ghost of miles

OK--you have no use for literature. I don't agree, I don't even think that's where you're really coming from, but that's how it "reads." I'd like that as well. We'll see how Brian Gordon works out for NY--a converted outfielder (and former Ranger) who I think has appeared in all of 3 MLB games as a reliever. I didn't even find Kepner's quote particularly sentimental (but I guess that's because I'm all "emo" or something), but (1) baseball's probably the most sentimental of all American athletic games and (2) fandom is part of the game, which goes beyond the immediate, statistical/physical happenings on the field. Now if you want to be a dry, soulless statistician about things (again, seems to me that's not at all where you're coming from, but dammit if that's not how you're sounding), then yeah, you can write fandom out of it entirely. But the passionate, emotional, and philosophical connections that fans make with players, teams, and the game in general are a huge part of why baseball has endured for as long as it has.

Really? I thought Texas was the place that prided itself on doing everything bigger and better than the rest of America--so I suppose under Nolan Ryan's ownership, they're perfectly positioned to lead the way forward in the manner of which you speak.

Nobody thinks there is some literal "club" of dead athletes. It's a metaphorical concept, and if you can't even see the symbolic weight of Clemente's clock having forever stopped at 3000 hits--that in a tragic, unintended, but perhaps ultimately poignant way he now represents that illustrious benchmark better than anyone else--and choose to interpret it as some kind of quasi-racist claptrap instead, then you're getting the same weird bitterness out of things that you're putting into them. And "Emo baseball?" Suddenly you're perturbed that there might be some streak of sentimentality invading the realm of baseball? Heaven forbid, that's never been a part of the game at all! But let's slap some modern-day wussy-equivalent term on it and suddenly posture as if "real baseball" is beyond all that? Or beyond narrative, remembrance, and feeling? That's all but the soul of the game!

Beautiful way of putting it.

With Martin's status flirting with the DL again, I sure wish we'd call up Jesus Montero and give him a shot at some big-league time.

I blame Horace Clarke and the Civil War. Growing up in Indiana in the 1970s/80s, also a huge Indiana University basketball fan (and still one to this day, in the midst of our current Dark Ages--save us, Cody Zeller!--though it's been nice to witness the recent rise of Butler, a college that was originally situated in my childhood neighborhood before moving in the 1920s to its current location).

Anybody else hear about this being under discussion? Via Pinstripe Alley: Possible MLB realignment?

So is Boston ever going to lose again? This is the team we were all expecting to see in 2011--Dan, you must be feeling delighted. Power note: with their four HRs today, I think Boston overtook Texas for 2nd-most as a team in the MLB. A sliver of potentially good news for Yankees fans today: Colon's MRI came back "good." He's going on the DL, but hopefully we'll lose him for only several turns in the rotation. David Phelps is coming up from Scranton Wilkes-Barre to take his place (a bit more about Phelps in this post yesterday at Pinstripe Alley).

Oh, c'mon! It's been beanball season for the Yanks lately, and I'm getting sick of it... Lester nailed Tex in the kneecap, Beckett hit us three times in one game, and then the HPB last night and today... Tex gets nailed after a HR by Grandy last night, then A-Rod gets hit today after homering in his previous AB... yes, HBP happen and more often than not they're not intentional, but what's the deal with the Yankees getting hit so much? (Iirc they led the majors in getting the most HBP in 2009; not sure about last year.) As far as Colon's hamstring, yes, it's absolutely devastating if he misses more than several starts. Now that Boston's finally found its form, we're going to be in a race for the wildcard (pretty much what many NY fans thought when the season started), and without Colon that's a pretty iffy picture. A lot will ride on how soon Hughes is back and how well he pitches, which is a big if.

Street date for THE SMILE SESSIONS is Aug. 9, or so someone on the Internets sez.

By way of a tribute to the pianist for his upcoming 70th birthday, a look back at his 1960s recordings with Blue Mitchell, Stan Getz, and Miles Davis, and as a leader: Matrix: The Emergence Of Chick Corea

MJQ and Henry Threadgill.

Too bad, he was having a good year. I hate the Yankees, but I hate more seeing a player going down with a injury. Yes, he really seemed to be evolving into a more reliable asset for the bullpen this season, especially after Soriano's very shaky start and subsequent injury. Any tenuous grasp the Yankees had on making a serious run for the AL East title against Boston is pretty much gone now; I just don't see how they're going to be able to shore up their relief, even if Phil Hughes returns and is able to perform adequately as a starter (subsequently relegating either Garcia or Nova to the pen).

Hope you'll stick around, Shawn--your presence is appreciated by many here. If you don't feel inclined, you don't feel inclined, but at least know that you'll get a warm welcome whenever you return. Well, not that kind of "warm welcome"... you know what I mean.

Pianist Randy Weston is almost always noted for his exceptional physical height, but he also stands tall as the author of jazz standards such as “Little Niles, “Hi-Fly,” and numerous other pieces of note. His compositional legacy has been built on blues, appealing and percussive melodic figures, waltz times and African rhythms. “The Randy Weston Songbook” features Weston’s music performed by Booker Ervin, Gigi Gryce and Donald Byrd, Betty Carter, Jon Hendricks, and Weston himself. It's now archived for online listening: The Randy Weston Songbook Next on Night Lights: "Matrix: the Emergence of Chick Corea."

Yes, both teams are playing well right now, though I'd say the Bosox are performing at a higher level (outside of that four-game skid, they've been almost literally unbeatable the past several weeks). One slight change helpful to NY is that Girardi will start CC instead of Nova Thursday night against Beckett. It's a tough homestand in general, with Cleveland coming in after Boston, followed by Texas; like Dave James, I was pleasantly surprised that we ended this West Coast road trip 6-3. In milestone news, Derek Jeter now needs just 14 hits to reach 3000. The Yankees' next 10 games are at home; after that, they travel to Wrigley Field to play the Cubs. My guess is that he'll fall just short at NY and will get #3000 at Wrigley. Jsngry: maybe I hallucinated this, but I could've sworn that I read somewhere today that Texas is scoring a full two more runs per game whenever Hamilton's in the lineup. I know we're barely 1/3 of the way through the season, and that he missed a lot of games, but that's still a pretty wild differential.

The two LPs now available on one CD from FSM. The earlier FSM I-Spy CD is still available as well.

Does seem odd--I'll try to drop him a line.

Giants still fuming about Cousins' collision with Posey. And this tweet tonight from Buster Olney of ESPN:

I watched the video replays on Pedroia's tag of Pierre from the Bosox-Chisox game today, and it sure looked like Pedroia got him...but the Globe has photo-frame stills that make it appear absolute that the call was blown: Pedroia-Pierre Two-run difference from that call.

Pete Abraham passing along a report from a Japanese media outlet that Dice-K has decided to have Tommy John surgery.

Listening right now to the Rockies-Dodgers game--what's the deal with Ubaldo Jimenez this year? Pretty dramatic dropoff in performance so far. BTW, Jsngry, an interesting discussion over at Pinstripe Alley about Ryan/the Rangers' philosophy on young pitchers and innings/pitch counts (this came up in the midst of some talk about the Yankees' pitching prospects Banuelos and Betances:

Twenty hits for Texas through the 9th, with every starter getting at least one. Seems like Texas has turned the Trop into a regular shooting gallery tonight... And I did not realize until today that the A's home stadium is named Overstock.com Coliseum. Recent development, I gather, but rather hilarious/ridiculous-sounding, even in our Brave New World of corporate branding.

Mr. Jsngry: may your Rangers continue beating the pants off the Rays this evening, sir! Dave James and other NY Yanks fans: why do I have the feeling that this year's edition is going to win just enough to keep us hoping that we're not an 87-75 kinda team? And yet somehow I think that's where we may well end up; hopefully I'm wrong. Dan, you've got to be happy with how Boston's playing lately, in spite of the 2nd-game loss to the Tigers yesterday. They've won what, 13 of their last 15 going into tonight? They're playing right now like the team everyone expected them to be.