PHILLYQ

Conn, I tend to think that Lombardi would be a great coach today for two main reasons:1) His attention to detail, & 2) His ability to motivate his players. In those two respects he is very much like a present-day very successful coach, Bill Parcells. The only problem Lombardi would have today is with the salary cap & the attendant instability that causes on team rosters. In his time, you had some good players and you kept them until they couldn't produce enough for the team. Now, a good player may only be around for a few years, and then he's off to another team. The obverse side of that is if a team makes a mistake in signing someone, they either have tio take a salary cap hit or live with an unproductive player for a season or two. Even given that, I believe that Lombardi would adapt and figure out how to get the best out of a constantly shifting roster, and his ability to motivate and his attention to detail would give him a leg up on many other coaches. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Belichik is a great coach, no question about that, but his GM should get some credit for drafting well, stockpiling draft picks and managing the salary cap so well.That has become very important in the present age of the salary cap.

I saw a story about Detroit's negotiations with Pudge, and Scott Boras claims that a team is offering 4years at $40mil. So far, Detroit is the only team making an offer to Pudge, and the rumors are that the offer is for considerably less than that, even less than what the Marlins offered & Pudge declined. It looks like the M's may be the only way that Pudge starts the season on time, because Detroit may only be a straw man for Boras, and the Marlins now can't sign him until May. That would certainly be a big addition for the M's.

Tod Zeile is in Queens with the Mets- they signed him to a one-year deal. As Bud Abbot would say, 'I don't know is on third.'

I was reading this thread on Friday while at work, and inspired & intrepid(Some may say foolish!), I decided to take the plunge and I faxed an order for the Fisherman.com disc and a couple of other Laswell discs from DMG. On Saturday I had to stay home for a furniture delivery, so I figured I'll listen to some Laswell. While waiting at home, the mailman arrives with the discs I ordered the day before! I know it's delivery within the same city, but DMG got the order out the same day(I faxed the order Friday afternoon around 3PM) and the Postal Service delivered it the next day-great job of delivery for both parties. The Fisherman.com disc was very enjoyable. It was a pleasure to hear Pete Cosey still crankin' it up with the distortion on high- that guy can wail, and he gets some spce to do so on this disc. Pricey disc, but worth it IMHO.

Dixon has already had his scholarship offer revoked and he's in jail right now- that's really sick! To get ten years for consensual sex with another teenager! It does also point out the problems inherent in mandatory sentencing- not all 'crimes' are exactly the same, and justice must sometimes be tempered with mercy. With mandatory sentencing, all actions are tarred with the same brush and the judges have no discretion. This is another example of the law of unintended consequences. Crack down on crime and we wind up jailing kids for sex...

Philly, Welcome from PHILLYQ- I have no connection with the city myself.Talk about a Bizarro world- are there others with similar names to Organissimo members? This could be very interesting.

It's not really bad, but definitely not up to the level of the Stern Groove shows- it seems that the group doesn't cohere as tehy do on Stern Groove. Caveat Emptor!

I would heartily recommend the live Tabla Beat Science double disc. It features the beautiful vocals of Gigi on some cuts, and the combination of turntables, tablas, drums, dub bass & Aramaic vocals is sometimes otherworldly. Somehow it all works coherently. Don't buy the DVD of Tabla Beat Science, however- it comes from a different performance and seems to lack the fire and drive of the CD.

Lucky Thompson

It actually does get better, even with a baby with colic(My heart goes out to you and your wife on that- hang in there). You might wnt to try some soothing music for later in the day with your daughter to help ease her into the night hours. I played 'Crystal Silence' by Chick Corea & Gary Burton many times while giving my son his last bottle of the day, and it seemed to help him into the transition to sleep. I'm sure you have many discs that have some soothing ballads,etc. thatyou canenjoy and that help soothe your daughter. Most of all, though, enjoy her developing and growing up- it really is once in a lifetime and is a joy to behold!

Underground agent, Can you give me a little info on these? I'm interested in making a cash offer- let me know what you're looking for for these two and perhaps we can find a match. My email is pmquirk@attglobal.net

Here's one I found ridiculous, $200.00 for a 43year old piece of vinyl?! : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=43690

The first live jazz I saw was accidental. In 1970, at age 14, I went to the Fillmore East to see Santana play, and the opening act was Rahsaan Roland Kirk. I couldn't figure what was going on, and the sight of this blind guy playing two or three horns at once was weird to a 14 year old kid who'd never heard jazz before. About three years later, when I 'got it' and dug jazz, I saw him again at the Village Vanguard and was completely blown away!

I saw Pat Martino play once in NYC in the mid-70s, before his aneuryism, at the Bottom Line. He sat on a stool and I don't think anything moved on him besides his fingers. He was so focused on his playing that I think the ceiling could have collapsed and he would have kept going! I recall him soloing and playing these incedibly intricate lines that built up in intensity until you felt you might burst. People in the audience were looking at each other(with severely dropped jaws!), as if to say, 'Did he really play that? Is that possible with only ten fingers?' So many years later, and the memory lingers from the impression he made on me that night- that's one great guitarist.

Rimshot, WKCR(89.9) plays a lot of jazz- well worth checking out.

What are BFT discs?

Clemens going to the Astros is interesting- suppose there's a play at the plate, with Clemens trying to score against the Mets with Piazza catching? How will Clemens react to a high and tight pitch when at the plate? Just somethings to chew on until April... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Vlad signing seems to have the hand of the player's association all over it. The Mets offered three years guaranteed with two more if he reached 400 ABs average in the first three years. The total value of the package was about $2mil more than what the Angels offered, but was not guaranteed as the Angels offer was. The incentives were easily attainable, so it really was a guaranteed pact unless Vlad busted out a vertebrae or two. The rumors going around are that the players association is pressuring players to take the highest offer regardless of other factors. In Vlad's case, there are two other factors that enter into this equation. One, Vlad will be changing leagues. Perhaps that is not a big consideration, but he does have to learn a whole new set of pitchers and a somewhat different style of play. The second factor is how comfortable Vlad is where he plays. Vlad is from the Dominican Republic, and NYC has a large Dominican population, whereas CA has almost none. It would seem to me that the Met offer, when considering the whole picture, is a better deal for Vlad, so absent the rumors being true or his back being worse than anyone has told, I'm a little bit puzzled as to why he would sign with the Angels.

I find the show hysterical; my wife thinks he's just a totally dysfunctional human. If you liked 'Seinfeld', you will find this show quite funny, as some elements of 'Seinfeld' in terms of plot structure are in almost every episode. I may buy it myself for when this new season ends and I'm in need of some good laughs.

1971, Mahavishnu Orchestra, 'The Inner Mounting Flame'. This led to buying Miles' 'LIve/Evil' soon after because McLaughlin was on it. Over thirty years later and I still dig Miles and now so many other great players that I discovered through Miles and his sidemen(& their sidemen).

It may also be a dfficult adjustment for Gibbs. Since he left, free agency & the salary cap have changed football tremendously. I don't doubt his ability, but the game has changed in some very significant respects since he last coached, and it may take him some time to abosrb those changes.

You also have to be careful of the 'If so-and-so is in the HOF, then so should a similarly situated player/manager/etc.' I believe Bill James pointed out the fallacy of that argument in a book about the HOF. Some of the people in the HOF really should never have been voted in, and to vote in similar players only exacerbates the original problem. Pete Rose knew the rules, knew it was the baseball equivalent of the 'death penalty' and STILL bet on baseball. He even bet on games he was managing! Then, he lied about it for 14 years. Now he comes clean, no apology, and he wants reinstatement and election to the HOF?! WHAT CHUTZPAH!!! He should only be let into the HOF with a paid admission.

What about those ticket prices? I recall in the teenage years going to see Santana at the Fillmore East and paying $5.50 and sitting in the front row(But not with Bob Uecker!)

CJ Shearn, If you had posted something last week about this, I saw two cd sets of the(I believe) very first VSOP performance on Ebay. It was originally issued as a double-album in vinyl back around 1977 or so, with two sides with the Shorter/Hubbard/Carter/Williams group, and the rest devoted to the sextet with Henderson/B. Williams/Priester/Maupin/Hart and his funk band. That set holds a sentimental value for me, as I was at that concert. I bid on both sets, and lost one to a bid of $52.66, then won one for $25.00! It is available as an import, so if you have some $ and an import connection(This sounds like a drug deal!) you can get a hold of it. Check Ebay if not, or in addition. As I recall(I haven't heard the music in a long time), the Quintet stuff is smokin' and Tony Williams stands out particularly, but Hubbard is not far behind him.

Kudos to Chris Albertson(I ordered your Bessie bio on Tuesday), Jim Sangrey(You hipped me to some James Brown that knocked my socks off!), Jazzmooze(Perspicacity & perspective- say that five times fast!), Rooster Ties(All around good guy on the board), DEEP(Great stories!), Patricia(Ms. Nickname), and many others that have helped me to know more & appreciate more about this wonderful music. Another set of kudos to the political posters, Berigan, Johnny E., Ghost of Miles, Chris A.(again), Dan Gould(baseball, also) & many more, for an interesting, contentious, but frequently civil discourse on many topics.

Don't drink & drive- you might hit a bump & spill a drop! I'm staying home, where I'm unlikely to get hit by a drunk driver(but I'll be checking the front door periodically!) HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!