papsrus

A little bit on the tail end of this era, but I was happy to retrieve the Bud Freeman -- 1928-1938 Chrono Classics disc from the mailbox today. Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet, but I've been anticipating this one for a while.

Robotic surgery. I'll PM you with the details, but both I and my doctors are extremely pleased with the results.

Yeah. Pat Summitt was on espn earlier and she was non too happy about it. I don't know why they ever hired him in the first place. ... Same with USC.

I'd be relieved if I was a Vols fan. Noj is right, the guy is a dirt-bag. I can't imagine USC fans are jumping for joy.

Yeah, I bit the bullet and ordered a used copy, described as "like new," punch hole in bar code I think. I'm reassured that this seems to be the one to get with Moondoc though. ... I don't think it would be possible for me to enjoy a single disc of music that costs over $200. A few years ago I went nuts and paid something like $120 for a used copy of Braxton's Dortmund and I can't remember the last time I actually listened to it.

I have mixed feelings about Moondoc, but that's one of the great album titles of all time. I ran across him on a Steve Swell disc -- "Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill and Sorrow" (RogueArt) -- that I snagged after Chuck made some warm comments about it a while back. Intrigued, I began to sniff around for some titles where he was leader. This one seems to be fairly well regarded.

Oh shit. Fellas, get checked every year. I'm glad I did. I'm cured. And that's 100%. I'm sad to hear that for whatever reason, Hopper was not able to get the right treatment in time. He almost certainly could have if it was caught in time. Get freakin' checked out.

Their (other?) big problem looked like the O-line, or blocking schemes, to me. They had no clue. Brady was running for his life. One of those espn dudes described Moss as a great guy to have around when things are going good, not such a great asset when things are going bad.

McGwire said he took roids to help him recover more quickly from injuries. (Wheaties may or may not do that as well). You seem to acknowledge that steroids make an athlete "bigger," meaning more muscular, presumably -- more powerful. When this additional muscle power ("bigger," as you say) is combined with the God-given hand-eye coordination necessary to hit a baseball or throw a baseball, one could reasonably assume that the athlete who takes roids has an edge over the athlete who doesn't. Roids won't make you see the ball better, or give you the ability to make contact with the ball more easily, but they do make you bigger, as you acknowledge, thus affecting how far the ball might travel once you do make contact with it. Advantage roids user. But, even if you believe that roids only help an athlete recover more quickly from injuries (as seems to be the justification they all give for taking them), and provide no additional power, that still gives these athletes an unfair advantage over those who didn't take roids. Bottom line: If roids didn't provide some advantage, why would some athletes take them in the first place? You seem to be arguing that roids are no different than a placebo. That is clearly not the case.

Roy Campbell -- "Communion" (silkheart) Jemeel Moondoc -- "Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys" (eremite)

He's being advised by his current attorney to say his previous attorney advised him to say nothing.

Me too. Iyer was born and raised in Rochester.

Pretty big news. Good for him, but hard to interpret it as anything other than part of his image rehab ahead of his new job as hitting coach for Cards.

Saw Iyer and Mahanthappa a few years ago and found them very engaging. I have nothing on hand by either gentleman now though.

Just checked that out. Sounds great. Thanks for pointing it out.

I don't think anyone is saying this, are they? Now Vonski, that's another story.

All of this is a little bit like saying that no scientist today is ever going to be an Einstein or a Newton, so why bother with science? I'm listening to a William Parker disc now. It's really enjoyable, filled with what sounds like some very skilled musicianship and wonderful compositions. ... Not sure how to stack it up against Mingus though.

I notice in the third quarter a lot -- as in, A LOT -- of empty seats in the upper decks at Foxboro. Did they bail at the half, or was this not eve a sellout? What's going on in New England?

have a happy birthday.

Brady ... the whole offense, really, particularly the O-line ... looks completely befuddled, confused, unprepared. Amazing ... another pick just now. It's about to be 24-0 before the first quarter's over. ... and it is ...

Just turned on the Pats-Ravens game .. 10 minutes left in the first quarter and it's 14-0 Ravens and they're climbing all over Bradey. What happened?

Small point (which doesn't, I don't think, really negate Bev's larger point) -- they're constantly tinkering with the rules. Even in baseball, a game that is beholden to history perhaps more than any other. In fact baseball and jazz are a lot alike. ... Are we in the equivalent of the steroid era in jazz?

You're up early again Bev. Hope the heater isn't acting up again. Mine is running pretty steady. There are certain folks here who take pride in not turning on the heat until it's absolutely frigid. "Got down to 52 in the house last night." That sort of thing. They invented heaters for a reason, is my thinking.

Still Fahrenheit. I tend to think in terms of F when it's hot (95 I understand) but C when it's cold (zero as a freezing point makes a lot more sense than 32).