ghost of miles

This past week's Night Lights show, devoted to drummer Chico Hamilton's early and mid-1960s recordings, is now up for online listening: A Different Journey: Chico Hamilton In The 1960s ...and a happy birthday to Mr. Hamilton, who turns 90 today.

BTW, for any Boston fan or foe who's ready to bury the Red Sox, I have just five words: the 2000 New York Yankees. They lost 15 of their last 18 regular-season games and still went on to win the World Series. If Bedard and Buchholz both make it back (and Bedard's return is imminent while Buchholz's is still very much up in the air), Boston will have a very good starting rotation for the playoffs.

I was following the game online and had the exact same reaction as the NY home crowd in the bottom of the 8th: More clips from the end of the game: Must C Classic: Mo's 602nd save (I love the WADO call of the final out in this one! Also Jeter's expression as he goes towards the mound to congratulate Mo.) Rivera speaks after #602 Whatever happens in the postseason, it's been a great year simply to see Jeter's 3000th hit and now this... I only wish Andy Pettitte had been there as well.

Tip of the Yankee cap to Mo Rivera, who just broke the all-time record for most saves by a reliever. A class act and quite possibly the greatest closer ever... it's been a privilege and a pleasure to watch him pitch for the past 16 years. For me he's right up there with Ruth, Gehrig, and DiMaggio in the Yankee pantheon of legends. Mo gets save #602

I'll eat to that! When I was a little kid, McDonald's in Indiana offered free cheeseburgers if the IU basketball team held its opponent to 50 points or less. This was during the 1975-76 season, when the team went undefeated and had a stellar defense... many free cheeseburgers were consumed! Not quite the grand deal the Texas carpet man is offering, but it added an extra layer of fun to watching the games. Re: "Carpet Man" song... doesn't the beginning sound to you like Mr. Webb had been listening to Mr. Diamond circa 1966? ("Cherry Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," etc.)

Belle and Sebastian, "I Love My Car".

I dunno, but sooner or later this dude needs to factor into the conversation!

Good thing the Yankees have been doing well without A-Rod in the lineup, because his thumb injury won't likely heal completely any time soon.

BTW, question: have any recordings of either Gil Evans' Friday-night performance or his Sunday-afternoon finale set at Monterey '66 ever circulated? Two contemporary reports indicate that there were problems with the sound-system on Friday night, but I'd still love to hear anything that's out there... the searches I did failed to turn up anything. A live Evans ensemble performance in those days was evidently a rare thing.

Nice article in the NY Times today about Mo Rivera as team leader, mentor and booster.

Last week's Night Lights show, Jazz From Monterey: 1966, is now posted for online listening. It includes music from Joe Henderson (a quartet with Bobby Hutcherson), Randy Weston, Charles Lloyd, Don Ellis, Bola Sete, and Cannonball Adderley. Last year's program, Jazz From Monterey: 1958, Birth Of A Festival, is also available for online listening.

Want to beat this year's Yankees? Drag 'em into extra innings: 85-48 in nine-inning games 1-0 in shortened games 4-10 in extra innings

Yeah, I'm quite surprised he apparently blew an 8th inning 2 run lead today, his stuff is so overpowering. Well, if the Yanks can beat the Mariners again tonight, a 5 game lead with 14 to go looks pretty strong even with games against the Sox and Rays coming up. Bard's blown several games of late for Boston. Dan probably has a better sense of what might be going on, but there definitely seems to be concern in Red Sox Nation about Bard's recent performance. Re: tonight's NY game against the Mariners, don't count on it--so far Jason Vargas is absolutely handcuffing the batting order. I think we have one hit through five innings or some such.

Amazon listing with street date of November 1: Smile sessions

What is going on with Daniel Bard?

Turned out to be quite the milestone night, what with Wakefield getting win #200 and Mo notching save #600: Mo gets save #600 Kinda cool that Jeter, who had his own amazing milestone moment this season, was the one who applied the tag for the final out. Incredible to have watched these guys play for the past 16 years--I still wish Andy had stuck around for one more season. I also continue to thank the baseball gods that this proposed 1995 Steinbrenner trade fell through.

Happy birthday, Dan! Wishing you all the best--save for a Red Sox American League championship. (Hey, former GHF--do you have Mary Stallings' I WAITED FOR YOU? Excellent album, and she's backed by the Gene Harris Quartet... I think you might dig it.)

I know the Boston bullpen's been struggling of late, but unless they have the mother of all collapses and surrender 13 runs in the top of the 9th, Tim Wakefield will finally notch his 200th win--congratulations to him and to long-suffering Red Sox fans. And by no means does NY have the division sewn up--they face Boston three more times and they also play the highly-motivated Rays a bunch, while the Bosox have seven games with the Orioles. All it takes is NY going 6-10 and Boston going 10-6 (counting tonight's game) for a W-L tie, which would go to the Red Sox, since they won the season series against NY. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by last night's result (Phil Hughes giving up only one run, albeit against a weak-hitting Seattle offense, while the Yankees finally solved King Felix, for one game, at least). I think the AL playoffs are going to be one hell of a dogfight this year, that's for sure.

Ordered this several months ago and then realized I'd already bought it during a Concord blowout sale a couple years back--brand-new, still in shrinkwrap, not a remaindered or promo copy. $10 check or money order including shipping to anywhere in U.S. ($12 for overseas). PM or e-mail me at djohnso2001@yahoo.com. EDIT: now on hold.

Lazaro--no, but I just put a copy on hold at the Book Corner (great local bookshop here in Bloomington). Thanks for the heads-up.

Well, I was happily wrong about yesterday's outcome, though NY's $12 million setup man nearly blew it in the 7th inning. Jsngry, sorry we were only able to take 1 of 3 from the Angels. NY fans, nice writeup from Joel Sherman of the Post about the Yankees' bench depth. This stat jumped out at me: Still concerned that the schedule's going to wear them down over these last several weeks, and that the rotation is extremely suspect beyond CC and Nova. Garcia has really struggled in his last two starts, Phil Hughes still can't put batters away, and A.J. Burnett is, well, A.J. Burnett. Hopefully there's a little gas left in Bartolo Colon's arm. Not optimistic about tonight's late start against Seattle, given that it's Hughes going up against King Felix.

Hey all, I'm working on a Night Lights program about jazz and Prohibition. The program will include an interview with historian Michael McGerr (who, in addition to his expertise about the era, is also a very knowledgeable fan of jazz and other music from that period as well) and jazz from 1919-1933. I've already got a few tracks picked out, like Armstrong and Teagarden's "Knockin' a Jug" and Beiderbecke's "Toddlin' Blues," but I'm looking for more material that either references alcohol or is simply excellent, representative jazz of the 1920s. (Allen Lowe's DEVLIN' TUNE volume from this timespan is definitely one source I'm looking at.) Just wanted to throw the question out to the experts around this joint... many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Well, the Yankees are doing their best to match Boston loss for loss--even though they just took a one-run lead against the Angels, I'm not at all confident in the bullpen's ability to hold it, the way things have been going lately. At this rate, we will be seeing Detroit, Texas or L.A. representing the American League in the World Series, which might be a better thing for everybody who's an A.L. fan, given the way NY and Boston have been playing.

Yes, eight losses is eight losses, wherever it occurs, but it's still ridiculous to posit that it means the whole season's blown or some such. Lots of fans have a tendency to panic when their team starts off in mediocre fashion, but I'll again bring up the example of the 2009 Yankees, who were 15-17 out of the gate and ended up 103-59, winning the AL East by eight games. Coincidentally enough, Boston this year was 15-18 at one point--very similar to where NY stood about a month into the 2009 season. So while one shouldn't downplay a poor start, it's equally absurd to treat it like an abysmal harbinger of doom to come. The groove teams get into down the stretch is ultimately more important--which is one reason why I'm highly concerned that NY has lost three games in a row that it really should have won, failing to take advantage of Boston's current downturn. A 3.5, 4.5 or 5.5 game lead right now would be a rather daunting-looking margin for Boston; as it is, they're one series sweep away from overtaking us. Dave James, Marty and other Yankee fans, I'm a also a little concerned about Nick Swisher's elbow pain, Boone Logan's reported "dead arm" issue, and a rumor of Dave Robertson experiencing some recent shoulder discomfort. (We cannot afford to lose Dave Robertson.) Also concerned about the travel and lack of off-days, that the team is going to wear down over the next several weeks (or that said process has already started). On the bright side, Jesus Montero continues to shine, and Colon had his best start in awhile last night. CC tonight against the Angels, but we have to face Haren in return... Jsngry, I hope we can start to help your Rangers!

Yes, after having been on a roll for the past couple of weeks, NY may finally be succumbing to schedule-induced fatigue. They looked terrible the past two games against Baltimore; couldn't hit the O's pen for a lick, for one thing. They're very, very lucky that Boston struggled against Toronto as well, but at the same time they missed a great opportunity to bolster their division lead. Of course, I'm with you on the Tigers and don't necessarily think that potentially facing Verlander twice in the first round is a great reward for winning the AL East. As for the playoffs in general, I can't really see a clear favorite in the American League--could just as easily be Texas or Detroit as it could NY or Boston.