Dan Gould

Well, this has got two huge strikes against it: The subject matter Oliver Stone even though this is reportedly not any sort of political screed and just a straightforward celebration of heroism and survival, its not something I need to see at all. I'm with you, Brownie, that Stone is a horrid film maker. Wall Street has got to be one of the worst films of all-time, I don't know what scene is more lame/annoying: when he berates his father in the elevator, with all that jumpy hand-held camera work; or when Gekko decides to dump the stock, the camera is shooting from down below, over his desk and up at his face, and suddenly the lights go out. WTF??? I hate those sudden power outages on Wall Street.

Met Fans: You have deep and serious problems with your extraordinarily high-priced "closer". Thanks for the help!

Given that in the course of two hours any thread is unlikely to fall off of the first page of the "view new posts" page, yes, you did. Its frankly like a child in a high chair who throws his food down because he wants some attention.

Well, that answers my emailed question, Marty! I wonder if Evan or David Gartner can make it.

That sounds like the soundtrack to hell. And no, I don't mean the Kenny G - Muzak hell, but the real, wretched, fire and brimstone, lake of fire H - E - Double Hockey Sticks HELL. Does it help if one is completely mentally unbalanced to enjoy that "music"? I imagine it can only help. Great name though! Surely it sounds like a musical representation of "Black Vomit". Can't wait for the smash hit follow-up, Body Convulsing Dry Heaves.

Jeez Allen, did you expect the program to include an acknowledgement, "Based on an Original Idea by Allen Lowe"???

Gay porn with subheading "rape". He seemed disturbed to find out that none of it was real.

7-0? Try 9 - 0

Because if you listen to it, followed immediately by "I Like Big Butts And I Cannot Lie," the decline and fall of pop music, and civilization, is undeniable.

Just win the next two, OK? Gotta celebrate the wins when I can; they don't come often against these guys! Well I hope you really enjoyed it while it lasted, cuz this loss tonite is the damn ugliest, most pathetic collapse I've seen in years, probably ever. God I hope the Yanks don't take this as the jumping off point for a streak.

Fanta Apple. Trust me. Only if one of the Fanta girls brings the can, opens it and pours it down my throat. While Mrs. Gould is out of town.

The Babe also did it playing in a diluted (whites only) talent field. Don't you think he may have hit a couple less if some of his abs had been against the likes of Satchel Paige, et al? I think all sports records are pretty much meaningless. There are no two comparable eras. If it's not racist restrictions on who can play, the ready availability of steriods, the composition of the ball, the DH era, or the changing mound height, it's the changing technology. Two ball players from different generations have never played on equal footing, and attmepts to compare their relative abilities and accomplishments are futile, in my opinion. I agree. You forgot to add different rules in place at different times, like the fact that a ball bouncing into the stands in fair territory was a home run during a portion of Ruth's career; yet also a ball that hooked around the fair pole and landed in foul territory wasn't a home run. The Globe's Bob Ryan had a terrific column on just these sorts of things:

Just win the next two, OK? As far as the Phils go ... I hope they cool off by this weekend when the Sox have to face them. Funny how the schedule worked out for the first round of interleague play: 1&2 in both East divisions play each other. I know at the start of the year, this looked like a better deal for the Sox but with the way the Phillies are winning right now ... not so much.

Gold went through the roof during the worst of the Carter-era inflation, as it is always a good bet when inflation is running rampant. Since then, as we know, the Fed has adapted an explicit strategy to maximize growth with the least amount of inflation possible. Now with oil prices rising, its not surprising that gold has been rising as well. Maybe if we help our new buddies Libya maximize their oil production, we can ease the upward pressure on prices, and gold is likely to follow a similar downward trend.

What I especially like is that, even after his face gives it away, he gives it a jolly good try and answers the questions he is asked.

So you didn't keep the Grant Green and Billy Gardner sessions but you are considering one with "a couple of guys with a Grant Green and Billy Gardner thing going"? Hey Chuck, the important thing here is that I am willing to consider giving Braith another chance ... who knows, maybe it will hit me this time and then I'll go back for those original recordings.

He'll always have a big fat asterisk next to his name as far as I'm concerned. No, not an asterisk - that's unfair to the likes of Roger Maris. Better to give him one of these: † ...the better to nail himself to. <shrug> In 100 years they'll chuckle at our quaint disdain for steroid usage among athletes. Guy I'd love to hear how you get from near-universal testing in all professional sports today to "chuckling at our quaint disdain for steroid usage" in a hundred years. There may always be an ongoing battle between chemists and testing methods, but there is no way in hell people will end up applauding chemical enhancements. Or let me guess - you thought Canseco's book, with its ode to the wonders of steroids and their future embrace was spot on? Or maybe if Barry wasn't such an ornery son of a bitch we'd embrace him now ...

Yeah...and that organist is Billy Gardner reincarnate! Those guys really have Braith's BN recordings in their veins! (and yes Lon, I am a non-recovering Braith-o-holic) If I were to buy just one (for now), would the Barcelona disc be the best choice? I might go for the Bop Bap Boom CD...it's got more of a variety of stuff on it. Some live organ stuff with Detroit guys who play with James Carter...some home recordings by George ect.... It's like a good sampler. OK, here's my problem: I never warmed to Braith enough to keep his BN stuff (forgive me). But I can certainly enjoy a couple of guys with a Grant Green and Billy Gardner thing going, so I'm thinking that the best possible thing for me is the Barcelona disc.

Excellent, can we expect a concert DVD with that upcoming live disc?

What, no pictures? I wanted to see what the 50th ranked female chess player looks like. I figured since she's not top ten, there's still a chance she might be hot, but we'll never know.

I have to agree. Not nearly as impressive as Hank Aron's passing Ruth's record. What would really impress me is if someone could surpass Ruth's HR record not only without steroids, but while smoking, boozing, and eating to excess. That would truly be something. Why? Should this be the model for all baseball players to follow? Bruce, I hope Barry swats past the record. The media is completely anti-Barry. He may have used steroids but so did Sosa, Palmero, and McGuire, amongst others. The guy is not the most personable fellow in the world, but he's had a great career and has worked hard. Go Barry! Mark, Either it must be proven conclusively, or you leave the guy alone. I'm cheering for Barry! Two points: We're not talking about catching and breaking marks held by Sos, Palmiero or McGuire. We're talking about the Babe, Who Did It On Hot Dogs & Beer; and Aaron, Who Did It With Class. How did Barry Do It? Secondly, by the end of the next merry go round spin of the legal system, something very close to conclusive proof will be presented. (I'm surprised that you don't consider Book of Shadows conclusive enough).

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance. Well there's a comment that cries out for clarification/extention. Not meant to be a "dis" of Chuck, for whom I have unbounded respect, but he's never been much of a one for Soul Jazz. (And I guess he pays musicians a bit better than Joe, as well.) MG I don't think that recording soul jazz gets you "back to zero in my world", and I doubt its his business model either: artists know what the deal is when they sign on. My guess is that there have been business acts that Chuck finds objectionable, but I doubt we'll hear about them.

Oh my God that's Howie Mandel - I swear I could not place that face (guess the soul patch and shaved head threw me) ... and yet it was so darn familiar looking.

You trying to hurt me, Chuck? Don't worry, I still

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance. Well there's a comment that cries out for clarification/extention.