Dan Gould

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.

Please tell me you took those lyrics from the jacket and didn't actually transcribe them.

I've watched bits and pieces, and definitely seen enough to have learned: People are both greedy and dumb. I saw one contestant refuse $48,000 when all that was left was $50,000 and $300,000, and a handful of tiny amounts. I mean how stupid can anyone be? They're offered the equivalent of the second highest prize, guaranteed, but because there's a big number left, they refuse it. And they lose. I did see the end of Friday's show, and I am kinda curious if the cute girl is going to be smart enough to take the last offer. But considering what the show has already demonstrated, I expect that she will be greedy and dumb.

I'd love to know what the difference is between "Classics" and "Originals". Sounds like the marketing department just couldn't make up their minds.

My faithful dog, Coltrane.

Wow, Matsui out with a broken wrist. Pretty much the only way he'd leave the lineup, actually ... can't say I am upset that he'll be out of the lineup, though it would certainly be more satisfying if we beat you out its with the full roster. Tough loss, my Yankee friends, but you were doing well with Matsui basically being a non-factor, and you've got some talent on the bench. I just wouldn't play Bernie too regularly. Give Bubba and Melky a chance and see what they give you, and then when Sheffield is back, go with the better of the two. What's real hard is that wrist injuries are very tough to come back. Just ask Nomar - he just hurt the tendons and it took forever to come back and even longer to regain his power stroke. In fact, if you look at the numbers, he never did regain it. Matsui might not miss so much power though while he's playing at the Stadium. That short porch doesn't take much to reach. Tough loss ... hope you get Matsui back the day after we clinch!

Given the time period, I would have to assume that the loss to Quarry came at the end of his career, long after his prime. For what its worth, also, ESPN refers to the Ellis loss as a "disputed decision". There's no doubt that Patterson wasn't a great heavyweight ... but it ought to be remembered that he was hardly a heavyweight to begin with! The man won Gold at Helsinki in 1952 as a Middleweight! To go from there to heavyweight champion, twice, is a tremendous accomplishment. He wasn't Top 10 all-time, but he was a pretty darn good fighter, all things considered. He was undersized, but oversized when it came to heart and guts. And its very sad how his final years went.

I hope not.

If we take Clemens at his word, the final rdecisionimately depend on what team looks strongest when he makes his decision, if indeed he wants above all else to "win" once again. So as long as Houston continues to play well, I think the odds grow less and less that he will leave his home, and the comfort of NL lineups, to deal with the AL East. What's really clear is that none of these teams can afford any sort of significant slump or to fall off the pace by more than a few games. Personally, of course, I am hoping that "completing the circle" will appeal most and he'll come back home to Fenway, but as long as Houston is playing well, I don't think anyone will pry him away. Not even 30 million from King George.

True. I predict both will recover a certain level of prowess but how much exactly will be critical to their team's final performance.

Schilling has sucked ever since FranCOMA left him out for 133 pitches in Cleveland in freaking APRIL. From the Boston Globe:

Sad news. Glad I picked up the CD mentioned in this thread. I also recommend that Inc[/i[ disc from DIW.

Boy I'll say! Sure it's early, but the guy is on pace to hit 86 doubles! The record is 67 by Red Sox Earl Webb in 1931. I love doubles hitters. And the fact he's playing 2nd base for you too is a highly valuable extra (he did a wee bit of that for Florida last year I see. I wasn't aware of that.) Quite the turnaround from last season and the post-trade murmurings. I don't think Lowell has played an inning away from third base. In fact, even as Loretta was slumping horribly, Tito has hardly given the guy a day off and started Alex Cora.

Its early, but are there any comments from the Yankee contingent so far? Is Unit starting to scare you? So far you couldn't write a better storyline for how the first two games have gone: Mirabelli's return; Damon a non-factor; Papi homers off of the Serial Killer you signed specifically to get him out ... Now Beckett and Gonzales return to the Bronx and bring back some bad memories. Funny how the Sox came up with huge homers into stiff, stiff winds - and Gonzales hits one of them? Truly unbelievable. Personally I am still concerned about the number 5 starter, but at least Wells is working toward a return. Considering how well Foulke has pitched since getting the knee injections, its not totally out of the realm of possibility for Wells to return and be effective. But what excites me most is that the hitting is coming around, with Lowell looking to be a major pickup, Pena showing that he is willing to learn and work at his plate discipline, Loretta finally starting to hit. I've gotta be pleased that the offense is coming around and we still don't have Crisp back. Where would the Yanks be if Damon or Sheffield went down for six weeks? Staying highly competitive is a good sign that this team is built to compete all the way into October. And let's not forget Mr. Papelbon!

anyone?

OK, there is no clear place to put this, so I'll try here, as there are many Dime denizens here. Someone is seeding a copy of B.B. King's appearance on Austin City Limits from 1982, something I've been hoping to find ever since I picked up a copy of "Big Blues Extravaganza" which has one track from the concert. My problem: I do not have a DVD burning drive. So what I am looking for is someone who will volunteer to take the raw files that I download and complete the authoring of a DVD for me, if I send them a couple of data discs. Please PM. Or, if anyone else has a better way ... please PM.

I would have to assume these don't exist anymore, since there have been active Vee Jay reissue programs that coincided with Grant's sudden take-off in popularity. Surely this would have been reissued if they had it.

Hey this worked!!! Thanks! Congratulations, but now I think you're obligated to tell us just what unique music was on this disc. Seriously, I hope you burn a backup or two if its worth that much to you.

I can't trace it now, but I've seen something on a BB about it, or maybe had an e-mail from Mosaic that I didn't keep (unlikely). Apparently, it's only going to include records Les made as a sole leader, so the ones he made with Groove Holmes, Jazz Crusaders, Teddy Edwards & Clifford Scott won't be included. MG Edit - It's not in the Mosaic upcoming projects list yet. First of all, I say this as a fan of McCann. I have most if not all of his PJ records. Considering that MC is on record as saying that he can't see a full-blown Three Sounds Mosaic set, why would he possibly be planning, or even considering, a Less McCann set? It would suffer from the exact same drawback: There's no variation in the albums, and too damn many of them (necessitating such a large number of discs that it becomes a very expensive set). In fact, the more logical approach would be to make a Select that brings together the sets that had guests on board. I would be very surprised if this comes to fruition, and if it does, I may just have to drive to Stamford myelf to point out to Michael that he no longer has an excuse for not doing a full blown Three Sounds Mosaic set.

Well, I was too late on that Cadence sale, but I am pleased to report that the Hicks CD, Moanin' - Portrait of Art Blakey has been reissued by Venus. I picked up a copy from Cadence and it has a 2006 copyright, so its not an old disc they found lying around. Not mini-LP format, but in the usual, outstanding Venus sound. Tunes are No Problem Whisper Not Nica's Dream Moanin' Blues March A Night in Tunisia I'd expect that Cadence will keep this in stock, mostly, and highly recommend it.

I guess its not late-period but the ultimate Hank ballad performance, for me, is "I Should Care". Not treated as a ballad, but Hank's feature (and quite a feature it is) on Breakthrough is "Summertime".