ghost of miles

Phil Hughes returned the favor for NY, going 7 IP, no runs given up, 8 Ks. I'm starting to feel more confident with Hughes on the mound than even CC...Yankees up 8-0 going into the bottom of the 9th, so, barring an apocalyptic rally, NY will split the doubleheader. Great to see Javy have such a good start earlier today, even if the offense couldn't come through for him.

... or Dr. Frankenstein's girlfriend?

BTW, anybody interested in this era of Chicago jazz should definitely check out drummer Mike Reed's People, Places and Things project (mentioned several times before here on the board). I wasn't even aware of his ongoing CD series when I started these Chicago shows, but I've gotten very pleasantly hipped to them through other board members...the latest CD, STORIES AND NEGOTIATIONS, features excellent liner notes written by some gent named Larry Kart: Stories and Negotiations ...said CD (the third in Reed's Chicago series) includes several Chicago jazz-scene vets--Julian Priester, Ira Sullivan, and Art Hoyle. Definitely a candidate for the 2010 top 10 list.

What topic(s) got locked down?

Cool. I was just listening to Gary Burton's Carla-songbook album DREAMS SO REAL last night.

E-mail sent re: Aretha and Shelly.

Last week's Night Lights show, with music from Eddie Higgins, the MJT + 3's first LP with Muhal Richard Abrams, Paul Serrano, John Young, Clifford Jordan with John Gilmore, and Ira Sullivan, is now up for online listening: Returning the Call: More From the Unsung Heroes of Chicago Hardbop It's a sequel to an earlier show, Chicago Calling.

Hats off to Valverde--he struck out Swisher, Teixeira, and Rodriguez to save the game for Detroit. Outside of a questionable called third strike on Tex, it was just overpowering, wicked stuff--almost entirely splitters. Joba struck out the side as well in the bottom of the 8th, but much less impressive--it was the 7/8/9 hitters in the Detroit lineup.

If it's the 8th or 9th inning and you're getting beaten badly (whatever our definition of that may be...let's say 5 runs or more going into the 8th), yeah, I think bunting at that point looks more like an out-and-out attempt to simply break up the no-hitter. Down by 4 with the other pitcher not even halfway through the game? At that point it's still very competitive and you're simply trying to get on base and hopefully score, keeping your team competitive. EDIT: Yahoo sports columnist checks in with a yahoo-worthy analysis.

Didn't realize there was a previous Lytle thread (this one didn't turn up because of the misspelling, evidently), but thought I'd mention here as well that there's an article about Lytle in the new issue of Waxpoetics (#40). Sorry I missed out on that Timmons twofer...I have a feeling it was probably dirt-cheap at one point via Newbury, but their price is now up to $45--a little rich for my blood.

Just picked it up today--Ohio Players on the cover, plus articles about Tribe and the Detroit '70s scene, Johnny Lytle, Joe Cuba, and an interview with Smokey Robinson. Looks to be another excellent issue. Wax Poetics #40

Hey Jsngry, you seen Wax Poetics #40 yet? (The one w/the Ohio Players on the cover.) It includes an article about Lytle.

Has anybody else been following Tony Judt's memoir essays over the past year or so in the NY Review of Books? Judt's been a longtime favorite of mine, ever since I read his Past Imperfect (a book about the French intellectual left's Stalinist denialism) in the 1990s...his more recent Postwar is an excellent historical overview of what's happened in Europe over the past 60 years. In 2008 Judt was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, and in 2009 he became paralyzed from the neck down. Despite these significant physical impediments, he continues to write, and has produced a number of remarkable pieces for the NY Review of Books...I just finished reading the most recent one, "On Austerity and Being Jewish" (a two-topic reflection on the postwar conditions in England when Judt was a child, and on his Jewish identity.) Some of the articles are accessible online here: Tony Judt at NY Review of Books

Digging Guru's "Loungin'" right now.

Well, NY's in a pitiful way against the Bosox tonight--A.J.'s getting rocked (and not being helped out at all by having Marcus Thames in left field), and we have no one to bring in to replace him, really--Park's on the DL, Aceves is out for at least three games, and Mitre has to be saved for his start against Detroit. Looks like Boston could make up the run differential for the whole three-game series tonight...glad we at least took two and the series overall, 'cause it ain't happenin' for NY tonight.

...and you guys moved into a 2nd-place tie with the Mets, who lost to San Francisco today.

Lester looking awfully good against NY through the first two innings--don't think we'll be scoring double-digits tonight. Plus A.J. tends to pitch badly at Fenway.

NY Times already has a response from Rodriguez: Another quote from the Times article: Tampa Bay was down 4-0 at the time. It was the top of the fifth. Longoria's supposed to forego bunting at that point?

Sure is! I also wonder how many have been thrown by someone with 18 or less wins, or sub .500 career numbers?? I smell some Kurk Jems! Interesting question--here's the list, updated to include Braden: MLB perfect games

"No hit" as in "perfect game" right? http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300509111 Can't wait to hear what ARod has to say now. I don't think he's going to say anything except perhaps a perfunctory congrats. He's already said several times that he's through responding to it... it's Braden who's kept this thing going (and being prompted by a reporter is no excuse--he could have said that he was finished with it as well. Reporters have certainly been prompting A-Rod about it and will doubtless do so even more now that Braden's hurled a perfect game).

Well, congratulations are in order to Dallas Braden--he threw a perfect game today and will make headlines for something other than continuing to vent about Alex Rodriguez. As I said upthread, actions on the field will earn you a lot more respect... and I'm also happy that in pitching his perfect game he beat Tampa Bay and thereby put NY in a tie with them for first place in the division.

Hey Alexander, you're following Night Lights on KRML! Hopefully I won't drive your potential audience away...

I predict the next crazy guy to get tasered on the ballfield will be Dallas Braden.

I think it got away from Beckett--the ones that seemed more dubious to me were the ones that nearly hit Cervelli. (Tex was almost hit, too, but I haven't seen the clip of that one.) Why Francona kept Beckett in so long during the 6th seems inexplicable to me. I haven't seen the clip of CC plunking Pedroia today, but if it was retaliation, it was stupid--next AB Martinez hit a home run, putting Boston up 3-2. That's one problem with retaliation--you're putting a runner on base. Re: Cano, he's in the line-up and seems to be OK, so that's a big relief. But! But! Here's a report from today's game (back on again after rain delay)--via the Dave Barry "I-am-not-making-this-up" department: Dan, don't give up hope on today's game--Dave "Houdini" Robertson, he of the 13.50 ERA, has taken to the mound for New York!

Dave--a poster at Pinstripe Alley reports that Nick Johnson has a torn wrist tendon and will be out for at least a month. Who woulda thunk it? I think we should simply start Cervelli at catcher and move Posada to DH for the time being. Conflicting reports on whether or not Cano will be in the lineup today. If he's not, NY will be missing 4 starters overall. At one point late last night Girardi supposedly looked down the bench, saw only Javy Vasquez sitting there, and said, "You used to play infield, right?" Maybe Javy will end up seeing some action in this series after all! EDIT: Cano's in the lineup as DH. Still no sign of Jorge.