September to get his arm in shape and that is really running out of time. I saw in one of the tabs that even though Hughes threw a few innings, he's unlikely before September either.

Better defensively at least...and I bet he runs it out every time. And that will help the other players no doubt, correct??? ESPN is talking about it finally.....Hansen and Moss also go to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh made up for the lousy trade to the Yankees(Unless that double A guy really turns into something) Brandon Moss is a very Solid player but really no room for him now in Boston . This is a good trade for the SOX!!! I am PISSED that they sent Moss away. There absolutely is room for him - Coco goes away next year and he is the fourth outfielder. Moss has big time upside, very solid defensively, he's the better player than the guy they sent to Texas for Gagne who ended up with near All-Star first half numbers. This flat out SUCKS to lose him! And on top of that, to lose him for Bay when apparently he could have gone to the Royals for Mahay, a decent reliever? That makes it even worse - they give up an arm (OK, an arm everyone was tired of waiting for) and get nothing for the bullpen and lose Moss. This displeases me greatly. How long before Bowden AND Bard are called up to help the bullpen? Because there's nothing else they can do now. The only other hope is that Oki has looked better lately, but I still don't trust him like I did before. Just focus your anger on Manny....if he had played hard, none of this would have been forced into happening. Jason Bay had the most walks on the Pirates, and will play hard, I think you guys will find that so refreshing, it will make up for the lack of production(But, with guys on base all the time, I bet he goes back to being a 100+ RBI guy again) The important thing is that now its settled, its done, its time to "turn the page" and concentrate on the task ahead. There are a lot of veteran guys who know what it takes, and a lot of good young players who only know how to play hard. If they miss the playoffs, they weren't good enough, and Manny wouldn't have made a difference - there are lots of other places to point the blame: bullpen, Varitek's decline, Ellsbury's struggles. What will be interesting in the next few days is what kind of honest commentary the Boston media will get out of the players. I'm sure we'll hear more that more than a few said good fucking riddance, while a few others will say "we needed his bat".

Better defensively at least...and I bet he runs it out every time. And that will help the other players no doubt, correct??? ESPN is talking about it finally.....Hansen and Moss also go to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh made up for the lousy trade to the Yankees(Unless that double A guy really turns into something) Brandon Moss is a very Solid player but really no room for him now in Boston . This is a good trade for the SOX!!! I am PISSED that they sent Moss away. There absolutely is room for him - Coco goes away next year and he is the fourth outfielder. Moss has big time upside, very solid defensively, he's the better player than the guy they sent to Texas for Gagne who ended up with near All-Star first half numbers. This flat out SUCKS to lose him! And on top of that, to lose him for Bay when apparently he could have gone to the Royals for Mahay, a decent reliever? That makes it even worse - they give up an arm (OK, an arm everyone was tired of waiting for) and get nothing for the bullpen and lose Moss. This displeases me greatly. How long before Bowden AND Bard are called up to help the bullpen? Because there's nothing else they can do now. The only other hope is that Oki has looked better lately, but I still don't trust him like I did before.

Did the Pirates accept only Dodger prospects? Then this deal is fine with me. Funny that after trying to keep him down for so many years, now Joe Torre gets to pencil in Manny's name into what has been a pretty anemic lineup.

That was the straight-up deal that the Dodgers offered.

I wanted him gone but at the right price. It appears that the Marlins wanted more money and more prospects, which is ridiculous when you consider we lose two picks by not keeping him until he leaves via free agency. The problem with Bonds (beyond the obvious) is that its August - when does he get ready and how do you know he can still play at all? I'll tell you what though, if Manny shuts it down, then they might as well go for Bonds as the only option that no one could block. Because if they get a trade in place, they won't get Manny through waivers, because there will always be teams that will want to block his appearance in their division, plus they won't know if the Sox would just let him go and let them pay him the rest of the way. Of course that isn't the worst move since they'd get the draft picks next year. As Olney said on ESPN, this can get ugly now. How do you get Manny to play? Can Boras now convince him that the only way to make sure he gets a decent contract is to suck it up and play like he cares, show he's a team guy in the end? Do you recruit Papi or Varitek or Lugo or Lowell to tell him to shut his mouth and play? That could work or it could backfire. I can see Manny not giving a shit the rest of the way, the team slides out of the playoffs, and that's it. Which wouldn't be the very worst thing except for the possibility that his stats won't get us "A" compensation for him. EDIT to say that the Globe is reporting that a deal has gone down. If they blinked and included decent prospects like Bard or heaven help us, Masterson, I am going to be PISSED.

No one seems to know if he's going to be part of a platoon or actually go back to CF. I'd agree its nice to see him potentially get a shot at the playoffs and maybe a ring, but after watching him in June, he's just a shell of his former self. You really have to groove one over the plate for him to catch up to it. I think you'll see a lot of opposing managers go ahead and challenge him by walking whoever is in front of him. And if he is going to play CF, that will be a disaster.

Give 'em time. It's still July. They still have two months to fuck the whole thing up. You know, Paul, after your team overcame an embarrassing history of failure, you'd think you might actually be willing to see the Cubs do the same. But I guess old habits never die.

A standing ovation is outrageous. The man said they don't deserve a "great player" like him! Yeah, he tried to say he "loves the fans" but that's crap. If you loved the fans you'd suck it up and play when you are needed. You'd play hard the rest of the way, and earn a fucking contract extension, or a big deal from someone else. Gammons says he has a fantasy that he can get 4/100 from someone? Boras must have been on crack when he told him that. And he's never loved the fans anyway - he's bitched and moaned about how hard it is to have a normal life in Boston because of the fans. That's been his complaint all along, and he's asked to be traded how many times? Now he calls ownership to blame? Fuck him. What I do think Boras said is that right now I can market you as a historically great slugger/run producer. But if you play well enough for the Sox to pick up the option, that becomes harder and harder to do as you get older, because everyone will look at you as someone who's best years are far behind him. So you need to do whatever is necessary to make sure you are a free agent this year - play hard intermittently, show some flashes, then pitch a fit to make sure they trade you. And if they don't trade you, its shut-down mode for the rest of the year. I can excuse that as "Manny Being Manny". Fuck him.

Pizzicato? I hate it when they bow that thing.

It didn't, but I'm sending a PM myself and I've put it on hold for you.

Anybody else hearing three-way deal with Jason Bay going to BoSox? Manny to Marlins, pending him waiving his no-trade clause ... I could deal with that result. Bay has similar numbers this season, and has usually had a high OBP and decent SLG percentage. His BA isn't quite like Manny's and he strikes out at a higher rate. But still, he's a solid middle of the lineup bat even if he doesn't bat fourth. And frankly, I am completely fed up with Ramirez for his "the Red Sox don't deserve a great player like me" comment, as well as his claim that they are trying to make him look bad like they supposedly did with Nomar and Pedro. Hey ManRam, you made yourself look bad when you took yourself out of the lineup against the Yankees, a day after NOT coming in for treatment on your supposedly hurting knee. Plus, isn't Bay still a year from free agency? That makes him trade fodder if they go hard for Teix in the off-season. He'd definitely still have value as someone who is cost controlled and would net some draft picks if he leaves as a free agent after 2009. Whereas, if somehow Holliday was involved, they'd be committed to him longer, and going after Teix would mean sending Youk away.

And WGN tomorrow afternoon. I plan to do some housework at the same time.

Or could the Sox get prospects out of Florida and flip them for Holliday? I wouldn't want to take us out of the running for Teix in the Fall but I'd rather have Holliday than some scrub from the Marlins.

Well, that breaks up, a little, the string of outs they've got at the bottom of the lineup. Pudge's OBP and SLG still suck, I believe. And how much is lost with Molina's arm on the bench? They may need to play Molina against the Angels, Rays and Sox just to keep the runners from stealing everything. and what the hell is going on with the Marlins? Would they really trade Manny and pay his salary? And what do they get back? Of course its important to note that he is in the lineup today; if he comes out in the middle of the game then its likely they made a deal, otherwise ... stay tuned til tomorrow.

But there is no trade value - he's a free agent, and even if his stats go downhill, he'll be far and away the best hitter on the market this Fall. And the Yankees will have an opening if they let Giambi walk, the Red Sox will want him to replace Manny's bat (and how bad could Youk be in LF anyway? No worse than Manny, surely). Plus he's a Baltimore guy and that idiot owner will want to make a splash to get ticket sales climbing again and show that they've got some good youngsters and will add a superstar in his prime. Or could he win a WS and decide to stay in Anaheim? They'd certainly like that, since the lineup is getting old, particularly Vladi who doesn't look like the superstar he was.

Really makes you wonder what happened in the two cases that were successful. Or was it just a matter of getting a judge other than the troglodyte who dismissed this case?