Dan Gould

OMG: I decided to google Harold Baines Stats and discovered that Google has memory-holed that the Guardians were ever the Indians. I don't care where you came down on the necessity of renaming that franchise, this is BS with a capital B.

Gil Hodges, Buck O'Neil, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Minnie Minoso and someone from the 19th century reach the Hall: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/sports/baseball/buck-oneil-gil-hodges-hall-of-fame.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20211206&instance_id=47090&nl=the-morning&regi_id=68486788&segment_id=76211&te=1&user_id=97b4d9b18a0aa595e5cd5740f64bf5db I think some of these are emblematic of "if you let Harold Baines in they might as well go too", though I don't think the same personal favoritism explains it, just the general watering-down of standards. Baines was never the "don't let this guy beat us" in anyone's lineup, and if I am wrong about that evaluation, he wasn't that guy for more than 2-3 seasons at most. That's no peak. Kinda the same with Jim Kaat, he was a number one pitcher for a stretch but not that long of a time. I used to think he belonged but now that he is in, I am not so sure. I bet Kaat gives a good speech though, and I hope they get the writer of the Buck O'Neil book to speak on Buck's behalf.

Indeed ... and I like Leonard Gaskin's deadpan answer to Percy's what's my favorite song question: "Why Was I Born".

Percy playing Honky Tonk but kept more at a low simmer than was typical. Bob Neloms piano.

Well, GA, be that as it may, the fact is that Landis insisted on the "best interests of the game" clause which allowed future commissioners to take actions that individual owners (and the owners collectively) didn't much appreciate. As for the lockout, I see it as wrong not because they are big-footing the players but because escalation makes no sense when you are on the way toward a work stoppage. In other words, let the players go on strike at the start of Spring Training, which is where this was headed, because they have been feeling mistreated (and I don't deny their reasons for being so even though I think some of their proposals are ludicrous). Kind of apples and oranges don't you think Brad? Are there board of directors for sports leagues in other countries, or are you comparing it to corporate management in other countries? Because David's proposal was for a player from every team having a vote for commissioner - a very long way from a single vote on a board.

The independence of the commissioner was eviscerated a long long time ago. The fact that the commissioner was independent and spoke of "best interest of baseball" was only a result of the Black Sox scandal and the effort to save the game from the stench. At this point why should baseball be any different from the other major sports? Does the NFL have an independent commissioner? Not the last time I thought of it. I don't think any commissioner of a major sports league has independent power like that. And frankly, the idea of players having any vote on commissioner is beyond ludicrous. As for your specific statement about their web property, mlb.com, they are big on assuring people that what they publish is not vetted or approved by MLB - under normal circumstances. These aren't normal circumstances, and I would bet that use of player images is governed by the current CBA. Which no longer exists. I think they had to scrub the site of player images etc.

The Times' take: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/movies/listening-to-kenny-g-review.html

I don't know but Amazon surely isn't showing that this is something they expect to have ready to ship in three days.

Give or take a year.

Commander Peter Quincy Taggart Quellek Captain Queeg

I don't know John, "HATE it" is a lot more visceral to me than DKDC(tm).

Well my friend John did not disappoint, at least in terms of making a gear-grinding change from the November BFT. As we've established a while ago, John and I only occasionally agree on this wide-ranging thing we call jazz, and because I usually suck at IDing, I've decided to change my approach and comment based on Did I Hate it? Or Did I NOT Hate it? (This is also a bit of a play on my last BFT's WWFL approach to some programming.) So with apologies in advance, away we go: TRACK 1: I do NOT hate it. But not sure if I'd hang out for an entire album's worth of this PAR-TAY. TRACK 2: Certainly of it's time, and even more so when I see the titles of the tracks via discogs. I didn't start out hating it, but I unfortunately got to that point somewhere around Joe's over-blowing, and the violin. TRACK 3: I do NOT hate this. I thought the singer got a bit over-mannered at "BLACK ...... coffee" though. Scatting didn't help and I would have liked it more without the strings. Hard shot knocked down by the SS but a single all the way. TRACK 4: Don't Hate/Don't NOT Hate. Love the drummer, don't love the sax. TRACK 5: Same as #4, with a little more emphasis on "Don't NOT Hate". I think 20 years ago or so I'd dig this a lot more, but it reminds me of why Eric Alexander is not so special to me anymore ...mindless note-running. Notes and more notes, for notes-sake. Liked the rest of the group though. TRACK 6: Do NOT Hate ... at the start. I've always dug this tune and the trumpet is very fine ... but that saxophone and his note-running. Ugh. It's like a double, then called out on the hidden-ball trick. Major missed opportunity, for my tastes. TRACK 7: Do NOT Hate this. But I like the sax more than the singer. TRACK 8: Do NOT Hate this, and I say that without reservation. Singer has more appeal than #7, for sure, and I dig the bass. TRACK 9: All I wrote down is HATE it. TRACK 10: Don't know what to say about this except ... mercifully short? Having seen the answers, I am left to wonder whether I would have independently recognized Richard's multitracking vocals technique or not. TRACK 11: HATE it. Shortest duration before I bailed. TRACK 12: HATE it. Only reason it took longer to get the Gong Show treatment was that it took a little longer for the sax to show up. TRACK 13: HATE it - and with those effects, I am afraid we have to wrap up with the dreaded REALLY HATED it. I kind of hope others will adopt my nomenclature. So much more direct and honest than Don't Know Don't Care. Still, always a pleasure John. Hope you get a lot of traffic like last time, you are certainly off to a good start.

Yeah, Michael talks about one mistake sinking them, what if ownership shows up after release and its someone deep pocketed enough to wipe them out?

Both of Jeff's parents died during the month of February 2020. If you go to his profile and search for his content, there's some randomness to the list at first, and then it goes chronological as you might expect. I saw no posts at all indicating any upset with the board or any board member, going back thru most of 2020.

Now looking at some of these Wiki pages, most of my sources are from the website which they may or may not accept for reliability. Who knows if they even think PF is worth of a Wiki entry. I think I'll get to this when I get to it.

I have not but I have been intending to create a Percy France entry from all of the info and knowledge I have garnered in the last 2 years or so (and would be another way to make people aware of percyfrance.info ). So I am wondering about the process: Do you have to be a donor to Wikipedia? Is it truly a matter of writing something up adding footnotes and submitting? What is their process of approval/publishing? I know its supposed to be collaborative but what does that mean when the rubber meets the road? Thanks.

If you're referring to Wilson that was a soccer ball not a coconut, and lost at sea, to boot.

Yeah it felt like BFTs were on life support for a period there but some new blood has really goosed them nicely and they are still going strong. Felser has December and I have January, just so you know.

Keeping Seager out of the Bronx is a godsend. I think this increases the odds of keeping Rizzo, though. Meanwhile the Red Sox first move is ... 1 year for Michael Wacha? At his best, which he hasn't been for years, he might replace E-Rod. Right now about all you are assured of is league average and injury prone. Ugh. I wonder what else will happen today, is it true that without a replacement PA nobody can sign a free agent contract? Makes me wonder what the rest of today will hold, it feels like the trade deadline day only for free agency.

I can't help you Peter but good to see you here. Hope all is well.

Now scheduled December 10 release.

I didn't question my wife about the details she only said she looked up each item in each vaccine to try to determine if it could be risky to her. So I'll mention your info to her. Hardly matters in the end she took Pfizer so she's going to take it again in a little more than three weeks.

I've had Moderna 3X now, no bodily reaction; worst of the arm pain after #3. I do think its the best option available though the differences probably are pretty small. Update on the Mrs: No immediate reaction last night however very sore arm now and also tired, though no other flu-type symptoms. And her mother has said now that first shot 9 days before visit is good enough for her - she's welcome to go to south Florida next weekend.

I've published a few audio clips of Percy back in the summer but ran out of "free time" with the site I used and didn't want to pay for the privilege. Took me til today to find an easy movie-maker option to resume. So here is Percy blowing on his own "Early Bird", January 1982 in Belgium with the Oliver Jackson Trio:

If by "interesting" you mean "suck in a major way" then I, the former Gene Harris Fanatic, completely agree.