ghost of miles

Man, this game tonight is even wilder than Game 2!

This excellent Oscar Pettiford set:

Yuli Gurriel didn't mean any disrespect with his racist stunt, huh? Gurriel makes slant-eyes gesture at Darvish Nice that Darvish sent out such a chill message in response, but MLB should have sat Gurriel's ass starting immediately, not for five regular-season games next year. Since that's not the case, here's hoping Darvish gets to face him again. Not to throw at him, but to hopefully blow him away at the plate. Oh, and memo to Gurriel--Darvish is of Japanese-Iranian descent, so your "chinito" slur wasn't even ethnically accurate.

Looks as if I was incorrect--this set apparently is still in print: They Call Me The Fat Man: The Legendary Imperial Recordings Highly recommended!

Yeah, not happy about this at all. I wouldn't be surprised if the Nationals pursue him. Some buzz this a.m. about Al Pedrique (who manages NY's triple-A farm team) being a possible replacement... I wish they'd given Joe a couple more years with this new nucleus of players. Catesta, I think I've found a new manager! And from what I understand, he's available... I'll give a call to the Yankees' front office right away:

Happy 91st! Portrait Of Jimmy Heath: The Riverside Years

Fats' death has sent me back to this box-set, which I picked up about 15 years ago (seems to now be out of print). An excellent anthology of his Imperial era:

Wow, this is a crazy game!

Sam Stephenson told me this was in the works, but disappointed to see that it's vinyl-only. No kidding. Today I was looking up Mahavishnu's Inner Mounting Flame on Amazon for this afternoon's posted program playlist and noticed that Amazon currently sells the CD for $4.19, the LP for $28.79. That's not an unusual price ratio and hasn't been for the past few years, but still makes me glad that I prefer the CD format.

Last week's Night Lights show, Diggin' Diz: A Musical Portrait of Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s, put together in honor of the Gillespie centennial, is now archived for online listening. The program includes the rare 1944 broadcast of Gillespie and bassist Oscar Pettiford's quintet performing "A Night In Tunisia."

Congratulations to the Astros, who took care of business and showed why they deserve to be going to the World Series. This season's been a great treat for Yankee fans, what with the team not predicted to even make the playoffs, let alone play a full seven-game ALCS. Losing the wild-card game would have been a tremendous let-down, but everything after that was gravy. That said, still disappointing to get so tantalizingly close and fall short of the WS at the end. This team has to get better on the road; they were sub-.500 during the regular season and went 1-6 in the playoffs. Either that or run up the best regular season record so that they maintain home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The offense scored a grand total of three runs in four games at Houston, and the vaunted bullpen wasn't so great on the road either. Lots of decisions to make over the off-season--Tanaka's likely to opt out, and how much should NY be willing to pony up to keep him? Resign CC for a year at a much lower salary? Where and when will Glaybor Torres play once he makes the majors next year? Does NY try to retain Todd Frazier at all? And they definitely need to extend Joe Girardi's contract, if he decides that he still wants to manage. Hot stove league, here I come... But should be a great World Series before that. Hats off to Houston; I hope they finally pull off a WS win. They're now the first team to win a pennant in both the NL and the AL.

Nice exchange between Astros fan who ventured over to Pinstripe Alley and some Yankee-fan regulars there. Much respect to both of these teams and the great series they've played so far: Hey Yanks Astros fan here. No idea what happens tonight. Just wanted to say this has been a great series for fans to watch! This is the kind of series that turns baseball skeptics into fans. Whatever the outcome I have been absolutely impressed with the Yankees all around. You guys have a great team and I look forward to future AL battles! by BleachesandHolds on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:23 PM reply Thank you and same to you! The pressure is on you guys with it being at your home and all that, but this has been a riveting series. Looking forward to more future battles by Siriusrooney on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:24 PM up reply thank you and what a series, you guys have one hell of a team. This will be repeated next year I am sure! by The Gif Sgt on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:25 PM up reply I look forward to future AL battles! I’m not, because this series has done frightening things to my blood pressure. Either way tho, both teams earned their WS appearance Garbage Possum at Pinstripe Alley Sonny ways, my friends, Sonny ways by Joshua Diemert on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:25 PM up reply Thank you sir. We hope to win, but wish you the best! by Yanks4ever on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:25 PM up reply Cheers both these teams should be ultra competitive the next few years. Probably gonna be some more ALCS’ before all is said and done between these two. by RedHat16 on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:25 PM up reply thank you... and much respect. agreed on the quality and excitement level of this series, obviously. a great one for baseball fans in general, a nerve-wracking one for fans of the teams in question! by singordie1818 on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:25 PM up reply if it can't be us, beat LA @ltl27 by long time listener on Oct 21, 2017 | 8:25 PM up reply

Maybe licensing fees required for numerous sample-heavy tracks? Just a conjecture.

Well, that's game for tonight. Yeah, you can't predict baseball, but you could damn near well predict that Verlander would shut down NY at home again and that the Astros' bats would finally come back to life. Dangerous to let them back up off the mat and force a winner-take-all game at home. If you're gonna contend for the World Series, you have to beat great teams on the road. NY will now be 1-5 for away games in the playoffs. They did beat Cleveland on the road in a final game, but I think Houston's going to be a much tougher nut to crack.

Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop And Rap Kickstarter campaign I'll be pledging for this.

Thanks for mentioning this--a subject in which I'm definitely interested and have a number of books about as well. Finishing up this quite interesting title:

Ah, yeah, I read that report about Varitek being a possible candidate as well. If it is Cora, I gather they probably wouldn't announce it until the ALCS is over, whatever the outcome for the Astros. Are there any free agents coming on the market this winter that you hope Boston pursues? Maybe J.D. Martinez, in terms of replacing Ortiz's bat? On another subject for baseball fans in general (and Dodgers fans, particularly older fans who as kids might have rooted for the team in the 1960s), this looks like a really promising book: The Last Innocents: The Collision Of The Turbulent Sixties And The Los Angeles Dodgers This one also looks good: Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, And Charley Finley's Swingin' A's

Hey Dan, what do you think about the reports that Houston bench coach Alex Cora will become Boston's new manager? Alex Cora to Red Sox rumors Sounds like he might be a really good fit for the team.

Yes, but in the NBA they usually have two travel days between any switch of cities. In the MLB there's only one. I don't think the MLB's 2-3-2 format takes away from the majority home team's advantage, though; it gives them momentum out of the gate, and if games 6 and 7 are necessary, they're back at home for them. Houston may be down 3-2, but given that the home team has won every single game in this series so far, they're still well-positioned for winning the ALCS. The MLB is also less travel for both teams, which is advantageous to the athletes (not to mention the environment, I suppose!).

Anybody know why the Haden/Metheny/DeJohnette night has never received an official release? Label/contractual issues? Performance concerns? Other?

I hope you're right... The 2001 World Series is etched into my bones, though. (Another series in which NY had reeled off some great wins and went on the road for the final two games up 3-2, with many in the media saying Arizona was doomed.) I'd love to see them get to Verlander the way they did with Keuchel tonight. Also, everybody talks about the energy being back again in Yankee crowds, but the Astros stadium sounded deafening on the radio broadcasts I listened to for games 1 and 2. NY proved they could win on the road in the playoffs when they beat Cleveland in game 5, but this will be a bigger challenge (also against a better-hitting lineup that's way overdue itself to start showing some life). At least they'll have two shots at it, though.

Such an excellent set--as is the one I'm revisiting tonight: