ghost of miles

Many happy economical returns!

Anybody get the Jamal yet--or notice of its shipping? I won't be able to order mine till the end of the month, but jazzed for any fellow Big O campers who are getting theirs right out of the gate.

Based on this report today via his friend and former teammate C.C., it sure sounds like Cliff Lee wants to be a Yankee: In the meantime, though, we'll probably have to face him in the playoffs.

Somewhat amusing parody of Gilbert's LeBron letter posted over at Pinstripe Alley: Truth be told, it certainly was exciting to entertain the thought of Lee joining the Yankees this season, but I really did have misgivings about giving up Montero and two other top prospects when NY seems to already be coming together as a team. At least Tampa Bay didn't get him, but Texas probably has a lock on the AL West now and will be toe-to-toe with anybody they face in the AL playoffs, including the Yankees. Congrats to Big Al, Jsngry, and any other Rangers fans here... you guys must be really jazzed to have gotten Mr. Lee.

The Boston press is relieved: Relief: Lee's a Ranger For exactly 0.5 seasons--very unlikely that Texas will be able to sign and keep him. Gotta hand it to them for pulling off that deal, though, especially given that the team's in bankruptcy court, and it surely makes them a strong contender for ALCS honors this year. The ESPN story notes: And via Big League Stew, the observation that the trade could come back to haunt Texas in its own division: BUT--Texas is gonna be hell on wheels in a postseason 5-game series with Lee this year.

Don't get your hopes up yet: Comment from poster at Pinstripe Alley:

Big Al and Jsngry, look out! Cliff Lee to Rangers? Jon Heyman's latest tweet: and from Joel Sherman:

Never has being a sports fan felt so stupid ... people will get over it--they're too addicted to professional sports (I certainly am with baseball), but that article articulates what I was feeling when I turned off "The Decision" at 9:03 p.m. last night.

OK--Joel Sherman now tweeting that Lee-to-NY NOT likely to happen: Believe it or not, the reaction over at Pinstripe Alley is primarily relief--a lot of NY fans over there opposed to giving up so much in the way of prospects, especially when things are going well right now...and we can probably sign Lee this winter anyway. EDIT: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated with a similar report: Really curious as to what team has "jumped in hard" and what they're offering.

In defense of James' decision Again, I'm not so much bothered by his leaving Cleveland--in some respects it seemed inevitable, though he probably could have made it clearer to all of the hometown fans that he was not likely to come back--but by the whole ESPN spectacle he and his business team made of it. The Lebron James Prime Time Hour

My understanding is that the Yankees have told the Mariners that they need to make a decision before tonight's game. If the deal does happen, supposedly Lee will not be showing up in pinstripes against his former team this weekend, according to Philadelphia baseball writer Jim Salisbury:

I liked this quote: “His brand is [bleep] now,” one high-level NBA official said late Thursday. “He’s destroyed everything.” Kobe's stock seems to be rising, as some articles are referring to him bailing out the Olympic team when Wade, LeBron & Bosh seemed lost. Durant comes out way ahead for being loyal and humble (and immensely talented too of course). Full article from which the "His brand is [bleep] now" line came. It has some pretty scathing words for Gilbert as well. Man, I'm going to sound very old-school saying this, but it sure makes me miss the MJ/Magic/Bird generation. None of those guys were saints, they all had egos too, but I don't recall them ever turning the promotion and selling of themselves into such a circus.

Several updates via the NY Times' twitter feed--sounds like it's not quite "done" or "imminent" yet:

I hope so, J.H. (that it's made-up NY sports media b.s.)--such a trade right now would seem like overload to me. (We've already got a well-stocked DH rotation, too.) In the meantime, Ken Davidoff (generally a more reliable NY sports media source, I think) tweeted in the past hour that Lee-to-New-York is nearly a done deal--Mariners telling other interested teams that they're "out of the Lee sweepstakes." EDIT: Lee is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Yanks. If this deal's going to happen, hopefully it happens before said scheduled start, eh, Dave James? EDIT 2: Oh my, they really are trying to complete the trade before tonight: Lee to Yankees is "imminent"

Yeah, I read Gilbert's letter too--it was linked in this NY Times piece: A new low in James' race to the top I turned the ESPN special on around 9 p.m. last night and then turned it off after three minutes, thinking, "Why am I watching this crap?" The man obviously has a right to go wherever he wants to go, but turning it into an hour-long "The Decision" ESPN special was a narcissistic joke.

And yet another rumor that NY would then send Javy to Philadelphia for Jayson Werth? Too crazy for me. NY finally seems to be getting into a really good groove. Swisher and Gardner are both having really good years, Granderson's been a bit of a disappointment but provides lots of speed, occasional power, and good defense... where would we put Jayson Werth? That rumor just seems totally out of left field (or right) to me.

Why doesn't NY wait till the end of the year and sign Lee without giving up Montero? Especially with a good five-man rotation already in place. I really wonder if this is prompted more by wanting to keep Lee from going to either Tampa Bay (division rival) or Minnesota (potential playoff opponent). I'd have really mixed feelings about giving up Montero to get Lee...and I assume this means we'd be turning around and dumping Javy, who's been pitching pretty well of late. EDIT: well, there's apparently speculation that NY might move Hughes to the bullpen if they get Lee, since Hughes is going to hit his innings limit by late August...and NY's lack of a really good/reliable middle-relief pitcher continues to be our biggest weakness.

How many years does A.J. have left on his contract--3.5? I say Dave Eiland pretty much gets to name his price as pitching coach for that duration. I've been tuning in to so many late-night West Coast games that I've gotten to enjoy staying up till 1 in the morning or so, listening to baseball.

Saw your comment in the other thread--glad you liked it, Bill (and you sure won't regret picking up GETTIN' TOGETHER!). This was one of those shows that I'd had on the back burner for a long time; at some point I may do one featuring PG with Ellington... lots of great moments to choose from, that's for sure.

Ah, you beat me to it. Best birthday wishes to a helluva drummer and a helluva guy.

Wow--Cards and Rockies--wow. And I thought the Yanks' 9th-inning comeback against the Dodgers was pretty good... man! Rockies' 9th-inning highlight reel

This week's Night Lights show, featuring small-group recordings that tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves made with Clark Terry, Wynton Kelly, Sonny Stitt and others between 1957 and 1963, is up for online listening: Off the A-Train: Paul Gonsalves, 1957-63

I was listening on the radio--great game for A-Rod, and for CC, too, who's finally overcome his Oakland Coliseum jinx. And a very nice ending to the whole "Get off my mound" saga as well, noted in today's NY Times:

Braden, other A's object to team's "Get off my mound" T-shirt

Much appreciation for all of the input, both pro and con, on the post-1978 Sun Ra reinterpretations of standards. Looking forward to hearing some of them soon.