Dan Gould

BTW, great video and performance from Detroit on that media page.

Can't wait to download and unzip. Thanks!

Peter Bernstein is a fine guitarist, and hardly a slavish imitator of Grant. Or perhaps no one should listen to the "Vice Prez" unless he's heard all of Lester Young's recordings?

What was that about having a chance tonight? I had a feeling your guy would have trouble with the lineup. Gotta say, seeing Drew and Coco start to hit, and Manny and Papi hit for power, gives me a much better feeling about holding off the Yankees. And I saw the one stat that shows how improved the pitching is: 6 shutouts so far this year, equal to all of last year.

Players are paid bi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th, but their entire salary is paid over the six months of the regular season. So if you're making, say, 12 million a "year" you will get paid a million dollars on the 1st and 15th, April through September. The only thing I may be wrong on is the start and end dates. For regular people, you get paid for the work you've performed. That suggests that players get paid starting the 15th of April and carrying through to the 1st of October. Must be rough having to budget for the entire winter. Not to mention the extra two weeks of the season before that first check hits. Fortunately I believe they get a food per diem of like $300.

Is Jones in his walk year? If so, he picked a bad year to have a crummy season! Yeah, and with Boras as his agent, at his age, he should be close to A-Rod dollars. I'm finding it interesting that there is all this talk about the three major CF free agents (Ichiro, Andruw and Hunter) and Boston when they've got the superstar phenom, Ellsbury, getting his finishing school work done at Pawtucket. Of course, this could be the off-season that Manny is finally moved, and I'm certain they will do whatever is necessary to clear Coco out but still ... if you're going to talk about building up the minor league system and produce a prospect as good as Ellsbury, why are people talking about Ichiro or Andruw as targets?

Well my question about the roster is moot: Schilling was placed on the DL moments ago. Tito said they would be cautious about it, so this is no surprise really. I am guessing that Big Schill will finally get around to a blog entry now that he's pretty much done with the doctors for the time being. Its just as well - if he had posted about his start right afterwards, as he usually has done, I was going to give him a piece of my mind about his status as "ace" and his worthiness of another contract. Now that we know he's hurt, I think I'll keep my prior thoughts to myself and just hope he gets healthy and can pitch effectively when he comes back.

Players are paid bi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th, but their entire salary is paid over the six months of the regular season. So if you're making, say, 12 million a "year" you will get paid a million dollars on the 1st and 15th, April through September. The only thing I may be wrong on is the start and end dates. For regular people, you get paid for the work you've performed. That suggests that players get paid starting the 15th of April and carrying through to the 1st of October.

Its now official that Schilling will not pitch on Sunday. With Thursday's offday, Beckett comes back on regular rest to take that spot, and Tavarez would pitch Monday in Seattle. That leaves Tuesday as a TBA, and that also happens to be Lester's scheduled turn for Pawtucket. That would seem the obvious move unless they really think that Lester still needs time in AAA before getting the call. I'm sure he'd be thrilled if he gets the call, he's from Washington state so it would allow him to make his return to the majors in front of plenty of friends and family. Edit to add that Schilling initially feared that he had re-injured his labrum in that, when that happened previously, he had the same experience of throwing in the 90s and then inexplicably throwing in the 80s. The difference was that when he was seriously injured, he didn't feel pain when the velocity dropped but did feel it the following morning. This time, no pain. So that explains the "clean" MRI. If we're lucky its nothing worse than lingering dead arm period and he can return to some semblance of his usual self. As far as Lester goes, it will be interesting what they do to make room on the roster. Logic dictates that you disable Schilling but if they feel that he won't need the full 15 days, they may not want to do that, in which case they'll have to do something in the bullpen. Only Lopez has options left; only Timlin deserves to be released.

Well, ESPN had an interesting stat: games with 5 ER or more prior to the ASB. Schilling's numbers are 2, 3, 3, and .... 5 already this year. Anyway you slice it, that's not a pretty stat. Thank heaven Beckett went back to business as usual last night, and the Yanks lost so we're back to a 9 game lead.

My take on "difficult" music is really simple: Music is a basic pleasure of life along with eating sleeping and sex. I cannot imagine a desire to spend any amount of time dealing with music that does not evoke immediate pleasure or requires anything resembling "heavy lifting" to "appreciate".

Not to mention that GHF hated the Gene Harris track. Talk about your difficult music.

I think Kevin got it right. Seriously, all the best in your recovery. And if it means more time relaxing and playing jazz, so be it.

Now its official: Schilling Returns to Boston for Precautionary MRI Can hardly blame the team for being a bit alarmed at his inability to reach 90 mph in his 80 pitches last night. And maybe this will allow him to get his shit together so that no one has to suffer through a start quite so horrible again. In the meantime, presuming that the MRI shows something and he skips a start or goes on the DL, I am perfectly comfortable seeing Lester or even Gabbard take his spot.

In Pennsylvania not only do we elect our DAs but we elect our judges as well. Now that's fucked up. I'll go you one better - how about electing sheriffs, too? Don't worry about law enforcement training, education, experience - elect your favorite good ol' boy. Much better that way.

I don't think that Schilling gives away any real strategy in his blog, because each game and each batter is supposed to get a new strategy of how to get him out. Revealing something about it afterwards isn't telling that much about strategy. Plus, he rarely describes the full sequence of an at-bat, he usually just talks about the pitch he got the out on. Any advance scout who is charting his pitches knows all there is to know about his strategy and approach, he doesn't need to consult the blog. That's why Schilling and Tek work on new strategies with each start. As for the venom, it is there because of his ludicrous and now utterly laughable assertion about expecting to be the number one pitcher on that staff, and if that means winning 25 because Beckett wins 24, so be it. At this point, it would take extraordinary run support for Schilling to get 15 wins. He's the number 4 pitcher, barely, and with the Yankees winning, we need him to be what he was. And honestly, right now I would rather keep Tavarez, DL Schilling and bring up Lester or even Gabbard. Tavarez has been a far more consistent pitcher than Schilling, and despite facing other team's aces more often than anyone else on the staff, he's managed to keep the team in games very consistently - he's had an ERA under 4 in his past five starts, iirc.

As plausible as that sounds, I am guessing that he actually has an injury that he won't quite acknowledge. He gave an interesting non-answer to that question last night: There was no "I'm not hurt, I'm just struggling right now" statement. My guess is that he will blow up a couple of more games and then go on the DL. At least that means that Lester will finally get his chance. Here's another thing to worry about with the Red Sox senior citizen pitching staff. Do they have the guts to recognize that Mike Timlin truly has nothing left and at some point decide to designate him for assignment? I am afraid that they'll never do that to the "dean" of the bullpen and instead he will forever take up a roster spot much better filled by one of the kids at Pawtucket like Hansack or Breslow. The only hope to get him out of there is another stint on the DL for General Crapitude, AKA "elbow tendinitis".

And no, he didn't start the season with two strong games. He actually embarassed himself by lasting four innings in KC and allowing five runs on 8 hits. Let me put it as succinctly as possible. Curt Schilling without a mid-90s fastball is not a comfortable sight. He's come to look like Tom Glavine - if he's not perfect, he gets hammered.

String him up by his bloody sock. Then in August we'll hang Manny by his jock strap! Sheeesh, what have ya done for me lately? Yes, some duds in there, but also excellent games. Started the season with 2 games going 7 innings each, 1 R & 2 R given up. 10 K to 2 BB combined between the 2 games. Those are "quality" quality starts. Early April games & stats count too. Cleveland - 7 innings, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K. Cleveland does not suck, 'specially on offense. He didn't have it against the Tigers, yet despite 8 hits + 4 BB in 6 innings he allowed only 2 runs. Ugly as hell, but only 2 runs against another very good team. No, at 41 he's not the stud he once was. But man, given that you didn't hang Beckett from the tallest tree during last year, maybe cut the guy a little slack. Pitchers aren't machines. Be grateful you have a guy known for a bloody sock and not a fatigued groin. He could barely crack 90 with his fastball - and wouldn't even use it in a critical spot against the opponent's pitcher. Last year, his ERA was 4.74 and 5.22 in July and August. The only reason he kept his season ERA under 4 was that he had "banked" so many good starts before then that on the same day, June 18 2006, he beat Atlanta and lowered his ERA to 3.55, three quarters of a run lower than it stands today. Look at his starts this season and his decline is unmistakeable. I don't deny that he will have his good and his bad days, but its obvious that he now has more bad days than good days and on top of that, the natural trend is to get worse as the summer warms up. A 5.00 ERA is inevitable, in my opinion, and it ought to shame him into announcing his retirement. And as far as bloody socks go, I will always appreciate and respect what he did that year. But yes, its a what have you done for me lately game - that's why Theo didn't jump at the chance to sign him for next season.

Can anyone fucking believe that was the same Curt Schilling who almost threw a no-no against Oakland? Check out his stats in the games before and since and there is only one conclusion: it was a fluke. A complete and total fluke, and this man has NOTHING whatsoever left. He walks the 8th hitter to get to the pitcher and throws junk outside like he's fucking Barry Bonds??? What the fucking hell is his problem? 348 games with at least one strikeout, and the streak comes to an end. Can you be surprised, when he dials it up to 90 about three times all game? Its one thing to be thrilled that he is not signed for next season, its something else to live in fear that he is the weakest link in the rotation and may ultimately be the reason if this season fails to live up to its early promise. What's a realistic over/under on his ERA? Its 4.20 now - and we haven't even reached the hot weather when balls start flying out of stadiums. It will be a miracle if his ERA is 4.5 and I fear it will end up being over 5. If he has any pride left at all, by the end of the season he will announce that he cannot compete at this level anymore and will retire rather than embarrass himself further next season. We'll see if he approves what I promise will be a blistering post to his blog when he puts up whatever crap he writes about his pathetic, sorry ass.

Question for fans of the senior league: Does anyone think that the Mets/Braves/Padres/Dodgers could possibly compete with the best of the AL? I don't know what the results are so far in interleague play (I heard that the AL is kicking ass) but watching the Mets snore there way to another loss - the team most seemed to think have a strong chance to reach the World Series, I'm having a very hard time imagining any of these teams being worthy WS participants. The Dodgers and Padres can pitch but not hit, the Mets are starting to look very old (Delgado, El Duque, Glavine) and as Conrad has told us many times, the Braves aren't exactly the powerhouse they used to be. I know its early, and trades could change things by the time the playoffs come around, but right now, I don't see how any of the NL "powerhouses" can compete with the Red Sox/Angels/Indians/Tigers/Yankees. They'd probably have trouble with the A's even.

Very funny video clip of Roger Clemens offering his services to the New York Yankees in 2057 here.

Fact I wasn't aware of til recently: Jackie Chiles was portrayed by Phil Morris who is the son of Greg Morris, Barney Collier on the original Mission Impossible tv show.

Let's see ... Beckett is getting pounded tonite, and has allowed two home runs allready. If he's back to last year, his season will go south in a hurry. Regardless the lead will be 7.5. The Yankees get the Mets now as the Mets also hit their biggest streak of incompetent baseball of the season. Mark them down for two out of three. Drew, Lugo and Crisp can't hit their way out of a paper bag. My best hope is that it will be all even by the time the ASB rolls around. We joke about Yankee injuries but at that point I will be sticking pins into any Yankee object I can get my hands on.

Goodness, I can see why: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?...54587&BAB=E Venus has been running cheesecake lingerie shots on their covers for quite a while but nothing that naked. Makes me wonder what they'll do next.