Chrome

I plan on taking advantage of the latest BMG "all discs are 70% off" sale ... I'm looking at: Larry Young - Mother Ship Sam Rivers - Fuschia Swing Song Jaki Byard - Last from Lenny's maybe the newest Christian McBride.

I voted for the Basin Street disc ... it seems to have a "sharper" edge to it that I really enjoy. The version of "Love is a many-splendored thing" is fantastic.

And as amazed as I was that they decided to do this in the first place, I'm even more surprised (but glad) they're backing off.

Finally, a reason to like the Yankees ...

I can't believe it's come to this ... 05/05/2004 9:14 PM ET MLB, Spider-Man join forces By Mark Newman / MLB.com The Spider-Man 2 logo will adorn bases during games. They are two longtime entertainment forces that have enjoyed blockbuster box-office success lately, and they both use webbing around the hands to pull off heroic feats that occasionally make you spill the popcorn. Now they will be united when Major League Baseball and Spider-Man 2 take the field together June 11-13 at the 15 different ballparks hosting games during that Interleague Play weekend, it was announced Wednesday. Major League Baseball Properties has teamed with Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios for an unprecedented marketing partnership to support the highly anticipated national release of that motion picture, a sequel to the fifth-highest grossing movie in U.S. history. It will be the latest in a series of events this season that are being jointly coordinated for fans across MLB, including the first Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 and this Sunday's Mother's Day festivities to support the Big Bam! Foundation, a series of activities designed to raise awareness about breast cancer and breast cancer prevention. During Spider-Man 2 Weekend, which has been scheduled during a segment of the 2004 Interleague Play schedule, ballparks will feature in-park and on-field Spider-Man signage and each Club will feature special Spider-Man promotional events, including giveaways with the world-renowned web crawler. A web logo will appear on bases and on-deck circles during the game, highlights from the movie will run on stadium video boards to promote the motion picture's June 30 release, and MLB Properties and the 15 participating Clubs will promote Spider-Man locally in each market and nationally. "This is the perfect alliance between two quintessential national pastimes -- baseball and movie-going," said Geoffrey Ammer, president of worldwide marketing for the Colombia TriStar Motion Picture Group. "This partnership celebrates superheroes, whether they are on the field or on the big screen and we are extremely excited about the opportunity to create this unique promotion with Major League Baseball." Clubs that will be host to Spider-Man 2 Weekend include the Anaheim Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays. Some clubs will participate for the entire weekend, some for a day, and fans at SkyDome will be able to participate in a Spider-Man sleepover as part of the superhero celebration there. "Over the past year and a half, we've been doing substantive research to determine the best ways to market the game into the 21st century, and we have overwhelming evidence that we have a property that's . . . never been stronger," said Jacqueline Parkes, senior vice president of advertising and marketing for MLB. "One thing that came out of the research is that we have a huge opportunity with kids, to bring them into the game. We needed to engage them in relevant and meaningful ways. "(The first Spider-Man) was a phenomenal hit not just to kids but to all generations. . . . The reason we embarked on this relationship with Sony (Columbia's parent company) and Spider-Man 2 is the fact that the brand equity of Spider-Man and Major League Baseball marry up perfectly. They both have huge generational appeal, Americana, so we've got good values." Bob DuPuy, president of Major League Baseball, said the signage placements for the movie will not detract from the integrity of the actual games. In fact, he said there had been discussions during the year-long talks with Sony to place a web in the netting behind home plate, and that it was rejected. "It doesn't detract from the game, it adds to the entertainment value of the game," DuPuy said. "We've been accused over the years of not marketing to young people. Spider-Man . . . will be a popular movie across all demographics, and it was a natural fit. It's an effort to provide some modest entertainment and modest excitement and promotional giveaways in a way that doesn't detract at all. Logos on bases won't even be seen from ground-level cameras; it would take an overhead shot." There will be a web logo on home plate as well, but it will be removed for the start of the game. He added that although this joint-marketing effort around all MLB parks will certainly be a trend that goes through the season -- followed by Father's Day, Fourth of July celebrations of America and then the All-Star festivities -- this does not indicate in any way that Major League Baseball is ready to become one big NASCAR car. "It's part of our effort to market the game in a holistic style, but mostly to market it to a whole demographic: kids," DuPuy said. "I don't think this portends a significant trend to where promotional opportunities or advertising might be going with baseball. We went through a period, after a century of outfield signage, where we went 20 or 30 years with no outfield signage, and then gradually the outfield signage has come back. It adds a unique flavor and color to each of our individual stadia, which are each unique in their own way. "The TV eye signage (behind) the plate has become a regular feature of the game, but I don't think this particular promotion, which is again a confluence of the movie industry and baseball with its product, necessarily portends any trend or suggests what next step might be." There will be similar signage for the next immediate joint marketing effort around MLB parks, this Sunday's Mother's Day celebration at all home ballparks. The tops and sides of bases will feature a pink ribbon with a silhouetted batter, in recognition of the widely known icon for breast cancer awareness. If recent history is an indication -- and especially with 14 World Series rematches on tap this June -- most ballparks will either be at or near capacity that weekend. So this marketing partnership is not so much about trying to lure fans to a ballpark as it is to add even more entertainment value once they arrive. "We strategically picked this weekend because kids are out of school, it's a hot day, and we wanted to make sure kids could watch and attend," Parkes said. DuPuy said all 30 clubs ultimately will receive an equal portion of proceeds given to Major League Baseball Properties for this promotion, with an additional sum going to the home teams that are involved, based in part of their individual level of promotion. "As with every innovation, the clubs generally have their own ideas," DuPuy said, when asked how individual clubs responded to the idea. "But I would say that this was enthusiastically embraced." Parkes said the idea of this marketing partnership was brought to Major League Baseball a year ago by McCann Erickson, an advertising agency shared by both Sony and MLB. "They were working on their promotional package for Spider-Man 2," Parkes said, "and they came to us with the opportunity to work with Sony on how to leverage this phenomenal audience they have and this phenomenal audience we have."

As alluded to in the Zwerin article (thanks for posting it mmilovan!), I think it comes down to, unfairly, a mainstream perception of Duke = classy, high-brow, intellectual vs. Count = down-to-earth, low-brow, simple. Plus, another "let's face it," there is/was probably an element of racism involved. I would bet for a lot of the mainstream public, especially in decades past, Ellington was more palatable to whites than Basie. For me, I usually prefer Basie.

Anyone else do the "see games in as many ballparks as you can" thing? I've attended MLB games at: Tiger Stadium Comerica Park Wrigley Field Old Comiskey New Comiskey (or whatever it's called now) County stadium (saw McWire hit a homer there on his way to 70) Memorial Stadium (saw the 1979 playoffs and World Series) Cinergy Field Tropicana Field PNC Park I'm aiming to add the Jake to the list this summer.

Not the biggest idol fan, but I watch it w/my 11-year-old daughter, and this was the first thing that came to my mind when they showed the band, too. Also, I just do not get that George Huff guy ... he seems so stiff and soulless up there.

I can't help wondering ... related to Big John?

Does anyone have this Lou Donaldson release? It got a pretty listless review at AMG, but the lineup looks first rate. I'd be interested in hearing some other opinions. Blue Mitchell - Trumpet Jimmy Ponder - Guitar Lou Donaldson - Sax (Alto) Idris Muhammad - Drums Leo Morris - Drums Dr. Lonnie Smith - Organ

Hey, just the fact that he contributed half of the genes to Ione Skye scores him points in my book.

Thanks, Brownie.

I suppose everyone could see this coming, but ...

When I started getting into baseball back in the early 1970s, I discovered that Charlie Gehringer still made his home in the Detroit area ... I wrote him a short letter asking for an autograph and he kindly sent me one.

I was spinning "Happy Frame of Mind" last night and it got me wondering ... does anyone know what Horace Parlan is up to nowadays?

When it comes to her, it's not the seeing I mind so much ...

The Politics of Glory ... a "must read" for all baseball fans!

How 'bout this one: "He counts embattled pop star Michael Jackson, who is facing trial over child molestation charges, as a personal friend." Obviously, a vital part of the whole story.

Nothing against Texans personally, but I recently saw this piece relating to the Republic of Texas (this is an excerpt from his review of the new Alamo movie). Written by Dan Santina from www.counterpunch.org. So what was the Alamo standoff really about? Well, for starters, let's take a look at one of the most legendary defenders of the Alamo, Jim Bowie. Jim Bowie is widely celebrated in film (both Alan Ladd and Richard Widmark portrayed him) and television (a two year run in the '50's) as a daring and resourceful adventurer famed for the development and usage of a long-bladed knife which became known as the "Bowie knife." The facts are that Bowie was much more than a back alley knife fighter. Shortly after the War of 1812, he and his brother Rezin went into business as slave traders with the pirate Jean Lafitte. In the 1820's they used their profits from the slave trade to become land speculators and eventually established a sugar plantation with slave labor in Louisiana. Ten years later they sold that business, and the 82 slaves who worked on it, for $90,000. Bowie took his share of the profits and went to "Texas" to join Stephen F. Austin's group of Anglo colonists. He then became involved in a scheme to fraudulently acquire land grants from the Mexican government and ultimately garnered thousands of acres of land. As the crisis loomed between the Anglo colony and the Mexican government, Bowie found himself on the side of William Travis' "War Party," a group that brooked no conciliation with the Mexican government and was dedicated to the creation of a "Republic of Texas." The "Republic of Texas" was a natural outgrowth of the Austin colony which brought slavery onto Mexican soil in 1821. In 1825, twenty five per cent of the people in Austin's colony were slaves and by 1836 there were 5,000 slaves. James S. Mayfield, a later Secretary of State for the Republic of Texas, stated that "the true policy and prosperity of this country (Texas) depend on the maintenance" of slavery. Like all Southern plantation owners, these Anglo-Texans had a plan for their own prosperity based on the free labor of slaves. However, the problem for the slave-owning crowd was that the fledgling national government in Mexico City threatened to restrict or abolish slavery on Mexican land. So the Texas colonists organized a convention in March, 1836 to establish the issues for which they would do battle with the Mexican government. In a two-week period they adopted a declaration of independence from Mexico, declared a republic, and produced a constitution for that republic. All of this activity occurred during the siege of the Alamo. The Alamo defenders fought and died for the constitution of the Republic of Texas which declared in Sections 6, 9 and 10: "All free white persons who emigrate to the republic...shall be entitled to all the privileges of citizenship.' "All persons of color who were slaves for life previous to their emigration to Texas, and who are now held in bondage, shall remain in the like state of servitude... Congress (of Texas) shall pass no laws to prohibit emigrants from the United State of America from bringing their slaves into the Republic with them...nor shall Congress have the power to emancipate slaves; nor shall any slaveholder be allowed to emancipate his or her slave or slaves...no free person of African descent either in whole or in part shall be permitted to reside permanently in the Republic without the consent of Congress." "All persons, (African, the descendants of Africans and Indians excepted,) who were residing in Texas on the day of the Declaration of Independence shall be considered citizens of the Republic and entitled to all the privileges of such." Contrary to popular mythology and the spurious history of White Man Movie Fiction, the story of the Alamo is not a story of a fight for freedom. It is the story of a fight for slavery. It is important for us to look honestly at our cultural and historical mythologies so that we can learn from them. By perpetuating the old myths, we create a stagnant and dangerous platform which prevents our cultural and artistic growth as a society. Forget the Alamo as it's portrayed in this movie, but never forget what really happened.

The Ford Ka's are sold in Europe ... I believe they're competition for the DCX Smart vehicles, if anyone's familiar with those ... probably too small to appeal to U.S. drivers. Regarding the ad, I'm with Rockefeller. And for all we know, it WAS authorized by Ford ... there have been a number of these "outrageous" ads for different companies that generate a lot of brand awareness and then the company tries to distance themselves from them in this way ... it's almost getting to be routine. Has anyone seen the Puma oral sex ad?

Okay, not even going into the Geller nonsense, I can't believe people will be competing to adopt a baby. Well, I can, but ... Uri Geller protests ABC adoption show Psychic claims network stole idea from unpublished book Thursday, April 29, 2004 Posted: 10:49 AM EDT (1449 GMT) LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Celebrity psychic Uri Geller said Thursday he would try to take legal action to stop U.S. television station ABC going ahead with a "reality" show in which five couples compete to adopt a baby. Geller claims the ABC "20/20" show is an exact rip-off of his yet-to-be published novel "Nobody's Child" which follows a reality TV game show where five couples compete to win a baby. "I'm outraged and angry. I can't believe that such a show will go on," he told Reuters. The Israeli-born spoon bender, who now lives in Britain, began his book in 2001, publishing chapters weekly on a subscription Internet Web site. It has not yet been printed. At the same time, he ordered lawyers in the United States to take out a worldwide copyright ban to prevent any show being made in which people competed to win babies. He has a patent application pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "I was afraid that an unscrupulous producer in TV reality land would steal the idea," he told Reuters. "I will speak to my patent attorney -- I own the idea." The ABC "20/20" show, titled "Be My Baby," which is due to be broadcast Friday night, follows pregnant 16-year-old Jessica as she goes through the adoption process, whittling down prospective candidates to five couples. The program shows Jessica interviewing all five as they try to convince her they would make the best parents for her unborn son. Geller said he was friends with the show's host Barbara Walters and was puzzled why she had decided to do it. Walters admitted on the program's Web site that the show's publicity might have given people the wrong impression. "Some of that may be due to overly zealous promotion on our part; frankly, some of our initial on-air promos went a little over the top," she said. "For the record, we should say that '20/20' simply reports what happened: we did not choose the participants nor exert any influence on what they did. This is not one of those scripted 'reality shows' -- it IS reality!" Geller shot to fame in the 1970s with his apparently science-defying psychic powers and maintains a high profile in Britain with television appearances and a newspaper column. He counts embattled pop star Michael Jackson, who is facing trial over child molestation charges, as a personal friend.

Without the power numbers, Vizquel's going to be a much much longer shot than Alomar or Sandberg. It's not necessarily fair, but people still don't seem to give the same respect to fielding as they do to hitting (Ozzie Smith excepted). I was lucky enough to live in Chicago during most of Sandberg's career, and he was fantastic. It's too bad about the way things ended for him ... there was a rumor going around that he had caught a teammate (Rafael Palmiero?) with his (Sandberg's) wife, and that that was what caused his sudden drop off in productivity.

Holy Mission Impossible! This has already been causing much trouble for Ford. Ford Disavows Cat Decapitation Ad DEARBORN, Mich., April 18, 2004 “The action in the video clip was totally computer-generated, and we would like to assure you that no animal was harmed in its making.” statement by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (AP) Ford Motor Co. is upset by the release of an Internet commercial that depicts a computer generated cat being decapitated, saying it didn't authorize the proposed ad or its release. The ad for the Sportka, a hatchback sold in Europe, shows the realistic-looking orange cat climbing on top of the car and curiously poking its head into the open moonroof, The Detroit News reported Sunday. The moonroof slides closed and the cat struggles briefly to escape before its headless body slides to the ground. Ford says the clip was conceived without its approval by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather as part of a viral marketing campaign for the Sportka. A type of e-mail marketing, viral marketing is the electronic version of word of mouth — usually inviting the recipients to forward an e-mail to others. “We find this unauthorized ad totally unacceptable and reprehensible and deplore the fact that it has been unofficially issued,” Ford spokesman Oscar Suris said. In a statement, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide said the unapproved and unofficial video clip was leaked April 1 and transmitted by e-mail around the world. The company said the ad wasn't sanctioned by Ogilvy or Ford. “Both companies find this unofficial advertisement totally unacceptable and reprehensible,” the statement said. “The action in the video clip was totally computer-generated, and we would like to assure you that no animal was harmed in its making.”

Who is John Galt?

Anyone read the recent article on SI.com about whether Roberto Alomar should go into the Hall of Fame? Interesting stuff ... a good case can certainly be made based on his numbers, but a number of people have brought up the "spitting" incident ... is that really enough to keep him out of the Hall?