WorldB3

Paps, Don't get too excited about the Rays pitching shutting down the A's offense. They can't hit out of a paper bag right now, they are young team that got younger the last two weeks and the players are bummed that their GM doesn't think they have shot this year. I don't blame the players they have to think they can win to get on the field but realistically the first half was a nice surprise but this year was always about building for the next. Big Al should be happy as the Rangers move into 2nd place. Since my team is done GO RAYS!!

I can just picture the scene in the Rangers front-office: Tom Hicks is salivating, Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels are playing keep away with Hicks' cel phone... I think your ok, I think most AL general managers know not to deal with Beane. However Street is from Texas and is dad is famous for when he was a qb for the University Of Texas. Might put fans in the seats. Got any good third or short stop prospects? I am thinking the Brewers need a closer and have a couple of highly touted infielders in their system who can play 3rd or short. I am kind of rooting for the Brewers to blow a couple games late this week and for the Rays to sweep the A's so they can get something done. If the A's think they have a shot at the wild card it will ruin the development for next year. As for Boston fans consider your self lucky that you don't transplants moving to Texas.

Chutzpan- Avishai Cohen (bass) From the his excellent new album Gently Disturbed. These guys are ridiculously good.

Hey now, they traded their #2 and 3 starters for more bats. The 08 season is done, this year was all about building for next year. Not sure what they got for Blanton but I like the pieces they got for Harden and the trades in the off season for Haren and Swisher already are paying off big time, not the Haren trade wasn't also good for the DBacks as well. Time to see what the kids can do. Does anybody need a closer who can't close, he is really cute, very marketable and a great guy. just that closing the game thing.. but besides that he can be had. Like GregK I am also sick of the Red Sox. So go Rays!! Go Angels (puke, at least for today) and since my season is over I guess go Yankees. puke.

Like I posted earlier I think the Hamilton and Bradley stories are great. I really liked Bradley when he was on the A's in 2006, if he could ever stay healthy and just keep it together he could be very productive. At the same when he left the A's in 07 I didn't miss him becuase he was almost never in the line up when he freaked out on Beane and got kicked off. Re: CC to the Brewers. Normally getting a rent a pitcher never works out as they only get about 10 starts for you but CC can possibly win 8 of them and the NL is so bad if they get in to the playoffs with Sheets and CC as 1 -2 they could go deep. Its also Sheets last year as a Brewer so they need to go for it now. Go Rays!!

A bit after the half way point who would have thought: (I wish I went to Vegas in March and did this parlay) Rays in first place? The two HR leaders in the NL play 2nd base and their last names start with a U An ex crack head and the leagues biggest hot head are both deserving all stars, model teammates and leading the most potent offense in the AL over in Texas. The great thing about baseball is you never know. On local side for me the A's have been a gritty and fun team to watch, even though they keep putting out AAA lineups, somehow someway they keep winning. Tim Lincecum for the Giants is the hottest ticket in town, I was at the game yesterday and it felt like a post season game mixed with a street faire. Cub fans are a blast.

Now Drinking: Sumatra - Peets Coffee Last night: Racer 5 IPA by Bear Republic Brewery usually IPA'a are bit heavy for me but this stuff is smooth. There is no way its 7% alcohol either. Good stuff but potent.

re: rays-sox great catch by Upton to save the game. why does it seem like every time I look at a Rays box score it says Crawford and Longoria 3-4? Dan, I wish the A's had the same problems the Sox have, the A's just blew two late inning leads to their hated rival with a road trip to Chicago next without the benefit of coming off a World Series win.

Word here is that the Dubz offered Brand more than 10 million over what the Clippers can. Though the way Barron handled this it makes think there was some collusion between Barron, Brand and the Clippers. If it happens I would be happy with a Brand for Baron trade. The thing with Brand, Gilbert and Baron is that they are all great players who will demand a lot of money who have had major injury issues. I don't blame Baron for going for the money but he totally f-d the Dubz who could have moved him in a pre draft trade or drafted a pg and saved them 10 million in cap space.

more Brunettes and vinyl please.. Local sf band doing some pretty cool and obscure covers. keep meaning to check it out.

as much as I loath the Red Sox and the way Manny stands at home plate for 15 minutes after every home run he hits I have to say I kind of respect the way he lives on his own planet. Did anybody read the article last year in the New Yorker on Manny where he got pulled over for a speeding ticket in Boston, the cop tells him I am going to give you a ticket, Manny says, "I don't need tickets, here your go" reached into his glove compartment, hands the cop four lower box seats for the upcoming Yankees series and then proceeds to drive away and makes a illegal u-turn. ugg.. the A's blew an 8th inning lead last night. Not the game to blow. crap..

I agree, fantastic record. The first time I heard the solo piano version of Malachi I wept. In fact Andrew was the only Jazz artist to ever make me cry. The other time was the during the first listen of Kenny Dorham's solo on Dedication off of Point Of Departure and unfortunately the last time was right after his stellar performance at the SF Jazz festival just a few months before his passing. With his voice just above a rasp after his throat surgery he introduced the band and then alone on stage he took a bow holding his book of scores and walked off. At least we have all of his great recordings.

Great game pitched by Mr. Smith, the Haren trade has already brought in 3 guys that are contributing. That Gonzalez kid should be special. Make sure to stay up for the game tonight with Harden vs Santana. Should be a good one. Oh yeah, Go Devil Rays!!! if somehow the A's and the Rays can get to the post season and keep the two evil empires (red sox and yankees) out I will be so happy I will buy you a Mosaic Box Set.

Miles Davis - Bag's Groove. Both takes Been awhile since I have heard these, thanks to Jazzbo for reminding me to throw them on again. Grateful Dead - Not Fade Away-Going Down The Road..-"Darkness Jam"-Not Fade Away. Road Trips #3 Yale Bowl 71 Never was a big Not Fade Away fan but this version blew me away.

Sounds like you and I go to shows for different reasons, or maybe you're still stuck in your late teens. Anyway, I wasn't talking about today's Crim, which couldn't hold a candle to Fripp sitting on a stool crosspicking "Fracture" while Bruford bangs away behind him. It was kind of joke that fell flat, my wife always riffs that they are nerdy boy music so its kind of an inside joke. No offense. Anyway the last King Crimson show I went to I got to have a drink with Adrian afterwards, great guy.

I don't dig on their albums too much but they are by far one of the best live bands I have ever seen. The great thing about the last Neko Case record was that it had the Calixico and the Sadies on it. As much as I like King Crimson I also like to go to rock shows and see actual women in attendance. Don't think I have ever seen one at a King Crimson show.

I haven't had much of a chance to dig too deeply into it but some of it sounds similar to his work on Accent of the Blues. Which in my opinion is a good thing.

I can't believe I forgot the Black Keys! "Attack and Release" is a MONSTER. I loved Chulahoma and Rubber Factory by the Black Keys. The last one before Attack and Release didn't move me and its sounds like they totally changed direction from what I dug about them on Rubber Factory so I have been hesitant to check it out. Not sure what Blur albums you have heard but I thought Park Life and the self titled one with Beatle Bum on it were great. After grunge I took several years off rock (just jazz and hip hop) and it was Brit Pop brought me back in to enjoying rock. Not sure if its nostalgia or what but I am kind of looking forward to hearing what the Verve will put out this year. However compared to all my friends it seems like I listen to Jazz exclusively. Guess that makes me the old guy who buys Jazz records in the group.

As said above 90% of everything is and was crap, now its just harder for the good stuff to rise to the top. What wrong with Rock? I think there is certain lack of risk takers, as mentioned above the majors are not going to hold onto a artist that doesn’t sell. If 14-18 year old males spend the most disposable income on music then the stuff they like is what will get marketed the most. I think around 24 for most is when you start to move away from musical crushes you had when you were a kid and are able to develop a wider range of taste. Even when catering to older rock audiences the majors will more likely come with something manufactured like Velvet Revolver. As much as I support indie rock I think it is suffering from a kind of safeness and corporate branding and exploitation, kind of like Safeway saying its sells Free Trade Coffee or organic foods, its just another corporation looking at market share. While its great that an indie band that is worth hearing can get some exposure and paid with a song being on the “OC” or in a commercial it sucks when you have a million copy cat bands that want to sound like Modest Mouse that wasn’t a good band to begin with but was successful. There is also the good and the bad of Pro Tools. What’s right? Bands and artists are having more control over their art by not being beholden to majors. If you look for the good stuff you will be rewarded. There are lots of creative and intelligent songwriters out right now. Spoon and Wilco continue to be consistent and put out excellent and forward thinking recordings. The last records by Neko Case (Fox Confessor..) and Iron and Wine (Sheppard’s Dog) stand up with the best records of the 60’s and 70’s. Then there is the Radiohead phenomenon where they bypassed record company completely and made millions by offering people to pay pennies for it to download it and sold it to them again when the official release came out on Vinyl and CD. Again its not all bad you just have to look a little harder.

O yeah - it's the best of the three by a mile - and for me, even superior to the 73 Winterland box. Great sound. wow, I don't know. I was just listening to 11-9 for the first time this weekend and it sounds so sweet. Keith is just a monster on that show. I need to plan a "Staycation" this summer and just immerse myself in the Winterland Box and the 71 Road Trips. Couldn't be happier with both of these so far.

Great city one of my favorite places to visit during the summer and fall. Highly recommend "Bud's Jazz Records" in Pioneer Square. Also close to the famous Elliott Bay Book Company book store. 102 South Jackson Street Seattle WA 98104 While more of a indie rock store it does have a decent selection of Jazz is Sonic Boom (can't go wrong with a store named after a Lee Morgan record). Its in a great neighborhood that more people should explore in the Ballard District. 2209 NW Market St I have yet to go to Jive Time Records but I have heard good things about it. 3506 Fremont Ave N Seattle, WA 98103

Freedom Suite - Sonny Rollins April The 14th - Gillian Welch

My live entry to the Dead was from '71 with Skull & Roses. But once I started collecting I grew to prefer almost every year from '69-'78 to '71. Part of it is the way they stretched stuff out by the next year (such as Playin'). I do hold the April Fillmore shows in high regard though, and 8-6-71 is a favorite show, and DP 2 is excellent & underrated. Oh there are other dates too, but given my druthers I'd pick some other year. Roadtrips 3 brings a new appreciation for what they were doing then. Once again the sound is terrific and I love where Phil is in the mix! And for heaven's sake, if one doesn't have the 8-6-71 "Hard To Handle" you must buy this soon to get the bonus disc. One of thee finest things ever (and I'm not Pigpen's #1 fan either.) So yes, I like this one a lot! I like what they're doing in this series (at least the past 2), from song choices & editing & soundwise as well. Look forward to the next one! I agree, after listening to this I have a new appreciation for 71. The energy level and playing by everybody on this new road trips is something. Phil, Billy and Jerry are amazing through out. For those who thought 71 didn't have any jams really needs to hear this. There is certain something, a "blackness" (not really coming up with the right word) and energy in the way they played Blues and RnB tunes with Pig as opposed to after he left. As much as I love 77 as it was my gateway to the Dead (hell throw a dart at May 77 if your looking for a good show) I now hear it in a different way, while something was gained something was also lost. Hearing the slow versions of FOTD or St Stephen makes me appreciate the raw energy of 70-71 all the more. You can hear as a band they are just more into it.

They could score, but it would be all perimeter shooting. Boring. The NBA is all about getting the inside game working. You sell posters of slam dunks. You don't sell posters of outside shooting. I doubt it, its all bout getting face time, if you can dunk over someone you get an even bigger poster. Think John Starks and Barron Davis playoff dunks. Yes, but if the big man camps out under the basket and has better position, you would see far fewer of these dunks. Of course there would still be some. If the coach puts two big men in there clogging up the lane, you aren't going to have any dunks, just a bunch of trips to the foul line. We will have to agree to disagree but I think its boring when you have uncontested dunks. Anybody can dunk when your guy clears out of the lane to not get called the for the 3 second rule. It was even worse back before they allowed zones. I couldn't stand the isolation game that was so popular during Jordan's time when you had a guy hold on to his dribble for 15 sseconds and wait for everybody to clear out. If you can make your shots people will have to come out from under the basket to defend you. Then again maybe I spent too many years watching Nellie ball and the point forward.