Dan Gould

Equally important is the development of a team mentality in the clubhouse, because so much time is spent together in the course of a season. Not for nothing has the phrase 'clubhouse cancer' become commonplace. And while "team spirit" might not have been the only reason the Red Sox won in 2004, I came to truly believe that the "man hugs" they adopted over fist-bumps and high-fives truly showed that they cared about each other, and that was the polar opposite of the 70s Red Sox teams, which had great talent but never won it all and for whom the phrase "25 men, 25 cabs" was coined.

Hey, that dude who just left - he started it!

Up, with price reductions.

Way to go Dan! We are counting on you. And you can indeed count on me.

Well, thanks to someone on the Blindman's Blues forum, I should shortly have a copy of the Baby Face Hollywood 45, and that makes me a happy boy.

I'm flipping through the dial and came across "American Idol Rewind" which is the first season, sold to the syndication market (I can only imagine that its cleared in 100% of the country). And I just have to say, looking back ... Ryan Starr was a helluva babe Kelly Clarkson looked a helluva lot more like the girl next door than she does now At that point in time, Paula must have still been on the good side of 40, because between now and then, she went from still kinda OK to big time "I'm fighting and LOSING the battle with age".

Wait a minute - are you asserting that people who hate jazz are capable of perceiving the current crop of jazz musicians are mediocre and therefore any sense of superiority pisses these people off because they can tell that jazzers are 'full of it'? That's completely ridiculous. Non-jazz fans, even self-proclaimed "haters" of the music are going to recognize that the current group of "mediocre" jazz musicians are in fact mediocre. Maybe, just maybe, they just reject that sense of smug superiority from jazzers, and don't have an f-ing clue about the music itself.

What are those "Holland Sessions" and why did they come out on BN? Late, you might want to look for a vinyl copy of "At Work in Europe" - it was a Prestige two-fer put out in the 70s or early 80s. One LP is with long-time partner Kenny Drew but has the added interest of a second pianist, Frans Weiringa, which I would not have expected Ben to employ, and the setlist is a bit different from his usual, with tunes like The Preacher, Straight No Chaser, and Work Song. Second set is actually the For the Guv'nor recording. First set only issued in Europe as Blow Ben Blow.

Actually, "extremely well-compensated" while true in absolute terms, isn't really a fair description of the salary system in football. Contracts are not guaranteed. That fact alone leads to a lot of players putting their health at risk by playing when they shouldn't be. Signing bonuses are supposed to ease the potential sting of having non-guaranteed contracts, but I believe that players who don't fulfill a contract can be forced to pay back a pro-rated portion of that bonus. Really, while they get paid a great deal of money, the structure of that compensation system can work against the long-term health of the players.

I think a proper education leads people to visit museums and read books after college. Otherwise its just expensive vocational training.

Happy birthday, Conrad. May the Braves get back in the playoffs this year!

While I start work organizing the other CDs, let's throw this one up: Our Man, Papa Jo! Papa Jo Jones (Denon-Japan 1983) Never seen this one elsewhere, its Papa Jo with Hank Jones, Major Holley and Jimmy Oliver on tenor sax Everything NM. $13 shipped in the U.S. NOW $11

Great. Five times as many pledge drives.

You missed an important clue about Al's mental state: He is doing this for STYX records!!!! Get help, Al. Seriously. PS - the speed correction on Goldwave is a cool thing - its allowed me to take 78s and magically turn them into 45s. That Four Sounds demo sounded indistinguishable from Lowe's "best possible" transfer on one of his vintage 78 machines. Edit: What I meant to say is take a 78, play it on a turntable that only handles 33s and 45s, and make it sound right.

Sorry to hear this for all concerned (especially the missing members) but I hope this won't impact my upcoming sales! You think I'm ever gonna leave this place?

I got a nice surprise in today's Globe. We've got tickets for the game against the Orioles in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, and it turns out Schilling is making the bus trip. Making the trip is surprising enough but ever since he joined the team he's refused spring training games against division foes, says he doesn't want them to see what he's working on. If there's no Dice-K, I'd say seeing the big guy is the next preference, so we're happy.

Time to raise some cash so in the near future I will be posting separate lists of CDs and LPs I am looking to part with. But I thought I'd start things off with two of the special things I am offering, plus another larger set that makes a great gift if you know someone just getting interested in jazz. All are in perfect condition. Rare Tracks, The Other Side of Blue Note 4000 Series (TOCJ-5941 - 44) NO OBI Four disc compilation of previously unissued recordings issued in Japan in 1994. Although much of this material has now been issued in various reissues and Mosaic box sets, this is pretty hard to come by in my experience, and what's more, even if you have the music, it makes four great compilation discs. And if you prefer that TOCJ sound, this may be the only way to get these tracks. $80 shipped in the U.S. NOW $70 The Blue Box: Blue Note's Best Four disc compilation of Blue Note tracks from all eras, the perfect gift for someone who is just getting into the music. It was the first gift my wife ever gave me, our first Christmas after we met. You'd think I'd be more sentimental but she's told me over and over again that if I want to sell it, go ahead. And right now, I need a haircut more than I need this set. $20 shipped in the U.S. NOW $15 PM if interested. Paypal is preferred, money orders if necessary. Foreign shipping will be quoted though I'd expect something like $5 more, most likely.

Within weeks of a "paid" issue an EU "public domain" version would be on the market. How much would you pay to clear the legal hurdles, perform the research and place it in the marketplace? $10-20,000? Be my guest. Didn't this happen to the Monk-Coltrane recording anyway? They certainly knew it couldn't be a long-term seller because if it hasn't been issued by the "PD" companies, it will be by next year. I have to guess that the simple fact is that Coltrane and Monk are names that make it worthwhile, but Pres isn't.

Anyone else think that "Dusty Labs" is where the Bastards compose those reviews?

Seeing her live, I saw that she has excellent microphone technique, bringing it close for intimate songs and holding it at just the right distance when she dials up the power to keep everything sounding good.

My wife knows her. They met when she was working as the sound engineer at a supper club in Hollywood, FL and Natalie was brought down from New York to perform. Natalie was very impressed with how Sue made the band sound and they became fast friends. When we visited New York several years ago we caught her show somewhere in the Village. She definitely comes out of the cabaret tradition more than jazz/blues but I'd say that jazz & blues are much more prominent in her voice than the vast majority of cabaret singers. I shared one of her recordings with Jim S., maybe he'll jump in and say more. I know he digged her. Anyone ever watch the show "Cash Cab", where this cab in New York picks up pedestrians and asks them trivia questions for cash? Late last summer they were on it, Natalie and her husband/manager, Billy Joe I think is his name, and they kicked ass. Didn't need any of the "lifelines" and walked away with like $800 or a thousand bucks.

Isn't this a tribute to John Hicks? I think someone posted about it not too long ago. Fathead is at that point in his career where I think its very hard for him not to make a very good to outstanding recording. He's just so deeply into his horn and what he wants to do. Kind of like Teddy Edwards was towards the end of his life (here's hoping for many many more recordings from Fathead!).

Can't say that the music has aged well to me, due to 'classic rock' radio, but way too young to go, that's for sure. Was he the guy also in charge of production for the band? I remember hearing that part of the reason that the band didn't put out many records was because of their perfectionism in the studio, and how they wouldn't stop until the music sounded exactly the way they wanted it.

I tried it a few times but the first one was the best: Treacherous Daniel G.