Maintaining My Cool

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2008-09-07T01:46:00.001-05:00

Unemployed ballpark trips rule!

2008-08-10T16:17:00.023-05:00

So it's been forever since I last posted. I've been laid off for a couple weeks, so M and I went to St. Louis to catch two games, and I brought a camera along to prove that I was there.

Game 1 was a splendid affair. We bought a pair of tickets off a season ticket holder, and had great seats under the second-tier overhang, which was a good thing since rain was in the forecast. It was 93 degrees at 6 p.m. when we arrived. The sun was not out, and the feel like temp was 107. I splurged and spent $14 on a mini-fan -- the best $14 I've ever spent at a ballpark.

M made fun of the fan, but later asked to borrow it at least once. The happy, overheated couple.

The food at the new Busch Stadium is still mediocre, but I love my ballpark eats anyway. Here I sample a footlong brat. Yum.

The beer, however, is very mediocre. Big surprise in a ballpark named for Anheuser-Busch products, I know. M later found a stand selling regional brews Boulevard and Schlafly's, but of course they were located half way across the stadium. So I opted for the $8.75 24 oz. Bud Lights.

Donnie Baseball checks out Manny Ramirez's hair in the batting cage.

It was Chris Carpenter's first start at Busch Stadium in a year and a half, and just his second start of the season. Here he is prior to the first pitch. He blanked the Dodgers for five innings.

Then the rains came.

The first rain delay lasted about 20 minutes. The second was more like 45 minutes, and everyone with better seats ended up doing a lot of standing around in the concourse, right under our dry seats.

The positive thing about all the rain was that the temperature dropped about 15 degrees, making it a downright delightful evening. Manny didn't cool off like the temps, though. He was on base four times, so Pujols had plenty of time to catch up on old times.

The All Star logo for 2009's game at Busch was revealed. Yawn.

The game was well in control until the 9th. With the Redbirds up 4-0 and Carpenter in line for his first win since 2006, La Russa handed the ball to Ron Villone to start the inning. Villone promptly surrendered a home run to Andruw ".160" Jones. That set the wheels in motion for Izzy's entrance into the game. He has no business closing major league ball games anymore, a point driven home when he gave up back-to-back singles, then walked Manny to load the bases with one out. His own mishandling of a weakly hit ball back to the pitcher allowed the second run to score, then Kent singled home two more to bring the Dodgers to within one. Izzy was booed on his way to the dugout with a 6.28 ERA. La Russa brought in our next worst closer, Franklin, who was touched for a game-tying sac fly before closing out the inning.

Ryan Ludwick looked good swinging for the fences in the bottom of the 11th for a walk-off, two-run shot.

The metro ride back to the hotel was a happy one.

The next day we checked out the City Museum, which a friend had once told me was a great place to visit when under the influence. I think it would have also been a great place to visit when I was 10. The entire "museum" is basically this trippy metal maze, part indoors, part outdoors, in which a kid could easily get lost for a couple hours. M and I had fun exploring what nooks and crannies we could squeeze into. And, of course, the myriad slides.

The museum also had some interesting old opera posters and a few cool things for less limber adults, including a retro cafe with a ton of 1940s-1960s arcade games. I was fond of this one.

Wednesday's game was also a keeper. The temperatures were in the high 70s, just about perfect. Beforehand, I posed with Gibby outside the park.

The game was a bombastic affair. Pujols hit a grand slam to trump Manny's solo shot, and the Cards trounced the Dodgers, 9-6. Despite some bad news -- the Cards had picked up the woeful Felipe Lopez prior to the game and he started in left -- the game was quite memorable. My nephew and brother-in-law made the trip down, and I purchased the best seats I've ever had at a major league game -- nine rows back of the Cards dugout -- for $75 per.

On the way home the following day, we made sure to stop by Arcola for the best damn tacos around from El Taco Tako. Yum. For real.

10 random thoughts while watching last night's Suns-Spurs game

2008-04-23T18:16:00.002-05:00

1) This Suns-Spurs match up is too good for the first round. Superstars out the wazoo: Stoudemire, Nash, O'Neal, Duncan, Ginobili, Parker. Even the role players are former stars: Grant Hill and Michael Finley. After watching a season's worth of boring, crappy, Big Ten basketball and maddening Bulls basketball, watching these two teams play is just heavenly.

2) I'm taking my parents to authentic German restaurant Bayern Stube this weekend. I've never been there in the ten years I've lived in Champaign, and that needs to change. Check out these pics ... looks yummy.

3) All you El Taco Tako fans out there, it sounds like we've (or at least I've) been neglecting the excellent Mexican food right under our noses.

4) Speaking of good food, it's about time to get the grill out of the basement. M is very anxious for the first grilled food of the year.

5) I've gone running four times in the past eight days. I'm hardly up to my old high school pace or distance, but tonight I completed about a 1.5 mile jog. For me, that's significant progress. All my friends (and now co-workers) are running marathons. I've got to play catch up.

6) The Pennsy primary was disappointing. I wasn't anticipating a win for Obama, but I had hoped that he'd finish within five points. Here's to hoping Obama can seal a big win in Indiana and North Carolina and send the Clinton campaign into further debt. I don't care who you root for — or who you blame for it — but this negative campaigning and back-and-forth bickering has become so annoying and distracting that it needs to end soon before the Democratic party disillusions not only independents and disgruntled Republicans, but also its own base.

7) So far my new job is a lot of fun. I signed up a college basketball book that I'm very excited about. It will deal with mid-major basketball in an entertaining fashion and be written by an authority on the subject. (The odd twist to this author: He's a Guided By Voices, Pavement, and Silver Jews fan. Go figure!) My ease in gaining the confidence of authors has always been a strong suit, and it's helping me out immensely as I discuss potential book ideas with writers.

8) I'm finishing up a pair of sports books: Tom Adelman's Black and Blue, on the 1966 World Series between the O's and the Dodgers, and Paul Shirley's humorous diary of his pro basketball career, Can I Keep My Jersey? The latter features Shirley's self-deprecating personality and is presented in Ball Four style. Shirely's name probably doesn't ring a bell for you, because he is what could best be called a fringe player. Still, his insights into the ludicrous world of pro sports — including mini-manifestos on the anti-intellectualism of the modern athlete — are worthwhile reading. Adelman's book is not quite as enjoyable as his first tome, The Long Ball, but is still a good read for historical purposes. I enjoy his prose, and his research and insights are often revealing of both a team's character as well as its characters. If anything, this book feels a bit short.

9) Still hoping that a trip to NYC is in the works for late June. Hopin' and wishin' ...

10) Lately, I've been kicking the tires on ORGANS!, the follow-up to HORNS! I just need to pin down the desired tone for the compilation. I'm leaning toward mid-Sixties mod-era rockers and blue-eyed soul. The trick is finding some modern tunes to blend in.

Dr. Pepper + GNR = an instant classic?

2008-04-05T16:59:00.000-05:00

Now this is funny.

10 random thoughts on a chilly Friday morning

2008-03-07T09:32:00.005-06:00

1) I'm ready for spring now, but thanks for all the snow. M is ready for spring, too, so she can get her garden in the ground and off the kitchen table.

2) In the past week, I've managed to roll my left ankle TWICE. Read about the first time here. The second time happened last night. While walking down the two steps that lead into the garage, I landed on a partially hidden shoe, rolled the ankle again, and screamed "MOTHERFUCKER" while hopping on my good ankle until I could stabilize myself on the garage door. Fun times!

3) At the above link, you can also read about my recent social/sporting experiment: tennis lessons. Mr. DF, if/when we play again, let it be known that I will have with me $79 worth of knowledge that I did not possess the last time we faced off.

4) Sorry I've neglected the blog over the past month, but my life has been full of big decisions of late. Many of you already know about my recent job offer. But if not, in short I was offered a lucrative position with another company in another college town in southern Indiana. On the surface, the offer was tempting. But after much deliberation, I decided to stay put and sweat it out a while longer. I left a lot of money on the table, but I leveraged the offer into a 25% raise where I'm at, plus a significant promotion. So, that's good. I'm not anxious to go through the entire process again, as charting out your financial health under various salary/cost-of-living scenarios on a spreadsheet is not fun. But it was good to reassess my worth in the outside world.

5) I've been downloading a lot of obscure, out-of-print records from the '60s and '70s. Most of it is psych/prog/garage, and many selections are foreign (i.e. non English speaking). But one new band that I've fallen in love with is Fleet Foxes, who recently released a debut EP titled Sun Giant on Sub Pop. In my opinion, the two songs featured on their Myspace page from the EP don't do the five-song EP justice; the other songs are great. (Still, "English House" is cool.) Fans of Band of Horses, The Shins, and mellow My Morning Jacket will likely dig this Seattle band.

6) I'm so loving the German board game Carcassonne. If you're ever been a fan of Risk or Stratego or really any strategy-based "war" game, then you'll probably dig Carcassonne, which is not a "war" game per say but carries with it some similar concepts. The advanced copy of the game that I've been playing will be leaving town in a few months with its owner. So too will two of the three people I regularly play the game with, so I'll need to purchase my own copy and recruit some new players. Listmaker's recent post about Settlers of Catan, coupled with Tim's desire to play the game, will probably lead to my purchase of it soon.

7) I've totally tuned out college basketball this year. It's funny how my favorite team's horrible season has impacted my desire to pay attention to the rest of the sport. Last year, M and I watched 4-6 games per week, sometimes two or three on Saturday alone. This year, meh. Maybe I'll be able to get geared up for the tourney?

8) The final episode of The Wire has arrived. I'm terribly sad to see the show go, more so than I was for The Sopranos, even. There is nothing else on TV (or really, in the theaters) that's similar to The Wire. The show's complex examination of the American big city is enthralling, to say the least. But like any great TV show, the real drawing card is the characters, not the plot or thesis. And The Wire has some of the most engaging characters that I've had the pleasure of getting to know since, well, Six Feet Under. It will be sad to know that after this Sunday there will be no more Bunk, McNulty, Sgt. Landsman, Omar, Bubbles, Snoop, Dookie, Marlo, Gus, Carcetti, Prez, and especially, Senator Clay Davis. Sheeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, brought a tear to my eye just to type that sentence.

9) The battle between Obama and Clinton has been so enthralling to watch. I'm saddened that Obama has lacked the knockout blow of late, but that's in part a testament to the staying power of Clinton. It's a shame we're now going to go weeks without any significant developments in terms of big-ticket primaries. But I, for one, don't buy this sense from many that the longer the race for the Democratic nomination goes on, the more the Republican nominee will benefit. This is such a captivating race that it has buried news coverage of Republicans, and that was even when there was a Republican race to be won. Now that McCain is the nominee, I don't see how he will continue to keep his name in the headlines as the press continues its smothering coverage of Obama-Clinton.

The potential drawback to a lengthy bout is that McCain, with no Republican to pick on, could begin the sort of character assassination we know the Repulbicans will resort to, on both Democratic candidates. The person who stands to lose the most in that instance, I feel, is Obama. That could hurt his chance to seal the nomination, and cause him to take his focus off Clinton. I'm also a bit worried that the two sides (Clinton and McCain) will gang up on Obama, becuase it's been widely discussed that the Republican party would rather face Clinton, whom many feel is more beatable than Obama.

10) I'm already thinking about taking a few trips this summer. Luckily, my new job will allow me to be less tied down to the usual summer deadlines, so I can afford to sneak away for a few long weekends. M and I are already planning a trip to NYC in late June. I'd also like to go through with our long-discussed trip to Cinci. And we've got tickets for one Cardinals game in early August. Outside of that, if there was any way to make it to a beach this summer, I'd love to follow through with it. But I just don't see it happening.

2 photos or less

2008-02-04T17:44:00.001-06:00

One. It sleeps. (My new computer, not Elton.) I love it like a third arm. (My new computer, not Elton.)

Two. Today was the foggiest day in a long time. The view from my front porch proves it. (Chris' photo is better.)

If you know M and I...

2008-01-25T09:31:00.000-06:00

...then you may find this week's edition of Unsportsmanlike Conduct to be to your liking.

Reading material

2008-01-14T10:05:00.000-06:00

I just finished a pair of books that couldn't have been more opposite. Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End was the perfect book to read over Xmas "break" at the "in-laws". Ferris (it turns out he was born in Danville) writes of a Chicago ad agency in the post-dot-com bust. The company is going under quickly, and the staff is left to deal with the fallout. For me, the subject is very personal, as it currently describes my professional situation well. But the book is far more funny than my day-to-day work life ever could be. In many ways, this book is the perfect marriage of Mad Men and The Office. For those of you longing for either show's return, buy this book now.

I really enjoyed this novel, from it's unique first-person plural narration to the anecdotal storytelling approach. On the latter point, its worth noting that this book does have a traditional plot, but that the plot is rather obvious and isn't really the point. That may sound counterintuitive, but to a large degree Ferris' book is more a collection of short stories and character sketches held hostage by a novel than it is any traditional narrative construction we've become accustomed to in typical novels. The end result is rarely in question; for the reader the fun is in character assassination rather than plot twists. There are some laugh-out loud moments in this book, but the swath of emotions in this book make for an office dramedy. I found myself identifying strongly with certain characters, because I've worked with their near-equals in real life. Other characters I only wish I could say the same for. By and large, it's Ferris' attention to detail that makes for an enjoyable read, as he truly nails the mundane things that define office work and office life: the gossip parties, the absurd personality ticks, the power plays, the ridiculous company policy, the tracking devices. I could go on -- lest I leave out office furniture, so vitally symbolic that it plays a key role in this book -- but you get my drift. This is my favorite novel of the past couple years, for sentimental reasons.

I then transitioned to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, the first of his novels I've read. After seeing the film adaptation of No Country for Old Men and listening to M talk up this novel, I was eager to begin. The book is a big departure from anything I've read ... ever. It took me a long while to adjust to the writing style itself, from his truncated passages to the lack of traditional punctuation. The novel is written in such a sparse manner -- McCarthy tells us only what few details he deems necessary -- that it leaves the reader plenty of time to wander around in his or her own head to create scenarios and ponder the past. It's almost like a Mad Lib exercise in some ways, as the reader is left to fill in blanks. The book is a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his young son wandering "the road" to nowhere. It's a sad, existentialist affair, often touching. But on the whole, I'm not certain if I really enjoyed the book on the level I anticipated. After the hype (self-inflicted and otherwise), I thought I may be setting myself up for a Top 10 book. In the end, I'm not sure if I'm more taken by the book's oddity or the force of the story. Either way, it's worth reading, for sure. I just finished it last night, so possibly some more time away will allow me to come to a more defined stance on The Road. I'll definitely read another of McCarthy's books for perspective's sake. I think I'm going with All the Pretty Horses.

Next up on my list is another huge step in the opposite direction: Rick Telander's Heaven Is a Playground, which comes recommended by Chris. The '70s tome deals with the culture of NYC streetball. I'm expecting to find some insights into the AAU dominance of today's high school game and the revival of urban basketball culture in the media.

10 random comments before the sky falls on me

2008-01-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

1) My office space sucks. I have a new office, true, and it is much larger and grander and more private than my previous office. But it doesn't change the fact that my new office only serves as a metaphor for the state of my company. Currently, I sit in my office with five waste cans collecting drips from the leaky ceiling sixteen feet overhead. Yesterday, I heard a loud boom. When I walked down the hallway I discovered a chunk of concrete, probably the size of a fist, shattered across a desk. Granted, no one was sitting at the desk, because no one sits in that hallway anymore, because my company laid off all of my co-workers in editorial and production. But if my former co-worker would have been sitting at her desk, she probably would have been knocked unconscious by the blow. Just minutes ago, a much smaller piece of concrete fell in the loft space in my office. Luckily for me, my new office is in a different part of our converted warehouse. I have ceiling tiles above me -- many of them stained and leaky -- which in theory would break the fall of any large chunks of concrete. In three spots, however, there are no ceiling tiles. Those just happen to be the spots that drip into my office, and from where my piece of the ceiling came crashing down. That, in a nutshell, best explains the place where I am employed. And every time it rains I am reminded of the symbolism.

2) But it's not just at work that I get to enjoy drips when it rains. It happens at home, too. Every time it rains heavily, I can expect drippage in my records room, either from the center skylight or directly above where my records and stereo sit. That means I have to cover my stereo with a towel (just in case) and also lay towels on the wood floor in front of my IKEA shelving. The landlord is fixing these leaks for the second time -- "when it gets dry up there" -- most likely in June. It also leaks in the living room, as water travels down the stove pipe that penetrates the ceiling and collects on top of the stove. So a bowl sits there to collect water on mornings like this. (At least M and I have finally enjoyed the stove for its true purpose -- keeping us warm on 10 degree nights. But it doesn't do us much good on 60-degree evenings in January, like the last two nights.)

3) I started tennis lessons last night at the park district. When I showed up it was just me and my friend and occasional tennis opponent E signed up for the lessons (intermediate level, if you're curious). Shortly thereafter, a couple walked in and our group doubled in size. So far so good on the progress, but the lessons are moving at a slightly faster pace than I had hoped for (especially given the size of the group). There's not enough one-on-one teaching of mechanics. Clearly, the things I know I need to work on -- backhand, volleys at the net -- are my faults. The instructor did say I have the best overhand volley (i.e. "smash") that he's seen in his instructing of intermediate level groups, which is funny because I typically fuck those up in game action. But it's a motion (leaping and smacking the racket down) that feels normal to me, I guess from my time playing basketball. And I can deliver a great overhand volley when the element of surprise is taken away, like when the instructor lobs the ball high into the air for practice. I'm beginning to understand how crucial (in inches) the ball toss is to my serve clearing the net. I need more height on my toss. The instructor also said I should be able to get more slice on my serves from the ad side as I'm a lefty, so hopefully he'll teach me how to do that.

4) I've had a cold now for 3+ weeks. My visit to the doctor's office did not produce a prescription for an antibiotic, which pissed me off. That was well over a week ago. Maybe I should go back, cough in hand, and be more forceful?

5) The holidays were busy, filled with family and recently lots of friends. It was good visiting with everyone, but I'm glad that M and I have our lives to ourselves for a bit. It's nice to begin to settle back into our groove.

6) Speaking of settling, we still have not watched the first episode of The Wire (Season 5). That will change tonight.

7) I'm fairly certain that no one is reading the sports posts at SP, let alone my specific posts. But that doesn't mean I'm going to refrain from linking to them and encouraging you to do so. I didn't expect a sports section at such a site to be all that well read, but I did hope that someone out there would feel the need to check in regularly and leave a comment. As a site, we need to begin the process of earnestly publicizing ourselves to the community at large. A sticker campaign ain't gonna cut it.

8) M got me this game for Xmas. I'm anxious to set aside a few chunks of time to play it. I've chosen the school I'm going to "coach" -- my alma mater, WIU -- and begun play (I'm 1-2). It's a lot more complicated than the last college basketball game I played many years ago. The recruiting process is interesting, if not a bit much to keep tabs on.

9) I found a gem while shopping at Furniture Lounge this weekend: a copy of Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen on vinyl for $2. I had never heard the band before, and after listening to one side I'm not so sure I'm into it. But nonetheless, it was a great find on the cheap.

10) Finally, I've decided that within a couple months I will own one of these:

Happy Xmas

2007-12-17T09:20:00.000-06:00

Please, if the spirit moves you, share with others...

FYI...

2007-12-04T16:36:00.000-06:00

It appears as if SP has launched. For a limited time only, I'm the lead article!

A regular writing gig

2007-11-29T09:00:00.002-06:00

After much peer pressure from Chris and plenty of deliberation on my end, I've decided to start writing again for a more "professional" publication, this time local online culture zine Smile Politely. "Several of my friends are doing it, mom, so why can't I?"

Anyway, I'll be doing a thrice-weekly music column under the old Jukebox Upchuck name, as well as a weekly sports column. I believe the site is officially launching within a few days, so check the link and enjoy more of me, as well as others' blogs about food, music, art, news, etc.

Why no Sharon Jones?

2007-11-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

An astute listener picked out the Sharon Jones track in my soul/funk set at Mike 'n' Molly's and wondered why I hadn't included Ms. Jones and her Dap Kings on HORNS! Well, I had to hold something back for Vol. 2. (Like, maybe 70+ songs.) If you haven't checked out her new album, 100 Days 100 Nights, and you call yourself a fan of good soul music, then you have no excuse for living. Get ye to a record store, pronto.

The Budos Band, also on the Daptone label and featuring some overlap with the Dap Kings, is fucking tight, too. Check this shit out (scroll down a bit for the video).

10 random thoughts as Fall settles in (for good?)

2007-11-07T16:28:00.000-06:00

1) I, for one, have been pleased with the colder temperatures of late. With the chill comes a higher heating bill, but also blankets, portable heaters, and possibly the use of our tiny wood-burning stove -- all of which I enjoy.

2) I'm done working 70+ hours a week. DONE I TELL YOU!

3) I DJ'ed at Mike 'n' Molly's on Saturday. Thanks to those that came out. It was my first time DJing in a bar in, well, I'm not sure. Maybe three years? Has it really been that long? Seems like it, or maybe longer. I split time with DJ Hellcat and had a good time. Spinning for 2 hours was just about right. My soul set was especially spectacular, I thought.

4) The Bulls at 0-4 are doing nothing to help their "keep the young nucleus together" cause. Not with Kobe lingering nearby. Sure, the Bulls get off to a slow start every year. That's a given, just like Kirk Hinrich picking up his third foul before the half and Andres Nocioni overreacting to every whistle against him. But I for one had bought the hype that this year's team was going to make some noise -- immediately. They have more depth than you can shake a stick at, but all I've noticed over these first four games is the team's many flaws, ballhandling and transition D chief among them. Last night against the Clippers, Skiles stuck with an offensively-challenged bunch for too long in the second half. They were shutting down Los Angeles on defense, but couldn't score on offense. I'm of the opinion Chicago should trade away a couple of its younger core for a talented 4/5 who can score in a multitude of ways. But screw Kobe ... he can rot in L.A.

5) Don't tell anyone, but M and I are doing a college fantasy basketball league using Big 10 players. My idea, but she's game. The draft is tonight!

6) I didn't make it to 10 on my last list, so I'm feeling the pressure this time around to really push it. Hmmm... Hey D-Finn, thanks for the suggestion of Kashi TLC. It has added some welcome variety to snack time at work.

7) I haven't heard much feedback on HORNS! Like, dislike? Should I get busy on ORGANS!?

8) Am I the only baseball fan that has zero interest in the A-Rod sweepstakes? With the Red Sox winning another World Series, I'm now well past my quota of big-market, Eastern seaboard baseball coverage. The Yankees got a new manager. Torre's in L.A. Curt Schilling re-upped. SO WHAT! The Cardinals have made enough moves over the past few weeks -- picking a new GM (blah) and bringing back La Russa (blech) -- to keep me somewhat interested in the hot stove league. But I can do without the constant updates on Scott Boras' richest client, thankyouverymuch.

9) I have four words for the Big Ten Network and Comcast: STOP SCREWING THE FANS! I'm glad that one of you will eventually "win" this stupid "argument" about who has the best interest of the fans in mind (and both of you will go on to make money hand over fist). But in the meantime, can I pretty please just watch some thrilling exhibition basketball without having to drop $25 at a bar?

10) I'm taking all next week off from work. If you're around town and would like to get a drink, holla.

On seeing Jens Lekman and a sky phenomenon

2007-10-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

On the drive to Bloomington, Indiana to see Swedish pop sensation Jens Lekman, we experienced a hint of what Jens once sang about in the song, "Sky Phenomenon".

you stare at the sky, colors reflecting in your eye
could it be, what they call the northern lights
but here and at this time of year
it's like someone spilled the beer all over the atmosphere

One of the most vibrant and surreal sunsets I've ever witnessed coated the belly of low-lying clouds seven shades of orange. Trees in the distance, all turning colors already, became almost red in tint with bright orange leaves appearing to be aflame. It was simply stunning, one of those rare glimpses of natural beauty that we are afforded in this region where topography has hit the snooze button. Five minutes later, just as we completed our trip through the psychedelic forest, we ran smack into a rainbow. Not a wimpy embarrassed-for-itself rainbow, but a bully of a rainbow, punching through the clouds and arcing through the sky. Tim thought he saw its other leg land in the horizon. Then we saw it, much to our disbelief -- a second rainbow, nowhere near as prominent as the first. We joked that god wanted our trip to see Jens to be a special one, giving us a wink and a nod to Jens' very own song.

I would never recommend going to Jake's in Bloomington to see just any show. For Champaign folks, it's much like a marriage of the Canopy (with its obnoxious screens on either side of the stage) and a crappy campus bar like C.O. Daniels. A sign at the entrance let us know that if we so chose, we could return the next evening for beer pong.

Jens was spectacular. Playing with a 7-piece backing band of mostly women — with a horn and string section and a sampler — he went through a lengthy set of songs from his new record and old favorites. The new stuff really begs to be seen live, where his energy and charisma can work its way inbetween the notes to chart a new course for each song. He neglects his more melancholic material for the brighter moments, then sells the audience with the same sort of witty asides that form the basis for many of his songs. Jens is uplifting in concert. It's fun to watch him hit his stride as he transcends comparisons to Jonathan Richman.

The drive home couldn't have been more a lesson in opposites. While I slept most of the way, I was awoken by a loud thump as we crossed state lines. Tim had run over the remains of a deer that was strewn across most of the highway. A few miles down the road we pulled into a rest stop to determine the damage. I'll spare you the gory details -- of which there are plenty -- and let you know that while Tim's car was by and large unscathed, he did take some of the deer with him.

I don't know what message to take from the night's ending, so I'll leave it be.

If you have the chance — no matter if you are familiar with his music — go see Jens. He's a rare find.

10 random thoughts after an exhausting workout at the gym

2007-10-15T18:52:00.000-05:00

1) The gym experiment is still a functioning reality. Unlike past attempts at joining a gym, which have imploded after about two weeks, I'm well over a month into this gamble and still going strong. What can I say ... Maybe life after 30 is all about polishing the guns?

2) This past weekend I made a mix for my oldest brother, who just turned 50. (I know, that's as old as some of your parents.) It's full of things he listened to in the early to mid '70s: Zeppelin, Creedence, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, The Stones ... plus some things I felt like tossing in like The Kinks' "Victoria", Big Star's "Don't Lie to Me", and The Band's "The Weight". Here's the mix cover.

I gotta say, I'm on a roll with mix covers.

3) Searching out new snacks for work is one of my part-time hobbies. I've stumbled upon Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets, and I have to wonder how snack time at work ever existed without them. They don't get my fingers messy, so I don't need to worry about using the keyboard while eating them. And they're delicious!

4) I got an e-mail from Tracy McGrady today:

Hey, it's T-Mac.
You can always watch me light up the
scoreboard for the Rockets. But when you
play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Basketball,
you can watch me light it up for you, too.
I’m ready. Are you?
See you soon!

Alas, T-Mac, you will not see me soon. I'm opting out of defending my fantasy basketball crown this year to catch up on my reading list, among other things. Maybe I'll still make it to your birthday bash, though?

5) Has anyone else heard any of the songs on the new John Fogerty record? No, I'm not kidding! It's seriously fucking good. KEXP played a track from it, an anti-war garage rocker in the vein of Neil Young's Pearl Jam revival days, that totally floored me. He's going to be this year's Loretta Lynn, just you watch. It's available at Sam's Club, in case you just want to pick it up the next time you run out to get a huge tub of Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets.

6) Bright Eyes. Man Man. Ryan Adams. Andrew Bird. Fiery Furnaces. Ween. Mount Eerie. Melt Banana (at the Highdive!), The Black Angels, Kevin Drew, ...Trail of Dead, The Mountain Goats, Spitalfield, Xiu Xiu. These are just a few of the shows that have recently come to town or are coming in the near future. Shows that I've seen in town in the past four months: ZERO. I'll be going to a few of these, though. Plus Jens Lekman in Bloomington, Indiana!

7) I've been listening to Sam Cooke's Night Beat a lot lately. It's a great fall record -- subtle, sometimes sparse, a tad on the heavy side. I first heard the album several years ago on a trek to Denver to see Jon. Then I picked it up a year ago and for whatever reason -- probably because it's a good downer record (in that it's got a bit of upper hidden within the many moody ballads) -- I've been playing it non-stop over the past week. You should pick it up. It's not like his pop stuff -- "Cupid" or "Chain Gang" or "Another Saturday Night". It's infused with more of a studio session jazz feel, but like I said rather sparse and contained. And his voice has rarely sounded more spiritually anxious.

8) Fuck it, not gonna make it to 10. Too hungry.

Wes' new film

2007-10-08T22:25:00.001-05:00

Until today, I had not checked out the trailer for the new Wes Anderson flick, The Darjeeling Limited. It looks like a typical Anderson flick/script, which means I'll go see it. It doesn't hurt that he's using a couple of my favorite Kinks songs in the trailer. God I love The Kinks. Most underrated band. Ever.

In my nature...

2007-10-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

It's in my nature to over-analyze my past writing. Yesterday I flipped through some old issues of Skyscraper and was left cringing at my features. My reviews, on the whole, were okay. But my features I did detest. Just now I re-read some older blog posts on now-defunct blogs, and again I cringed after reading my thoughts. I find myself objecting to style ... content ... opinion. Eh, I suppose I should just accept myself as my own worst critic and leave it be. Most writers have glaring flaws that eat away their insides.

M pointed out that a rapper named will.i.am used a similar concept on his new release to my three-disc comp Songs About Girls. Of course, his songs are original. Plenty of others in the recent past have used the same title for an album. Our good man William is the third in the past two years. At any rate, if anyone else wants to use HORNS! for the title of an LP, go for it. But know going in that your album will suck compared to mine.

And that in two years time, I'll cringe when I read this.

10 random thoughts while watching postseason baseball

2007-10-03T20:09:00.000-05:00

1) Is it too late to make my predictions about the postseason considering that two games are in the bag already? Eh, fuck it.

Rockies in 5: I love the Rockies' hot streak, but I think the Phillies will make a series out of it. Their offense is too good not to. But their pitching stinks, save for Hamels.

Cubs in 4: Two pretty darn good pitching staffs, but the D-Backs aren't a good offensive club. The Cubs have effective starting pitching, a solid if unspectacular pen, and Alfonso Soriano.

Red Sox in 4: I like the make-up of the Angels pitching staff and think they'll tame the vaunted Red Sox lineup for one game this series. But the Red Sox are just too spectacular a team: their pitching is unbelievably underrated.

Cleveland in 5: I'd like to think the Cleveland pitching staff — which is quite good — can contain the Yankees offense. But the men in pinstripes scored 968 runs this season for a reason. (They can hit.) Still, I'm giving this one to the Indians. Something tells me they're due, and they have homefield advantage. This should be a wild series.

NLCS — Rockies in 6: I'll be puking on myself by this point in the playoffs. I hate the Cubs. This is a weak group of NL teams. Big Z and Angry Lou can't stop Mr. Helton and Mr. Holliday. Troy Tulowitzki as the secret weapon!

ALCS — Red Sox in 5: I just think the Sox are gonna roll through the playoffs. 'Nuff said.

World Series — Sox over Rox in 6: How long will a Big Papi home run travel in the thin air of Coors Field? There's no humidor known to man that can keep Ortiz out of the right field upper deck.

2) Now for my sporting life: I beat Emily in tennis. Yay!

3) The HORNS! mix just needs me to get off my lazy ass and finish the cover design. I haven't come up with anything that thrills me yet. But the mix is good.

4) Talk amongst friends has me leaning toward ORGANS! next over STRINGS!

5) Back to sports: The Cards fired GM Walt Jocketty today. That was a big surprise. I can only hope it means the end of the La Russa era. Pretty please.

6) Speaking of eras, how about the Ron Zook era? Hells yes baby! Thanks to Alan, M and I had fourth-row seats on the south endzone goal line for the Illini's win over Penn State. It was a blast — from the State fan dressed up as JoePa to the 90-yard kickoff return for a TD to the football team celebrating in the student section after the game.

7) I missed the Deerhunter show this week. Jenny and I actually talked about going, we're out on the town just waiting for the show to start, then realized that it was a 7 p.m. start and had ended already at 10. Figures. I bitch so much about shows starting late on weeknights, then miss the one show that started early. It would help motivate me and my memory if there was actually a weekly worth reading in this town.

8) Ten of the last fifteen albums I've bought have been comps. Comps are the new 45s for me — a perfect proving ground for new bands. (Of course, most of the comps I'm buying are the sort that feature old bands so rare that I couldn't afford to buy their full-lengths anyway, even if I was lucky enough to find them.)

9) Just a quick shout out to Wan and Finn. It's a perfect night for a backyard ice cream social and I'm sad that it's not gonna happen.

10) Guitar Hero 80s ... I will own you soon.

10 random thoughts while listening to Tim Buckley

2007-09-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

1) Who is, I may add, far superior to his offspring.

2) Pointless rant: My password for my e-mail account is way too long. I fuck it up about half the time, then curse myself and start over again. I've had the same password for about three years, so why haven't I changed it? "They" tell you to change it up at least once a year. I guess I'm just too lazy to remember a new one. It's far easier just to retype it over and over again.

3) My M googled my name tonight and on like the seventh page -- after a whole bunch of work-related entries, old music reviews, and fantasy sports crap -- was a comment someone had left in response to an M. Dodds review that got picked up by the Springfield weekly of the Living Blue's last album. The commenter called her something along the lines of the worst music critic of all time and then ripped me (?) for comparing the Living Blue to Blue Cheer and Mudhoney. This person was pimping Tummler, so they're clearly one of the hard rock fanatics that lives around the area that had also read my unrelated praise of the Living Blue and felt that the old Octopus/Cityview snubbed hard rock/metal bands. Which is mostly true. But largely because most (local) bands in that genre happen to suck. Which is not to say that Tummler sucks. But the thought process went something like this: Why say something negative if you're only going to discourage some naive person from checking out said band -- or at least that's what I was often told. The one time I did rip some Alice in Chains soundalike a member of the band sent me the strangest, mistyped, drunken slab of hate e-mail I've ever received -- even stooping so far as to call me "gay". The rage-stricken fool later apologized. Thinking back on that, I should have written about that scene more often, if only to receive such poetic wall art.

4) I'm moving into a new office soon. It's much larger than my current office, and will afford me some privacy. That means I can finally listen to more music at work!

5) Speaking of offices, who's excited for the new season of The Office? Me!!!

6) Thoughts on Superbad: not the funniest movie I've seen in five years, as others have claimed, but not far from it. The entire kid-draws-dicks tangent was simply brilliant -- odd enough to be true enough to be hysterical. And it plays right in to the homosexual undertone to the film.

7) If you live in town, then you should play some trivia this Thursday. Unlike the excellent Drink 'n Think at Mike 'n Molly's, which the Grumpy Dougs will one day win, this trivia night is a one-time affair put on by some friends who are tirelessly trying to keep WRFU on the air. (As you may recall, D-Finn and I used to DJ for the low-power station.) They're trying to raise an insane amount of money to get a new off-site tower for their antenna so that once again I will not be able to get good reception at my house. Anyway, that's another matter entirely. I'm going -- and you should too! It's Thursday at the Esquire at (I think) 7:30.

8) Time to put on something not named Tim Buckely. How about The Move? Sure, sounds good.

9) It seems like forever since I've made good use of my backyard deck. That will change this week as the temperature dips into the 60s while the sun is still out.

10) Tennis: I finally beat Chris! I'm a little late in my bragging, as he has since beaten me yet again. But, hey, I finally beat Chris! It was a momentous occasion to be sure, which is why I'm glad I captured it by taking a victory lap around the net. Now, if I could just beat Emily...

HORNS! is done ... almost

2007-09-23T22:51:00.001-05:00

The research for HORNS!, a mix two months in the making, is complete. From over 100 songs, I whittled the tracklist down to 22. I think I'm happy with the sequencing, which means all that's left is to design a cover. I often feel this way after completing a mix, but this particular one rings truer than others: This is probably the best mix I've ever made. The research was far more challenging than on Songs About Girls; with that one, I had only to select songs with a girl's name in the title. With this mix, I had to listen to a LOT of songs to ensure that the horn parts were memorable and the song was to my liking. Basically, I listened to a healthy portion of my record collection.

Now it's on to new territory. ORGANS!, anyone?

10 random reasons my back hurts (or not)

2007-09-11T20:13:00.001-05:00

1) I never thought my back would actually be fucked up at the age of 31. But it is. Mostly, it's my lower back and it's all my fault, the result of 8+ years of bad posture at the desk job. So ...

2) M and I joined a gym. My past gym exploits have been laughable and ugly. (Seriously, old naked men are both.) The new gym features none of that, and possibly I'll stick with it this time. My back reminds me on a nearly daily basis to get to the gym by screaming at me in the morning and at night. Since I'm in no shape to throw down 3 grand on a new mattress set, I'll have to settle for weights and stretching.

3) Tennis: I suck. I've finally found a sport that I really like and have little natural ability to excel at. That's not saying much, really. There are plenty of sports that I know I suck at — say, football — and hence I've never given those sports much of a chance. Then there is basketball. I could go an entire calendar year without touching a basketball, then hit the court and at least do a good Dickey Simpkins impersonation. A few times out, and I'm a regular Horace Grant. But tennis is another story. There's no Roger Federer hiding inside me, but the sport is a lot of fun regardless and gets my competitive streak fired up. If only I could learn some fundamentals, like a forehand or a backhand for example. My serve is actually my best ally. I've been playing once or twice a week, and so far I'm basically oh-for-the-world. I have a lovely tendency to get up 3-1 or 3-0 and then lose 6-4. I chalk my inconsistency up to said lack of fundamentals, and hope for the best next time out. At some point, I just have to get better, don't I?

4) Beans. They don't really cause back aches, per say. But I suddenly enjoy them in varieties previously foreign to me. M's white bean salad is delicious! There, I said it.

5) Superbad was funny. Who knew the best character plot line of the year would come in the form of a kid overcoming his sketchy past as a dick-drawing maniac?

6) Big Ten Network. Fuck you. Comcast. Fuck you, too.

7) Research on the HORNS! mix is nearly at end. Lo and behold there's hardly as much new(er) music in my collection featuring horns. I'm troubled by trying to mix the old with the new, while still maintaining a congruency. Then there's the whole issue of Chicago apologists.

8) I just finished Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx Is Burning. Good book. I wonder if the ESPN miniseries will hold up. The book wanders for large segments of time away from baseball to deal with rioting, bankruptcy, politics, and the Son of Sam. I'm guessing ESPN knows their audience and stuck with the Yankees for the most part.

9) We just went through massive layoffs at work, which is saying something when you work in an office with 20-some peeps. My department has been reduced to just me (the editor) and a designer. Good thing the title list is shrinking too, even if it's not significant enough. My guess: We'll be out of business in five months. I hope I'm wrong, but having gone through this process in my previous job at the newspaper, I have a pretty good feel for this sort of thing.

10) Guitar Hero II was an unexpected hit at a recent party. M even digs it! I had never played the game prior to receiving it as my surprise b-day gift from M. It's incredibly addictive — and fucking hard. I can't play a lick on the hard level, despite being pretty good at medium. My pinkie is just not used to such workouts. (Insert joke here.)

Being a fan these days isn't easy

2007-09-07T08:44:00.000-05:00

This morning's Post-Dispatch web site displays the obvious complexity. Is it possible for a newborn star to be reborn in less than a month? If you've read the Daily News story then you know what all the hub-bub is about. Baseball can't catch a break. Its fans can't catch a feel-good story. And now I can't even enjoy the small sample of this season that's been enjoyable for me, the Cardinals fan. Or can I? Can I just block out the suspicion? Can I justify that prescription (regardless of its legality) as part of Ankiel overcoming a bunch of significant injuries and attempting to battle back to the majors as a hitter? Do I believe that he is now clean, accepting that we may never know because baseball doesn't test for HGH? What a fucking dilemma. And all it does is distract from a great pennant race between three mediocre teams.

Up until today Rick Ankiel has been the opposite of the typical jock storyline of 2007, which is to say he hasn't been in trouble with the police, in and out of court, beating his wife, being a reckless, gun-toting idiot. He has figures in his life — like his dad — who fit that mold. Yet he rebelled from that stereotype, seeming unbeatable, invincible, able to do the impossible and walk that thin line.

I'll need some time to process this. Being a Cardinals fan hasn't been easy after the McGwire hoopla. I didn't know if I would ever be able root as hard for a team or a player again after that. And then came Rick Ankiel. And then came his scandal.

I hope someone gives him the best advice of his life: Be honest. Do it for yourself. Do it for the game you love. Do it for your fans. Do it to be a real hero, to set an example for all the other players around you who are too chickenshit to own up. Tell us why. Maybe your reasons are legit. Maybe you did stop using when HGH was banned. Or maybe you didn't. Either way, just tell us the truth. It can even be your interpretation of the truth. Just speak. Now. Please.

Repeat after me...

2007-08-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Five hundred. As in POINT 500:

.500

The Cardinals will try to reach that magical, mythical level tonight against the Stros. For those keeping score at home, STL hasn't been at (or above) .500 since April 16. It's hard to believe that we're still in this crawl to the finish in the N.L. Central, that we've still got meaningful work to do as we near September. Much like last year, the credit goes to the young'uns for keeping us going when it matters most. Here's to you, Ryan Ludwick (above), Yadi Molina, Brendan Ryan, Rick Ankiel, and ye who possesses a truly nasty knee buckler, Adam Wainwright.

10 random thoughts on a boring Friday afternoon

2007-08-17T13:51:00.001-05:00

1) It's really difficult to stay awake post-lunch when you're working on a spreadsheet. Try it sometime.

2) Research is well underway on my new mix, HORNS!, which I hope to have completed before the end of September. You will want to own this mix. It will be guaranteed to fill the dance floor every time you put it on.

3) For the longest time I've been looking for something representative of Sweden's psych scene circa the early 1970s. I've heard International Harvester/Parsson Sound, but they are too proggy. I've been searching for something more song-oriented, and I've found it in Pugh Rogefeldt. I've got his first two records now, and they're fucking tops. It's easy to see how Dungen was influenced by this dude. Unfortunately, he will not be featured on HORNS!.

4) I still like tennis, but my twisted ankle has prohibited me from playing for a couple weeks. I think that's going to change this weekend.

5) HBO has canceled John From Cincinnati. After sticking with it for the entire first season -- I'm one of the few to have done so -- I have to say I won't miss it one bit.

6) Flight of the Concords, however, is another story. HBO better keep it on for a second season. There's not much reason to watch HBO other than it, and Big Love, which has avoided the dreaded sophomore slump. Nothing tops AMC's Mad Men, though. It's spectacular.

7) The Cards could actually be in first place after this weekend if everything breaks their way. How fucking weird would that be, considering that this team has been littered with walking dead for weeks now.

8) The Illini are supposedly making a decision on Jamar Smith by the start of the semester. Reporters are saying he will either be suspended for a handful of games and then allowed to play this year, or he will be asked to redshirt this season (which sucks, I suppose, but allows him to maintain an additional year's worth of eligibility). Being booted from school/the team is apparently not an option. I'm still a bit baffled by the school's handling of this entire situation, but I'll reserve further comment until the verdict is made public.

9) I briefly got my hopes up for a Jens Lekman show at The Highdive, which I had heard was "in the works." Ain't gonna happen. It's sad when the last show I was excited about in this town was Jose Gonzalez (that's not the bad part) at the Courtyard Cafe (that is) almost three months ago. Whatever happened to the mildly intriguing stream of concerts we used to get in Champaign-Urbana? Why have the priorities of our local promoters shifted to bringing in run-of-the-mill indie crap and repeat performances from shit bands? No one gives a fuck about raising the standard if it doesn't have an immediate impact on the bottom line. I seriously wonder how much the lack of good concerts in this town has contributed to my lazy music-mindedness over the past year or so.

10) M and I are planning a trip to NYC in October. If it goes through, it will be my first time spending significant time in the Big Apple ... ever. How the hell did I make it to 30 years old (fuck, almost 31) and never really visit NYC?

Welcome back, kid

2007-08-09T22:24:00.001-05:00

It's been too long.

His boots were made for walking...

2007-08-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

Lee Hazlewood
1929-2007

He is known to some -- if at all -- as the man who penned Nancy Sinatra's smash hit "These Boots Are Made for Walking". But Hazlewood is so much more than that minor entry in pop country's history. First of all, he also penned and sang "Some Velvet Morning" with Sinatra. Second, his pegging as a country artist is at times unfair. His roots are there, but he was always more a fringe artist, one of the first alt-country acts, if you will. He first broke Duane Eddy and his twangy guitar, then launched a lengthy career in the '60s as an iconic producer/songwriter. It's his own catalogue of albums, however, that garnered my interest a few years ago when Smells Like Records reissued several of his 1960s and '70s releases. Hazlewood's lyrical Americana pastiche and dry baritone voice make for quite a pairing. Plus, the man simply knows how to write a memorable hook, whether he's dabbling in roots country, AM pop-rock, or swinging horns-drenched pseudo-lounge. Your record collection will be better off with at least a couple of his albums included. Unfortunately, there is no career-spanning "best of" album for Hazlewood, something that hopefully will happen in death. So many of his best albums were long out of print, and sadly are close to returning to that state. Hopefully, Smells Like will re-release A Cowboy in Sweeden, as that's the one record I didn't get (and can not afford to drop $75 on).For more on Lee, read this.

I'll close with a suitable tribute in song.

Lee Hazlewood – "I'll Live Yesterdays"

I'm numb to it all

2007-07-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

I should probably be a little more affected by the fact that a good percentage of my close friends are moving away. First it was Jason last month. No big deal, he's just one of many. Then Renee headed out of town last weekend. Donovan and Amy W. are leaving next week. Amy L. is leaving next week, too. Erin, my favorite co-worker, is also gone as of this week.

That's the risk of befriending grad students and people married to grad students, I guess. Eventually, they're all going to pack their bags. And so am I, most likely in a year.

The sheer number of friends I'm losing to other locales hasn't really hit home yet, I suppose due to the fact that everyone is leaving at the same time. I haven't had time to really get stuck on any particular person's departure, because there's always someone else right around the corner who's saying goodbye. I'm sure in mid-August there will be a night when those remaining will meet up for drinks at Mike & Molly's and then it will hit us all: Oh, it's just us left. Hmmm.

I dread that day.

Summer mixin'

2007-07-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

I finished the sequel to last summer's mix, which is still available for download. This summer's mix is a bit longer and hence not suitable for download. But let me know if you'd like a copy, and I'll mail you one. Like last summer's mix, it's a psychedelic venture with plenty of instrumentals, all blended together into one long track – perfect music to listen to while soaking up some sunshine.

The Blues Control is No. 1!
01 Blues Control – "Blues Control"
02 Offside – "Small Deal"
03 Them Two – "Am I a Good Man"
04 Oscar and the Majestics – "House of the Rising Sun"
05 Vanijairam – "Thanimayil"
06 Mulatu Astatqe – "Yekermo sew"
07 Yura Yura Teikoku – "It was a Robot"
08 The Seeds – "Fallin"
09 Panda Bear – "Ponytail"
10 Yabby U – "Hungering Dub"
11 Fela – "Zombie"
12 Bango – "Rock Dream"
13 Blue Cheer – "Babylon"
14 The Mops – "San Franciscan Nights"
15 Blues Control – "Boiled Peanuts"

10 things I learned over the past week

2007-07-08T11:33:00.000-05:00

1) I like tennis again. When I was a kid, tennis fascinated me. I remember watching Boris Becker and John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf do battle at Wimbledon, and just being in awe of the game. I specifically enjoyed how quiet the game was when watching on TV, how I could hear every grunt from the players and the smack of the ball off the top of the net on a failed serve. I never played tennis when I was a youngster — there just wasn't a culture of tennis where I grew up — but I did watch a good deal of it on TV, in the few instances that it was televised. Well, I've fallen back in love with tennis again, in large part because ...

2) I've started playing tennis again. While it's taken me a while to shake off the rust — I hadn't played consistently in about a decade — I'm starting to get the hang of it again. And after this week, I now know that I can beat Donovan in tennis, at least in a short match. I was beginning to wonder about that.

3) I'm enjoying my new baseball trivia blog. You should, too.

4) My entire family visited this Saturday. While it was a bit overwhelming and M is a lifesaver, the entire process was less of a struggle than I anticipated. Much grilled food was consumed, horseshoes (damn my dad is good for someone with a replaced hip and knee) and bocce (the victors!) were played, and my brother even briefly rediscovered his old Clash records. I don't share much in common with my family, but I have grown to enjoy hanging out with them in small intervals.

5) Sophie the Cat did not enjoy the company. She had to share her loft space with sleeping guests, and that had her even more moody than usual.

6) I need to wear protective goggles or glasses while mowing the yard. Our woodsy backyard has too many small sticks, pine cones, and wood bark lying around, and those things do not feel good when they strike you after being spit out of a mower.

7) My back yard is tolerable in the 90-degree heat. The above mentioned woodsy feel has one benefit in shade.

8) People who light off firecrackers at three in the morning three days after the 4th should lose a finger or limb in the process so they remember the next time they consider repeating the process that it wasn't such a good idea.

9) I'm saddened that my baseline hook shot was not named to the updated list of the 7 Wonders of the World. Clearly, people worldwide need to get outside more often and experience all that the 30-something Champaign-Urbana elementary court basketball league has to offer.

10) Rick Ankiel needs to be freed. The AAA slugger now has 26 homers. Sure, most of those have come against lesser talent, but for the love of baseball, fans in St. Louis need something worthwhile to cheer for at the major league level. Bring him up already!

Post-fireworks "Fireworks"

2007-07-05T09:12:00.001-05:00

The 'Fork released a teaser to the upcoming Animal Collective album, Strawberry Jam, due to drop in September. The video for "Fireworks" is nothing to write home about — typically odd and missing a narrative — but the song is spectacular. They're moving in a Flaming Lips direction with this one.

P.S. Two new Destroyer songs. Woo-hoo!

That old familiar feeling

2007-07-04T12:36:00.000-05:00

Expect more posts here, as I'm back in the blogging mood after a grueling three months at the day job and a tiring move to a new house. First some sad news: Jukebox Upchuck/Good Moanin', my music blog(s), is dead. I just don't have the desire to keep it going when there are so many other worthwhile music blogs that I'd rather read instead of keeping up my own site. But some good news: inspired in part by my friends recent trivia nights, I have a new daily trivia blog. (Sorry, non-baseball fans, it's specific to the diamond.) If you know any fans of the game, please pass along the good word.

That robot song had me in stitches

2007-06-18T12:34:00.000-05:00

One episode in, I'm liking HBO's new comedy series, Flight of the Concords. It's part Extras, part mock-musical, and part indie rock hipster in-joke -- and very enjoyable. We'll have to see how it holds up over the course of several episodes, of course, but I'm hooked after just one. The premise of the episode was so simple -- two bandmates are temporarily torn apart by a girl -- that you wouldn't think it could sustain enough jokes for a 30-minute show. But you'd be wrong. And the musical numbers are actually the show's strength, which is saying something considering how I hold actual musicals in disdain and find little to laugh about as far as Tenacious D is concerned. I'm interested to read what the critics have to say, but in the meantime, do give it a try.

I'm also digging John From Cincinnati. I'm not sure if I'm ready to invest all this emotion in the characters just yet, and the show is already asking its audience to do just that after a dramatic episode two. (The writers wisely chose the kid to be the target of your emotion, and its hard to say no to that naive kid.) By and large, this is a show full of oddballs, and my three favorite characters so far are the hotel owner, Ted Bundy, and the namesake, who I can only describe as Rainman meets Morrissey.

As for the first episode of the second half of Entourage, I can already tell I'm going to tire of Billy's character -- and fast. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll be around for a good while.

N/P -- Peter Bjorn and John

Illini head to the Dance, undeservedly

2007-03-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

While I thought we would get a bid to the Big Dance, I don't think we were deserving. Especially when you consider some of the teams that were left out, like Syracuse, Florida State, and Oklahoma State. The Big East didn't get as much love as I expected, which is surprising considering that I think it's the best basketball conference in the nation. Top to near bottom, it's a bitch. When you compare us to Syracuse, you can see why Jim Boeheim might have a good argument. SU beat Penn, 'Nova, Marquette, and G'Town, all teams in the Tourney. I think they're big two wins, over Marquette (on the road) and Georgetown (a game I watched) stand up much better than our two marquee wins over Indiana (at home and neutral). Then there's Oklahoma State, who has two elite college players, and beat Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and lost by just two to Tennessee. Florida State beat Florida, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Duke, and North Carolina State.

We're damn lucky to be dancing, methinks. And I think we'll get bounced in the first round by Virginia Tech, ruining the possible Weber-SIU matchup the tourney folks set up for round two. Here's what I know about the Hokies:

1) A Hokie is not a turkey, as their mascot would lead you to believe. It's actually an old-timey, sorta made-up word that basically means "hooray." True story.

2) They're beatable, as they proved in their non-conference season, beginning the year 4-3 with losses to Western Michigan, Southern Illinois, and George Washington. They dropped another game in surprising fashion when they lost at Marshall (by one). Other than that, their remaining losses were all to good teams within conference.

3) They're also damn good, as evidenced by their two wins over North Carolina. The Hokies can put the ball in the bucket. They scored 90+ points this season twice in ACC play, including a win over the Tarheels. They're led by guard Zabian Dowdell, who is averaging 18.0 points per game and hits 39 percent of his threes; Deron Washington, a 6-foot-7 wing with mad hops; point guard Jamon Gordon, a talented distributor and defender; and swingman A.D. Vassallo, their best three-point shooter. In general, they shoot fairly well from both inside and outside the arc, but like us can struggle at the line. They force a good number of turnovers and create havoc on defense with their athleticism. They remind me in many ways of a poor man's Ohio State -- poor in the sense that they're lacking a Greg Oden.

Our best bet to win: we take a sudden liking to feeding the post, hit a majority of what open looks we can get from beyond the arc, and better our season average at the charity stripe. My prediction: VaTech 61, Illinois 54.

10 random thoughts the morning after watching some incredible NCAA hoops

2007-03-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

1) You can assume from the title of this post that I was not watching Big Ten basketball, because there's been far too few Big 10 games that would fall under the headline "incredible". (Even though the end of the Penn State-Iowa tilt was entertaining, at least.) No, the hoops I refer to was Texas A&M versus Texas in Austin. This game has been on my calendar for weeks, and unlike the teams' previous meeting @ A&M, this one was all it was billed to be -- tons of lead changes, and a close, well-paced game throughout. Kevin Durant, the best "big man" in college ball, versus Acie Law, the best guard in college ball. It did not disappoint. If you missed the game (eventually won by Texas by two points in double OT), then allow me a brief recap of the game's single-most defining moment. First, the set up: Durant drilled a three with around 20 seconds left in regulation to put Texas up by three. That set the stage for Law, who has earned his rep this year time and time again as the NCAA's best performer with the game on the line. With time winding down, Law dribbled to the wing past a screen, causing Durant -- he of the ninety-foot wingspan -- to switch onto him. Law needed a three to tie the game and send it into overtime. He had to shoot with Durant in his face, so he released a three-pointer that somehow arced over Durant's outstretched arm and, after dusting off the rafters while in orbit, swished through the hoop. Best shot of the year. No doubt. Law hit another three to send the game into a second overtime. But by that point, the Aggies, with two of their starters long-since fouled out, were dead-tired and just couldn't quite get it done on the road. To think that Law isn't being mentioned as a lock for a lottery pick just yet is sad. Yes, this year's draft is deep. But if Brandon Roy can go in the lottery and put up good numbers as a rookie, then Law is a lock to make some NBA team very happy. He'll be a great scoring-dishing PG in the pros. As for Durant, there's no doubt he's the best player in the country. He dominates games in a way that Greg Oden was supposed to, but never has.

2) In general, I've seen more memorable, entertaining NCAA games this year than in any year in recent memory, save for possibly the '04 Illini's run to St. Louis. The influx of freshman talent has had an astounding influence on the NCAA, and if you've been missing out, please pull your head out of your ass and try to catch a game or two before the tourney starts, especially if Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Wisconsin, North Carolina, UCLA, or Florida are on. One of those teams will win the title this year. That's not saying much, I realize, except that I don't think there will be any surprises in the final field of four this year. The cream of the crop is too good. My two darkhorses to make the Final 4: Pitt and Georgetown.

3) Enough NCAA discussion, let's talk pro ball. (Enter collective moan.) I was a bit shocked that the Bulls didn't pull the trigger to get Pau Gasol of the Grizzlies, as was widely rumored. But in the end, I'm still glad that Paxson didn't break up the nucleus. It's true that he also didn't improve the team's most glaring weakness -- interior scoring -- but I like the roll of the dice he's taking. He's got a talented team that defends relatively well and, if their shots are falling, will win at least one playoff round this year in the mediocre East. The Bulls hold a likely Top 10 (probably somewhere between 8-12) pick in the draft, and with that pick its still very likely they can get a very good big man who can step in next year and contribute offensively, say Al Horford, Spencer Hawes, Brook Lopez, or Aaron Gray.

4) My trip to Louisville with M proved rewarding, at least on the record-shopping end of things. The city in general isn't all that interesting on the surface. There's the Louisville Slugger Museum (pics from that later), which was interesting if you're a baseball fanatic but no so much otherwise, the Ali Museum (didn't go), some theater and art, and a variety of restaurants and locally-owned shops. However, we didn't get to experience much of that in the time we were there. There's one mile-plus strip -- Bardstown Road -- where a majority of those shops and restaurants are located, but it's a non-walkable, heavy traffic strip, which makes it difficult to discover much in one day. I concentrated on record stores, and found just two worth visiting: 1) Ear X-tacy, a truly great independent with massive selection and back catalog, but unfortunately no used vinyl, which is what I was after; and 2) Underground Sounds, which had some used vinyl but also a fairly decent '60s collection of new records from Sundazed and the like. I found a couple rarities of note there which I'll post about later on Good Moanin'. Certainly the town had more to offer in terms of music stores than Champaign, but that ain't saying much, of course. I was disappointed. Highlight of the trip: the fried pickle I ate at The Pub, a British pub knock-off. (They also had a diverse and plentiful selection of draft beers, but they were pricey.)

5) I can't wait for my first taste of baseball on TV this year. Wainwright -- remember him, Mets fans? Tigers fans? -- started our first game yesterday, tossing three scoreless innings against the Fish. Rick Ankiel -- remember him, baseball fans? -- went 2-for-2 at the plate. Today, Carpenter faces Glavine. Woo-hoo!

6) Al Green has one of the best voices, ever.

7) Would you read a well-written book on America's introduction of baseball to East Asia, their cultivation of the sport into a distinct style with their own branding, and then East Asia's come-full-circle influence on MLB? I'm gunning for such a book.

8) I've basically stopped taking this multivitamin that M tried to get me to start taking a while ago. I've had this huge bottle of 'em for some time. As foolish as this sounds, taking a daily vitamin makes me feel old, or at least older than I am. I suck at taking vitamins. Always have.

9) The Oscars suck. How did Jennifer Hudson ever defeat Adriana Barraza for an acting award? Of course, I was pitiful once again at picking the winners at this year's Oscars Party. I failed to finish in last, though. For the second year running, I was basically next-to-last, after winning last in my first try three years ago.

10) I like Rice Krispies treats -- a lot. There were some at the Oscars Party, and I enjoyed several. Maybe if I could just place a multivitamin inside a Rice Krispie treat...

Time for a change at the top

2007-02-20T17:49:00.000-06:00

When Jamar Smith arrived on campus as a green freshman, I had a certain mental image of him that formed as a result of a couple articles I had read about him shortly after he had his break-out game against Memphis. The image was of a kid who was so determined to become the best basketball player he could be that he spent hour after hour, night after night, shooting jump shots in a rec center gym. He displayed a track record of discipline, drive, and determination. He hadn't been a highly-recruited high school player, yet he turned himself into a success story: all of a sudden, against immense competition, he couldn't miss a three-point shot. He was showing that he could raise his game to another level. So, how did this kid turn into such a mess in a little over a year? That's the question we need to find an answer to right now. While everyone debates what his punishment should be, I'd rather focus on how this basketball program has fallen from grace under Bruce Weber's watch.

I'm all for second chances. But in the case of Jamar Smith, his second chance needs to come at his hometown Bradley University, or some other college. He needs to lose his UI scholarship. No ifs, ands, or buts. He's out. Now.

The sort of unhealthy behavior Jamar demonstrated has been infecting this Illini team for some time, as we all know. From the burglary to the previous DUI to spitting on bouncers, this team has been spiraling out of control for some time. Of course, significant blame resides with the players. They are ultimately responsible for their actions. But what concerns me isn't that a group of college kids have made considerably poor decisions -- that's to be expected. It's that there doesn't appear to be a culture surrounding this team of helping each other to learn from mistakes and steer clear of trouble. For that reason, I blame Weber. The kids aren't responding to him, and he isn't making his point clearly. (Case in point: McBride's six-game suspension for a DUI -- a mere slap on the wrist if that -- doesn't lead to better behavior from the team; instead it leads to another, more serious, DUI.) Leadership begins at the top, and clearly Weber needs to increase his effort in this regard. He needs to get control of his team. Now.

Additional details from the police report indicate that multiple players are also at fault in this particular incident. It's quite possible that fellow Illini players were also drinking at this party, might have supplied the alcohol, and also made significantly poor judgments in both allowing Jamar to drive, and how they responded to the wreck. (Update: other Illini members were likely NOT drinking, but did make poor decisions post-wreck. Chet Frazier has been named.) If any of that turns out to be true -- and I'm down suspending my gut feelings on matters of UI basketball -- then those players need to be outed by the school and basketball program, before the police do Weber's job for him. Those players need to serve lengthy suspensions. Not during next season's pre-season schedule. Now.

I'm tired of the leadership of this program sending mixed messages to the team, as well as the fans of all ages who follow the team. Stop taking this shit too lightly, and start making lasting impressions. How did a gym rat with little trouble in his past end up with two felony charges on his record? And what is Bruce Weber going to do to change the culture that helped to create such a situation? Is he the right man to make such a considerable change? These are the questions we need to address. Now.

P.S. Fuck the Chief discussion. Let's concentrate on a real issue that matters, instead of the end of a dancing white kid dressed in fake feathers.

Ready for some baseball?

2007-02-18T11:49:00.001-06:00

I am! And this is the perfect video to wake me from my off-season slumber. Thanks for passing this along, Tandy.

Yacht Rockin' in the snow

2007-02-16T17:30:00.000-06:00

The only thing better than a Yacht Rock party when there's snow on the ground ... is Yacht Rock itself. If you're not in the know, you best be learning.

Obama 08

2007-02-10T18:18:00.000-06:00

M and I and CM and L'felter got up early this morning to drive to Springfield and attend Barack Obama's presidential announcement. Wow, was it ever cold -- in the low single digits when we arrived. I haven't had frostbite on my toes since I was a wee lad. But it was worth it when Obama finally took the stage for a brief, 25-minute speech. His speech was what we've come to expect from Barack -- a message of change in our political climate, and what we've come to expect from our politicians; a message of ownership of America, of energizing a nation of despondent folks so that they may realize the true meaning of citizenship; a message of a country living up to its true potential, instead of accepting where its chosen to settle.

The big announcements: 1) Obama wants universal healthcare in America by the end of his first term; and 2) He wants to bring home all troops -- and give them the proper homecoming (medical and otherwise) they deserve -- by March of 2008. Neither of those messages necessarily separates him from Hillary -- I think she "shares" a similar viewpoint as we speak -- but in Obama's delivery one senses a sort of invigorating immediacy that's hard to resist. He also spoke bluntly of a need to accept our failures -- instead of blaming them on "the other party or gay people or immigrants" -- and seek to correct them, and the fact that no amount of U.S. soldiers in Iraq can resolve that country's civil war and age-old political power struggle. Hear his whole speech at his site, U2 introductory music included. (His closing music -- classic r&b like Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher" -- was a much better choice.)

I have no idea how many were in attendance, as it was hard to get any sort of vantage point that would allow me to take in the scene. But for a wild guess I would say 25,000 people. If anyone has read a more accurate number online, please post it in the comments. The turnout was impressive -- even in his home state -- considering how bitterly cold it was outside. Here's my snapshots, including a photo of the security detail that were atop most of the buildings surrounding the old Capitol building.

Snow days are back!

2007-02-06T14:34:00.000-06:00

Woo-hoo! We trudged through the snow to eat sushi, then tossed snowballs in the park. (Well, actually I tossed snowballs and M complained.) And the apartment was toasty warm upon our return.

Prince gets...

2007-02-04T19:21:00.000-06:00

...a big thumbs up on his Super Bowl performance. "Purple Rain" was quite appropriate and a great set-ender. Plus it totally made up for the Foo Fighters cover (coming out of "All Along the Watchtower" no less). Bold choice to do so many covers, but I liked that, as well as the marching band appearance (which reminded me of Outkast on the Grammys a couple years ago).

Heaven to me...

2007-02-03T12:14:00.000-06:00

...is when form and function combine to give me the best set-up I've ever had for The Records Room.

R.I.P. Illini, Devine

2007-01-27T16:43:00.000-06:00

Wow. Did the Illini suck today against Purdue or what? Let me count the ways in which their offense continues to be utterly inept. (Oh, fuck it. Who has that sort of time?) Frazier looked dumbfounded in the second half as the Purdue D gave him the Jason Chappell treatment and sagged into Pruit on the post. I keep attempting to come up with new excuses for this NIT-bound bunch, and I just can't do that anymore. They lack leadership, skill, and most importantly, smarts. I don't see how things are going to improve next year either, unless this McCamey kid is the second coming of Bruce Douglas.

In other sad news today, former Cards GM Bing Devine, who was the architect of the Cards '60s dynasty, passed on at the age of 90. Cubs fans will remember him as the mastermind of the Brock-for-Broglio deal. I was lucky enough to work with him on his memoir (titled Stealing Lou Brock) three years ago, and got to meet him. Incredibly nice guy.

I'll end on a bright note. The first book I have acquired hits the shelves this week. If you're a fan of baseball, the Negro Leagues, and history in general, it's worth a read.

10 random thoughts prior to having my picture taken

2007-01-23T09:32:00.000-06:00

1) It's win or go home for the Illini tonight. Lots of reason to hate Coach Sanctions and IU, but tonight it needs to be about the W and not Eric Gordon. If we don't win tonight, I don't think we make the NCAA Tourney.

2) I realized yesterday that my driver's license expired in August, and I didn't renew it. Oops. So today I'm taking care of that little mistake, and getting my picture updated. For the first time, I'll have a piece of plastic in my wallet that has a photo of me on it with a beard, which seems odd since I've had a beard for what seems like forever. In reality, forever is just two years.

3) At work, I'm considering doing a book on an African-turned-American long distance runner who just happens to be an Olympian. That, and a book about the slimey underbelly of college basketball recruiting. Oh, and a coffee table book on the history of sports in NYC.

4) So far, so good in keeping up my stamina at the other blog. Some of my posts are just silly, which I realize. But silly is part of who I am (although I wonder if I lost that part of me a few years ago and have only recently rediscovered it).

5) The Cardinals resigned Mark Mulder. Barf.

6) The Records Room has been successfully remodeled. For those of you who weren't at M's b-day party, maybe I'll post a picture later. I'm happy with how it turned out. Quite functional. Quite comfortable. Quite to my style.

7) I've been toying recently with the idea of taking a class in Photoshop. It's been a long time since I've used Photoshop on a regular basis, and while I can do some things, there are plenty of other tricks I'd like to learn. I'm basically self taught, and I'd like to become proficient in it so that I can tack that on to my resume. Also, I'd like to improve at Quark while I'm at it.

8) Question for the sports fans out there: If you could have a lovely calendar hanging on your wall featuring legends from your favorite team (say a Cubs calendar featuring Ron Santo and Andre Dawson and Fergie Jenkins and Ernie Banks and Hack Wilson), would that interest you? Would you plop down $12 on that sort of wall art for the office?

9) I've been so utterly depressed from reading about the continued deterioration of the Middle East situation on CNN and Salon that I've sworn off reading the two sites during the work day. Too hard to concentrate on my work.

10) My office situation sucks. I work in a loft space, and my particular office has walls but no ceiling or doors. If I have my music on at the slightest volume, then everyone in the loft (even those 50 feet away) can hear what I'm listening to. I don't care about that, but they do. So I've had to bring in my monstrous over-the-ear headphones to both block out their noise and contain my own. I really miss my old office, with a window and a door and a ceiling. Oh, the little things...

For a good time...

2007-01-11T00:15:00.000-06:00

...on the night of Wednesday, January 10, call Brian Randle.

(At the game I couldn't tell that he had pounded his forehead on the backboard on that dunk. That was insane!)

I-L-L

2007-01-06T15:25:00.000-06:00

S-U-C-K.

That was a pathetic performance and complete collapse against an incredible team.

It's easy to look at the obvious lack of athleticisim and talent we ran out on the court compared to a team like Ohio State. We can talk about inferior recruiting all we want. But what I'm concerned with is Bruce Weber's inability to get his team to execute on offense, and to place them in a position to succeed. You've got use the tools you have. Weber's motion offense worked wonderfully when Deron Williams and Luther Head and Dee Brown and Roger Powell were on the floor for the Orange & Blue. But without them, it's a rather week strategy, don't you think? Against superior athletes, the Illini can not get open looks, whether running around screens or with ball in hand. Basketball is all about taking high-percentage shots, and this Illini team is simply not getting many. Weber needs to add more wrinkles and set plays. There's no reason why Smith, Carter, and Pruitt shouldn't take a collective 35-40 shots per game. It's Weber's job to create enough opportunities for them to accomplish that goal.

Other than that, I blame Weber -- who looks as if he's losing his team -- for not finding a way to challenge this team to rally against adversity. To fire the team up -- in game, in the huddle, on the sidelines. Make them the aggressor they are not. The fact that we don't get to the line very often and settle for too many contested threes will just continue to punish this team as the season wears on.

The 2007 Illini are an effective defensive squad. Even with Ohio State's intense offensive surge in the first half, the Buckeyes still finished the game shooting just 31 percent on threes and 34 percent from the floor. Great offensive teams will go through hot stretches, and that hot stretch essentially won the game for Ohio State, because we folded after it. But I can't fault the defense for the breakdown. It happens. However, offensively we took more bad shots in one game than we've taken in the previous five combined. We looked lost, without a game plan and without a leader.

It's easy to say, "Man, we should've nabbed Thad Matta as our coach when we had the chance." But that's not the hand we've been dealt. I'm okay with Weber as coach, as long as HE starts making some adjustments and finds a way to get his team to respond to a true challenge.

My two cents.

/end rant

I was dead-on in my guess of a 12-3 pre-conference mark. So far, my 9-7 guess for their Big Ten record may be a bit optimistic. Hope I'm wrong.

New Year's resolution

2007-01-03T11:50:00.000-06:00

Same as some of you ... blog more. Longer posts will occasionally pop up here, but shorter, daily, less serious and often musical posts have a new home.

The "new" Noiseboy = the "old" Noiseboy

2006-12-11T08:38:00.000-06:00

Notes from the past week:

1) Blogger apparently has a "new version" that will introduce a fresh template for editing, etc. Fellow blogspotters, have you made the switch and did you notice any bugs?

2) I saw a basketball doubleheader this Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. The Illini took on the Flames of UIC; then the Bulls hosted the Timberwolves. The first game was a poor one by Illini standards, yet filled with tension as the team blew a 16-point lead in the second half. The second game was a poor one by Bulls standards as well. I can't recall the last time I saw the Bulls shoot so poorly or look so dysfunctional on offense. They ended their 7-game win streak with a 10-point loss that wasn't as close as the final would suggest. I like watching NBA games live. They're much more of an entertainment event than a MLB game, which helps to distract from the fact that NBA games can be tedious due to their length. My favorite: the fan noise meter, which encourages the fans to scream their heads off for a couple minutes at a time.

3) Picked up some new furniture for the records room at IKEA. I've reached capacity on my LP storage on the old shelving system, so I picked up two new shelves/bookcases that will serve to house my stereo and my records, with room to spare for decorative items. I'll snap a photo of it once it's assembled. I'm excited by the new furniture (yes, I'm a geek in that way), because it also means that I'll be rearranging the furniture in the records room, swapping the walls where the couch/records currently rest.

4) I also picked up a pair of wireless headphones for use at home. Since I'm often in need of headphones, I'm hoping that having more freedom to roam will encourage me to listen to more music.

5) If you haven't yet, you may want to check out Japanese psychedelic band Yura Yura Teikoku, especially if you're into Krautrock with a slight pop twist. Jon turned me on to their "Soft Death" 12-inch. I'll post a song from that later this week.

6) My first acquired book, written by the only surviving Negro League arbiter, went to the printer on Friday. I'm happy with how it turned out. There's some entertaining passages on Satchel Paige and Buck O'Neil; stories of barnstorming bus rides gone terribly wrong; and plenty of information that will likely be "new" to researchers and historians of the league. In all, it's a story of one man's attempt to break the color barrier for umpires in the majors (he failed). We got a great endorsement from Ken Burns for the cover, too.

7) Thanks for your concerns, advice, etc. regarding my musical breakdown last week. I'm just at that mid-life crisis stage of my musical fandom, I think. It'll pass with time. I need more friends hanging around (both in person and in cyberspace) to share my passion with. A little of that goes a long way.

8) The three-disc Songs About Girls compilation is almost ready for mass production. Hopefully I'll be able to get copies out to the locals before you all leave for the holidays. For the non-locals, let me know if you'd like a copy, and I can drop one in the mail to you.

R.I.P. Noiseboy?

2006-11-29T13:19:00.000-06:00

It's been months since I can last remember falling in love with a band or a record or a concert. I don't listen to much music at home anymore, or at work for that matter. I listen to more music in the car -- on the RADIO -- than I do at home. I had an offer to DJ at Mike & Molly's that I turned down. I can't get up the gumption to post anything on my music blog. And it's been several weeks since Joanna Newsom's new album came out, and I still don't own it. I LOVED her last record, my favorite of '04. In year's past, I would've rushed to the store the day it dropped to buy it. But, not so much any more.

Am I growing old, up, out of love with music? Am I just in a funk? What the fuck is going on with The Noiseboy?

I just don't know.

10 random thoughts on a chilly Sunday night

2006-11-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

1) I'm stoked about the start of NCAA basketball this week. The man-child that Seth Fein referred to as "Greg Odom" was on the cover of the most recent ESPN magazine. I haven't skimmed the issue yet (the magazine is mostly a waste of ink and paper), but I have to say that the amount of attention that Oden is receiving is disgusting. The dude isn't even going to play a game until January, and he'll probably be leaving for the pros after just three months of college ball. THIS is what I have to be excited about thanks to the new NBA rules: three measly months of Greg Oden? Oh boy! It should be noted that Oden says he wants to stick around longer than a year. I just finished editing a book about him, and it seems like his desire to stick around college ball will depend mostly on two factors: 1) his mom, who really wants to see her son cash in; and 2) whether or not Greg feels as if he can step right in and contribute at the next level. If the answer to No. 2 is "yes", then he'll enter the draft this summer. By the way, many onlookers felt that Oden wasn't even the best player on his high school team, a squad that won three Indiana state titles in a row. That honor went to Mike Conley, who is also Oden's teammate at Ohio State.

2) M has taken to knitting. And talking to me about knitting. Kill me, please.

3) A surprise at work this week: my name was listed atop the bestsellers list for SP this week (I was given an author credit for the Cardinals book). That came a day after I asked for raise. Good timing!

4) It turns out that my friend Jon is starting a non-profit in my old stomping grounds of Peoria that will be dedicated to boosting the city's appreciation of live music. I don't know the details, but I'm glad he's working the promoter angle again. Jon booked many of the finest rock shows of my formative years, including Fugazi with the Make-Up.

5) I saw Babel this week. Best drama I've seen in months.

6) I saw Borat last week. Best comedy I've seen in months.

7) The local weekly released the "Best of CU" results this week, which only reinforced two things for me: 1) We need a non-campus weekly, as evidenced by many of the ridiculous categories/results (Q: "Best place to have a first kiss?" A: The Quad); and 2) I don't miss counting those ballots one iota (fuck ballot-stuffing restaurants and bar bands alike).

8) I've narrowed down my selections for the epic Songs About Girls compilation to 70 songs. I'm handing this sucker out for Xmas presents this year, instead of the usual "Best of 200X" CDs. (Sorry to all who liked those so much, but I didn't buy enough music from 2006 to justify doing one this year.) More on Songs About Girls at a later date.

9) Has anyone else discovered "The Tube", the random music video channel on our local digital cable package? I can't remember what station it is now that they've renumbered all the channels above 100, but it's worth flipping to during the commercial breaks during Bulls games. You're just as likely to get The Moody Blues as you are The Talking Heads, but at least it's all videos, all the time -- and no commercials!

10) Man, I miss the jukebox at Les' Lounge. I hate hate hate these new digital, internet jukeboxes. The one at Mike & Molly's is a rip-off with the worst songs/dollar ratio in town. Can we all agree that while it's convenient to be able to select "Trash" by the New York Dolls b/w "Look What the Cat Dragged In" by Poison as part of your "cock rock block", it doesn't excuse the fact that internet-aided automation equals laziness? Bars used to be defined by their beer selection and their jukebox. As a serious jukebox DJ, I prefer working around the limitations of a juke rather than having Napster at my fingertips. Fuck technology!

Hard to sleep last night

2006-11-08T08:15:00.000-06:00

First of all, a hearty congrats to the Democrats for taking back the House!

When I went to bed last night, the race had just turned in the Dems favor in Missouri, and Montana was looking good with over 50 percent reporting. This morning, the news looks even better, although it appears were far from out of the woods in Virginia and Montana. Initial reporting says the Dems won in each state by the slimmest of margins, but we all know what can happen from this point forward (as they likely recount votes) is anyone's guess. Still, the Dems have almost regained control of the Senate, too!

Not to look too far ahead ... but if you haven't read Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, you most definitely should. I'm in the process of doing so now, and it's such a compelling read. Written over a decade ago, the book chronicles the life of now 45 year-old Obama, much of it dealing with his youth. It reads more like a work of fiction, in part because the writing is so good, and in part because Obama's story is so magnificent and foreign (he spent time as a youth growing up in Indonesia, for example). But mostly, it's because you get so far inside Obama's head that you find yourself wondering -- often -- why anyone with political aspirations would ever let you in there in the first place. How refreshing to read a book written by a politician that seems genuine. It's an engaging story of searching for one's identity and purpose, something I suspect will resonate with plenty of strivers on either side of the political fence. If you have any interest in the most-hyped man in U.S. politics, then this is a must read (not that you haven't heard that a thousand times already).

Mamas don't let your babies grow up...

2006-11-04T10:43:00.000-06:00

...to be cowboys.

Good enough for 3rd place at the work Halloween party!

Complete with a 1985 Farm Aid t-shirt (from Champaign's Memorial Stadium no less) and a 6-inch doobie (not pictured) compliments of Chris. I even added a publishing slant to the costume, since I work for a publisher. Willie was on a book promotional tour for his new book, The Tao of Willie. He was dropping by SP to see if they had any interest in a new book he was hoping to publish, tentatively titled Golf After 60: Finding Zen on the Back Nine. I even said I'd take my advance in golf balls and Mary Jane, but alas, no takers.

Talking how much are we gonna miss Dee Brown blues

2006-11-02T11:18:00.000-06:00

Big Ten Wonk stole my headline (and that of about 100 other would-be reporters) in his post today: "Where will the points come from for Illinois?" It's the question on every Illini fan's mind -- well, that and "Are we sure Dee Brown doesn't have another year of elligibility?" (I checked, and Dee is quite happy on the Jazz's inactive list, sitting beside The Rev. They've got the best seat in the house to watch Deron post 16 points and 8 assists a night for the up-and-coming Jazz.)

Last night's opening exhibition game against Lewis was quite possibly the most boring blowout I've ever witnessed (in stark contrast to the Bulls thrashing of the Heat on opening night). The lack of dramatic open-court dunks (Lewis fouled -- sometimes hard -- when those opportunities arose); the sloppy play (from both teams); the inability of Jamar Smith to ignite the crowd with a three-pointer (he was 0-for-8 following a 2-for-9 performance in the Orange/Blue Scrimmage); the whistle-happy refs (in particular one zebra who couldn't swallow his whistle over the game's final minutes as the other two had done); the Assembly Hall seats (gotta be the most uncomfortable seats in the Big Ten): it all made for one painful viewing experience. But the Illini still won 83-58 in a laugher against a team that didn't sport a player taller than 6-foot-6.

I think the bulk of what will trouble the Illini this season presented itself in plain detail last night against a mediocre, Division-II school. And here's a quick run-down:

1) Can this team shoot from beyond the arc if Smith's shot isn't falling? The answer as of last night is "NO!" Illinois converted just 14 percent of its three-point attempts. Sure, Rich McBride sat out on account of his (too light) penalty for a DUI. With him on the floor, the Illini have another three-point threat. Certainly, Trent Meacham (who shot 2-for-5 on threes) will be helpful from long range. But then you're left with, uh, Chester Frazier, Calvin Brock, and Brian Randle? I don't like those odds. Chet the Jet has shot 4-for-9 in exhibition from beyond the arc, but anyone who saw him shoot the rock last year has to question whether he can maintain that precision in games that count against quality defenders. Ditto for Brock and Randle, rebuilt shot or not. The troubling thing about Smith's inability to convert early on is that the defensive pressure is only going intensify on him this season. He's the new Dee Brown -- the guy who opponents' game plans will focus on. He's not going to get a lot of easy looks this year from beyond the arc. And that worries me.

2) Can this team rebound? They had a distinct size advantage over Lewis, and yet they were still outrebounded 40-37, including allowing the Flyers 13 offensive rebounds. That ain't gonna get it done -- especially when your guards are outrebounding your bigs (Frazier and Brock combined for 12 boards; War-ren Car-ter, Marcus Arnold, and Shaun Pruitt grabbed just seven). Lewis out-hustled the Illini on the glass, using quickness to get in a better position to rebound. That will have to change, and fast. For a team stocked with bigs, Illinois needs to own the glass. I hope to see significant improvement from Carter, especially, but also Randle.

3) Can this team defend without fouling the other team to death? At several points in the second half of last night's game, Coach Weber could be distinctly heard shouting "Don't foul!" to his players. Sure, the refs were breaking in their new whistles, but the Illini also gave them reason to blow hard. Illinois defenders were overplaying the perimeter players as typical, but then relying on their hands instead of their feet to help them out when the opposing player made a move to the hoop. They hustled their tails off on defense, but the team's inexperience showed in making some stupid fouls. Still, the defensive pressure forced 22 turnovers, including nine alone from Lewis' starting guards.

4) Can anyone sink their free throws? Last night, we shot 56 percent. If we shoot like that in the Big Ten, we're going to be a bottom-feeder. Frazier was only a 50 percent shooter last season from the charity stripe, and in last night's contest he was 1-for-6 after shooting just 4-for-8 in the team scrimmage. As primary ballhander, he's going to get some opportunities, and he needs to develop into at least a 65 percent shooter by Big Ten play. Pruitt will also need to greatly improve upon his 48 percent shooting from last season. As active as he figures to be on the offensive boards and as the team's primary low-post scoring option, he needs to develop some kind of stroke from the foul line. These two guys are going to shoot a lot of free throws this season, and if they're only hitting 50 percent of them, you can bet that Illinois is going to lose a few close games as a result.

Now, let's look at what I feel are this team's keys to success.

1) Brian Randle. We need him healthy and on the floor for at least 30-35 minutes a game. He's our best player, and more importantly our best defender on a team that will need to rely on defense and hustle to win games in the Big 10. There's been so much attention given to his offensive improvement; but to be honest, as long as he gets his four dunks a game, can hit the occasional open J, and improves his free-throw percentage (I'd be thrilled with 70 percent), that's good enough for me. I just want him on the court a bulk of the game, shutting down the opponent's best scorer. He'll have another offseason and his senior year to continue to make strides on offense.

2) Chester Frazier. The kid has really impressed thus far in exhibition games, showing an ability to hit a jump shot and get into the lane and to the rim. He's going to be a solid point guard, as he takes care of the ball and generally makes good passes and decisions. If he gives us anything as far as scoring is concerned, his teammates should be very thankful. We need him to make his defender play him honest, and I suspect he'll do that by penetrating often and dishing to open teammates. My prediction: fans are going to love this kid. By the time his Illini career is up, we'll be casually asking, "Do you remember that Dee Brown? Man, he was fast, but Chet the Jet, now there's a kid who can really get up and down the floor..."

3) The Illini bigs. We need our collection of tall boys to develop into a cohesive whole that is capable of becoming a strength each and every game. I don't mean simply in terms of scoring. Yes, some interior scoring will be helpful. But I'm more worried about neutralizing the opposing team's big men (and we have enough big bodies/fouls to do that) and getting it done on the boards. We need to post yet another top-notch points-per-possession number on defense, making sure that opponents get only one shot at scoring each trip down the court.

4) Rich McBride. He's been given a third chance to get it right, and the senior needs to take advantage of it. We need him to improve his three-point shooting from 40 percent to the mid-40s, and we need him to put the ball on the floor and drive into the lane with more frequency. Of our regulars, he's our best free-throw shooter by far, and we need him to get to the line at least five times a night.

Overall, I think we will live and die by our defensive effort each night. I don't think that we're a team that will be unable to score, but I do think that we'll need to remain focused on defense, forcing turnovers, and points off turnovers, if we're going to be among the Big Ten's best teams this year. We'll need to maximize our potential for "easy baskets" -- both in transition and at the foul line -- because I do believe we'll struggle (much as we did last year) through scoring droughts. The more we force the issue, on both ends of the court, and remain aggressive, the better our chances to return to the NCAA tourney.

I'm predicting a 12-3 pre-conference record, and a 9-7 mark in the Big Ten for an overall record of 21-10 heading into the Big Ten tourney. If we win a game in the tourney, I think we make the Big Dance.

It's baaaaaack!

2006-10-29T19:34:00.000-06:00

For the time being, at least.

Why sportswriters suck

2006-10-29T11:02:00.000-06:00

I really haven't had a chance to cut loose yet, and that sucks. But after working 28 hours of overtime in the past three days, the Carinals World Series book is finally at the printer. With my name on the cover. And probably full of errors that I couldn't catch because I was in a state of bleary-eyed hysteria after working two straight graveyard shifts, followed by four hours of sleep, and then a 14-hour day on Saturday.

But now that it's at the printer, I can finally catch up on everything I missed. I can celebrate during everyone else's post-celebration hangover. I'm going to re-watch Game 5 today, because my first screening of the game was interrupted several times by the printer calling with proofs to review. M made me put down the laptop for the final three outs, thank goodness, so I could experience some joy in a live setting. But I still haven't had that post-victory cry that I expect is welling up in me.

If I let that out this morning, it will look more like tears of rage, however. What is up with America's sportwriters? Not that this will be news to anyone who reads the sports section on a daily basis, but sportwriters are some of the worst writers on Earth -- and on top of that they're gutless sheep who spend about as much time thinking about what they're writing as they do improving their understanding of the games they cover. Far too little. They can't find the storyline -- or refuse to acknowledge it -- through their typical, juvenile snobbery.

Indulge me, please, as I itch my Midwest inferiority complex. The Cardinals were praised prior to the 2006 season as a team with a great shot at winning the NL Central and making it back to the Fall Classic. Why? They had the reigning MVP and Cy Young winners, and with Rolen and Edmonds they boasted a stable veteran core. But in truth, they were a shaky team on paper from the start, and things didn't improve in that regard due to in-season acquisitions. We were a team of castoffs solidified by two of the best players in the game today. When you put it down on paper, it's sort of startling. Eckstein was DFA'd by the Angels. Miles and Belliard were both traded by their respective clubs, considered less valuable than middling prospects and fat old relievers. Very few teams took any interest in Encarnacion in the offseason. Or Spiezio. Preston Wilson was cut by the Stros. Weaver was going to be cut, until we traded for him. And we didn't exactly have to get in a bidding war with any other club to land Taguchi three years ago. Our pen consisted of a dude who pitched in the indy leagues just a couple years ago (Kinney), two lefties that have never been on any scout's radar, a Reds castoff, a rookie in his first year of pen service, and a guy who got boo'd out of NYC. And don't forget about the Cardinals converted "outfielder" who prior to hitting 21 homers in 3 months was considered a nepotistic addition to the roster.

St. Louis played like crap for four months of the season, in part due to a ton of significant injuries (Pujols, Rolen, Edmonds, Eckstein, Mulder, and Isringhausen). But come October, the team was relatively healthy again. And they still had the reigning MVP and Cy Young -- both of which were gunning for to repeat in that department. But because a sportswriter's only memory is recent memory, those same critics who lauded St. Louis as "a good bet" now thought that the Cardinals were "a good bet to get swept" by the Padres, then the Mets, then the Tigers. Either they fucked up seven months ago when they said St. Louis was a great team, or they fucked up in October by failing to remember what they had written seven months ago.

Or maybe the Cardinals truly had become a crappy team in the meantime. But I don't think so. As much as I bitched this season about my team's performance, I did so because I'm a perfectionist that has been conditioned to a high standard. These Cardinals were not the NL juggernaut of their '04 brethren, but they were a far cry from the laughingstock of the playoffs. The Cardinals were built around the philosophy of their World Series MVP, the blue-collar Eckstein: flash isn't necessary, just hard work. They were a team led by veterans who had been-there-done-that in the postseason, but were still hungry for that first ring. And, I have to admit, they were led by a manager who just happened to be on top of his game at the right time.

Still, they can't get no respect. Not even after winning the whole shebang. Not even after beating three of the best pitching staffs in the Majors. Not even after overcoming a poor-by-his-standards postseason from Pujols.

Here's a sampling of the tone that's being adopted by plenty of columnists from around the country. This from Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times:

When historians recall the 2006 World Series, which mercifully ended Friday on another odd night of freezing winds and flocking birds, one word will come to mind.

It will not be Cardinals, who, let's face it, won a world championship by virtue of possessing a pulse.

It will not be Weaver, the Angels and Dodgers bust who blearily stumbled his way into postseason religion.

It will not be Eckstein, the wonderful little Series MVP who will live longer as a Bill Stoneman nightmare.

The word will not be a name, but a directive, one that defined a team and detailed an embarrassment.

The word will be "Duck!"

Here comes a short throw from a Detroit Tigers pitcher to the third baseman -- duck!

Here comes a throw from a Tigers pitcher to the first baseman -- duck!

You get his point. And unfortunately, it's the same point that is being made by a host of writers: St. Louis, an inferior 83-win team, lucked into a World Series title. While a certain portion of baseball is luck -- "a game of inches" -- a lucky team does not win 11 games in October. It takes a good one. It took a good one to beat the Mets, that's for sure. And it took a good one to beat the Tigers, too, a team that plowed through supposedly superior AL teams to make it to the Fall Classic. Even without those eight errors -- and last time I checked fielding is still a significant part of the game -- the Cardinals would likely at worst be facing a Game 7 today. Why? Because St. Louis pitchers manhandled a good Tigers lineup and tamed an even better Mets one.

Pitching wins ballgames in October. The Cardinals didn't bring the good stuff in June. Or August. Or September. But in October, they brought their A game against baseball's best teams. And that's why they are the '06 champions. You want a story to write, sportswriters? How about tyring out the real story. You may be familiar with it already: a talented Midwest sports team drowning in turmoil bonds at the right time to defeat Goliath. If you need a refresher, just rent Hoosiers.

In the meantime, I'm going to stop reading your slop before it kills my buzz.

UPDATE: Brian Gunn sings a similar tune (to me) over at Hardball Times. Worth a read if you're still not convinced.

The SWEET taste of victory!

2006-10-28T01:28:00.000-05:00

In Year 30, it finally arrived.

More to come later. Unfortunately, tonight I will not be following in David Eckstein's footsteps. Instead, I'm working the second 18-hour day in a row in an effort to complete our World Series book on the Cardinals, which we'll send to the printer tomorrow morning. I'm actually writing a good deal of the text that will accompany this photo-centric book, for better or worse. I'm getting my first editorial byline on a cover as a result.

Woo-hoo!!! Win No. 2!

2006-10-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

Take that Kenny Rogers. We'll beat'cha fair and square.

All that's left is for us to play .500 ball for the next 4 games and, well, I'm not even gonna say it.

Do you realize that the Cardinals have a 2.71 ERA this postseason, and that all four of their starting pitchers have posted ERAs of 3.00 or under? Do you realize that prior to tonight's start, Carpenter had the highest ERA of those four starters? That, my friends, is astounding. And that is why we're two games away from, well, you know.

Rogers does his best Eddie Harris

2006-10-22T22:44:00.000-05:00

Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn: What's that shit on your chest?
Eddie Harris: [wiping his finger across his chest] Crisco. [wiping it across his waist line] Bardol. [wiping it along his head] Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches drop on your curve ball. Of course if the umps are watching me real close I'll rub a little jalapeno up my nose, get it runnin', and if I need to load the ball up I just... [wipes his nose] ...wipe my nose.
Vaughn: You put snot on the ball?
Harris: I haven't got an arm like you, kid. I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too.

Does that soundbite from Major League sound familiar after watching Game 2 of the World Series? Starring as Harris: The Gambler in a locker room full of 98-mph throwin'-24 year-olds.

I noticed the crap on Rogers' hand right before the Fox broadcasters brought it up. Maybe it was nothing intentional, but Tim McCarver -- if he knows anything -- surely knows what pine tar looks like. Having been a catcher, he knows how pitchers cheat. So why would he even bring it up if he didn't have a strong hunch? I suppose controversary sells....

Rogers: Er, what substance on my hand?
Ump: Why are you rubbing my shoulder with your hand?
Rogers: Oh, am I?
Ump: Yes, you are.
Rogers: Sorry 'bout that. See, there's nothing on my hand.

With or without a little help from a foreign substance, Rogers was dominant tonight. Still, if he was using something, I'm not sure why the umps didn't do more than ask him to wash his hands. (I'm not sure that's what actually happened. Fox's reporting on the subject during the game was vague at best. Maybe the postgame reporting will reveal whether Rogers washed it off between innings, or washed it off only after being prompted to do so by the umps.) If the latter was true, and he was guilty, then he should've been tossed from the game with a suspension pending. Them's the rules.

At any rate, I'm happy to be heading back to St. Louis with the series tied, our ace on the mound in Game 3, and Rogers out of the picture until Game 6.

UPDATE: ESPN has photographic evidence: Rogers is a cheat. In his start in the ALCS, he featured the same mysterious blob on his pitching hand. See the photo below to compare the two starts.

(click on the image for a close-up)

Cards take Game 1!

2006-10-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

Surprised? You shouldn't be. Reyes can pitch. I told M to expect good things from the rookie prior to the start of the game, and now I can gloat. My game summary follows:

SMOKIN'

SORTA SMOKIN'
EH, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH
DEFINITELY NOT SMOKIN': TIGERS FAN WEAR TOO MUCH FACE PAINT

W-O-W! What. A. Game.

2006-10-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

"Baseball is a game of inches." It's a cliché, for sure. But after watching Game 7 of the '06 NLCS, you can see why that phrase has stuck around. It's appropriate. Endy Chavez made one of the most spectacular catches I've ever seen, snowconing a ball that was over the fence after making a dead-run for the track and a mighty leap into the wall. Even if I forget the stage Chavez was standing on when he made that catch -- even if it was Game 101 of the season on a Wednesday afternoon -- it was still one of the best catches I've ever seen. So much skill -- and luck -- was involved in making that catch. It should have broken the Cardinals' back. It sure broke mine. Rolen and his bum shoulder couldn't buy a big hit in this series. And when he finally got a hold of one in a tight game, he was robbed. Poor guy. You had to feel sorry for him.

I thought the game was surely going to the Mets after that turn of events, and I'm sure every Mets fan felt the same way. Big Mo had shifted to them. In their next at bat in the bottom of the 6th, the Mets loaded the bases on a walk, a Rolen error (one of the worst errors I've ever seen, too), and another walk. Suppan was backed into a corner. Not one Cardinal fan would have blamed him if a run scored in that situation. He'd pitched a hell of a game, a hell of a series, up until that point. He could have folded. The Mets had Big Mo at their side, and two chances to score the go-ahead run. But Soup has ice in his veins. The cerebral Maddox wannabe knows how to keep his composure on the mound. He never looks too bothered out there. Even with the pennant on the line.

Everyone in Shea knew that the other Jose was going to see some curve balls from Suppan. Didn't matter. Soup threw him fastballs up in the zone to keep him off his Uncle Charlie. And sure enough, it worked. Strikeout. Two outs. It would be up to the man who made The Catch. But luckily for Cardinals fans, Chavez had already used every ounce of positive karma he had coming to him in the top of the 6th. He flied out to center to end the inning. Suppan swung Big Mo back in the Cardinals corner.

With Perez out of the game, I released a sigh of relief, because oddly enough it was the Mets relief -- touted by pundits before the series began as the Mets edge over the Cards (boy did they pick wrong) -- that we had our best shot against. We had touched up the Mets best reliever, Wagner, in this series. But we couldn't string much of anything together against the Mets starters. In the top of the ninth, Randolph stuck with Heilman, probably because Cards hitters had already proven their worth against Wagner. Rolen redeemed himself for a horrendous error with a one-out single. With that, our best playoff hitter -- who just happened to be our worst regular season hitter -- stepped to the plate: Yadi. Whack! Ballgame.

Almost.

There was but one tiny hurdle left to clear: the bottom of the ninth. I told M heading into the top of the ninth, "If we're going to pick a time to score, now would be a good time." Not because it was, after all, the ninth inning. But rather because if we scored, the Mets had the bottom of their order coming up next. Their chances of scoring would be greatly diminished. Or would they?

Wainwright has been anything but Isringhausen-esque this postseason. He's been dominant, never clogging the basepaths with runners or flirting with disaster. But on this night, the NL's best offense would give this kid a true gut check.

Single. Single. Two on, nobody out. Wainwright can't locate his best pitch, the Hammer. Does Randolph bunt in this situation, moving both runners into scoring position? Nope. Does he send his best available hitter to the plate to pinch-hit for the pitcher? Nope. He bypasses Franco for Floyd. Bad call. The ump's strike zone is generous tonight, and Floyd goes down looking. The real Jose -- the guy it's hard to hate because of the smile, the chant, the youth, the passion, the talent -- digs into the batter's box and smokes a flat curve ball into center field. Edmonds is there. Like always.

All Wainwright needs to do is retire Lo Duca. Just get him out and Cardinals nation doesn't have to face its worst fears -- the man standing on deck, Beltran. Lo Duca works the walk. I let out a hundred half-intellible "fuck"s. The Cardinal Killer, at the plate, the Cardinals up by two runs, bases juiced, two outs, bottom of the ninth. This is baseball, folks. This is why we watch the game. This is why it's still the best game on Earth.

Strike one on a hittable fastball that Beltran doesn't offer at. Strike two on a curve that Beltran barely nicks. No way Wainwright is throwing another fastball to Beltran. Would he dare? He's been throwing a slider this inning, too. But that's his third-best pitch. He's gotta go with the Hook, right? Pull the string? It's one of the best curves in the business. With a sharp, downward break, it makes All-Stars look like scrubs. Even Cardinal Killers. Strike three, looking. Ballgame.

Eu-fucking-phoria.

Will New Yorkers remember The Catch for years to come? I know I sure will -- because of how my team responded to it.

Rain rain, go away

2006-10-16T20:21:00.000-05:00

Hats off to Jeff Suppan, who silenced the Mets' Murderers Row, and hit a home run himself in a stellar Game 3 performance. And hats off to the Mets Murderers Row, who awoke in Game 4 to remind me what a superior 3-4-5 looks like. With today's game rained out, I'll take a moment to reflect and predict. Considering that we're knotted up at two games a piece and the Cards have yet to get a maximum performance from either Pujols -- who is getting on base but not driving them in (because there hasn't been anyone for him drive in) -- or Carpenter, I feel pretty good about our odds to take two more games in this series. The home/road split now favors the Mets if the series goes seven. But we've got our two best pitchers slated to pitch in Games 6 and 7, and Mr. Weaver -- who all of a sudden has found his groove -- goes tomorrow. I think our pen will rebound well enough to keep us in games, and I hope that Pujols walks the walk against Glavine tomorrow (after talking the talk last week). La Russa says that Pujols is battling a sore hammy, and that is zapping some of his power. Hmmm ... not sure I believe that entirely, but whatever. The dude has been robbed a few times on hard hit balls this series; I think he's due.

In other news, the Cubs hired Lou Piniella to a three-year deal. Piniella, who just got his broadcasting partner Psycho Lyons fired, had been widely rumored to be taking over for Torre in New York. The guy was a Pro with a capital P as a player, a .291 career hitter for the Royals and Yanks. And he's been a successful Major League skipper, too, boasting a .517 winning percentage and World Series title. But more importantly, he's got a good record of turning around underperforming teams. In '90 he led the Reds to the title after the year's previous team -- much the same roster -- finished 14 games under .500. That team featured a lot of younger talent: Barry Larkin, Paul O'Neill, Eric Davis, Hal Morris, Chris Sabo, Mariano Duncan, Randy Myers, Rob Dibble, Jose Rijo, and Jack Armstrong -- all between the ages of 25 and 28. And under Piniella in '90 they gelled, burying the NL West competition by 9.5 games by July 1.

In '93, Lou took over in Seattle for a team that had won just 64 games in '92. The '92 club was near the league bottom in runs scored and runs allowed, but with Lou at the helm they improved markedly and finished two games above .500. After a set-back in the strike-shortened '94 season, Piniella's '95 Mariners won the division in a tight race down the stretch with the Angels. Again, Sweet Lou was working with several key younger guys like Griffey and Tino Martinez and some 19 year-old named A-Rod. The M's went on to greater heights -- including the remarkable 116-win season in '01 -- under Piniella.

After a great stretch with the Mariners, Piniella bolted for the money in Tampa Bay following the 2002 season, and here's where his managerial career takes a turn for the worse. But it's hard to blame Lou for the Rays woes, as no one could have done significantly better with such mediocre talent in a stacked AL West division. And Lou did get the most out of his young position players, as 21 year-olds Rocco Baldelli and Carl Crawford both had outstanding campaigns in '03.

Given his track record for righting the ship, and the Cubs solid mix of veteran and youthful talent, I expect good things from Piniella's new club next season. If he still has that fire in his belly -- his tirades against umps are legendary, and he once wrestled his own reliever in the clubhouse (and who can blame him considering it was Dibble?) -- then I expect the Cubs to find new motivation next season. Of course, a lot depends on what offseason moves they make. They have serious issues to work out in their pitching staff. And at 63 years old and shortly removed from the rebuilding Rays, one has to wonder if Piniella has the patience to handle a slow, youth-oriented makeover. It will also be interesting to see how his hiring affects the Cards-Cubs rivalry. It's safe to say that Baker and La Russa weren't best buds; but La Russa and Piniella are actually good friends who have bonded over their Tampa roots. Of course, they do have some history, thanks to Tony's stint in the AL prior to coming to the Cards. I wish I had the time to look up their head-to-head stats. (Oh, fuck it, here goes ... Take it for what it's worth, but Tony's teams have gone 40-32 against Lou's teams. But Lou got the best of Tony on the big stage, sweeping the A's in the '90 Series.)

Any Cubs fans care to chime in?

Cardinals win SOOOOOO satisfying

2006-10-14T13:18:00.000-05:00

Illini Madness last night was a bit of a bore. Even Jeremy Piven couldn't raise the crowd from their feet -- at least not in the way he probably would have hoped. Piven only had the mic for a couple minutes, but in that time he managed to get the bulk of the Assembly Hall to boo him. In a bold -- but questionable -- move, Piven got political on a night in which a crowd of basketball fans just wanted to have a good time and forget about the fact that they had just lost the No. 2 recruit in the nation to Indiana. To paraphrase, he said that the kids in the building needed to stay in school so their brains could get bigger and they could overthrow the Republicans (he actually referred to the current administration and the hole they've got us in). I can't argue with the sentiment, but the timing was off and the conservative crowd let him have it. (Not sure what the UI donors who had a hand in getting him to attend thought about it...) He finished up by saying that Illinois was a blue state -- uh, Cook County is a blue county, but the rest of the state is up for grabs -- but on this night it was an orange state. That joke would have been all right on its own.

The evening on the whole only reinforced how white the crowd and school is: from the nearly all-white (one Asian) dance/cheer squads, to the pep band (please, at least bring back "Hey Ya!") to the Marching Illini drum line to the classic rock theme music that permeated the entire Madness event. Hell, even Coach Weber rode out on the court in a cop motorcycle side car sporting a leather Harley jacket (WTF?). We did get one taste of hip-hop culture, when an "up-and-coming" Chicago rapper named Renaissance performed (along with most of the Illini's black players), and the crowd responded much in the same way they did to everything else that night -- with silence.

Silence was exactly what filled up my household after the Madness ended, as M and I watched an incredibly ineffective Chris Carpenter struggle mightily against the Mets in the bottom of the first, much as he had in his last road start in the NLDS at San Diego. However, unlike he had done in the Padres start, Chris couldn't right the ship last night. He stunk, period. But luckily his teammates were not about to let him down. The Cards batters fouled off 26 two-strike pitches last night -- which culminated in spectacular at bats from Pujols in the 7th and Taguchi in the 9th -- and did almost all of their damage when their backs were against the wall. Once again, La Russa pulled the right strings, inserting Speez for Rolen, giving Carp a quick hook, and allowing the same rookies in the pen to carry the team in tight situations. After watching TLR flounder in previous postseasons (and regular seasons for that matter), I gotta give the guy credit this postseason. So far, he's managing the team like the Hall of Famer he will one day be.

I also need to revisit the Albert Pujols haiku I posted to the comments of Listmakers blog prior to the start of the series:

Brad Lidge fears me, true
Soon, Billy Wagner will, too
Mets fans will be blue

After last night's win, I need to write a new one for Mr. So Taguchi, the slayer of Billy Wagner:

As small as a flea
But you better respect me,
Mighty Taguchi!

This morning sucks, but today will ROCK!

2006-10-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

A tip of the cap to the Mets, who took advantage of the Cardinals' one mistake last night and won, 2-0. The Mets got the seeing-eye hits (Lo Duca) and not the Cardinals (Belly twice was robbed, as was Pujols), and Jeff Weaver made one very poor pitch to Carlos Beltran. Ballgame. I like the fact that we held this vaunted offense to two runs (and really just two hard-hit balls), and that our pen did the job again. I'm feeling confident heading into tonight's game as we prepare to face the Mets less effective starting pitchers over the next few days.

Bad news for Illini basketball fans. Stud recruit Eric Gordon, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Indianapolis, is going to renege on his verbal committment to Bruce Weber and sign with Indiana. I won't bore you with the details -- which involve just about everything that muddies up the water of college recruiting -- but this is a HUGE blow for the Illini. Gordon was a Top 5 talent in the class of 2007. He was probably a one-and-done player anyway, but a team hoping to vault itself into the echelon of the Dukes/Arizonas/Kansases of the world can not continue to fail in recruiting top talent. Weber could coach a fivesome of circus monkeys into the NCAA Tourney, but without elite talent, Elite Eight runs are hard to come by.

Some will say, "Look at what he did last season after losing Williams and Head and Powell and Ingram..." But he still had two NBA players on that roster. Now, he arguably has none -- with no great prospects on the horizon. Still, I support the coach. He's honest, he knows his Xs and Os, and there are worse programs/coaches to model yourself after than Purdue and Coach Keady, who got the most out of the least year after year. The sad thing is, I strongly feel that if you give Weber just one stud, he'll give you an unforgettable team. It was true of Keady with Glenn Robinson, and the same would have been true of Weber with Gordon. Oh well, have fun at Indiana, EJ. Best of luck with Kelvin Sanctions as your coach.

I'm moving on. Tonight is Midnight Madness at the Assembly Hall, Jeremy Piven is the emcee, and I'm going to break the orange tee out of mothballs. Then there's Cardinal baseball to watch afterward (thanks DVR!). So today is looking up.

Plus, I just learned that Chavez's entire catalogue is being re-released by Matador on one CD. I own two-thirds of it already, but I may be getting the new release, Better Days Will Haunt You, simply to have my own copy of this video, which is included with the CD. I only saw this once on MTV back in the day, but I told everyone who would listen how it was the greatest music video ever. Sure enough, YouTube has a copy of it as well. It's still as great as I remember it being. That James Lo drum lick is the bomb. Enjoy.

Chavez - "Break Up Your Band"

20 things fans of the Pond Scum need to know about my Cardinals

2006-10-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

(For the benefit of Listmaker and his readership.)

1. You didn’t intimidate us in ’86, we just felt sorry for ya. That’s all.

2. You got lucky against us in ’00; I wouldn’t hold your breath this time.

3. Don’t stray too far off of first, lest ye be picked off by the rifle that is Yadi Molina’s right arm. And be careful on your way down to second, Jose.

4. Beware “Belly”! He may be fat, but Ronnie Belliard is a gamer who likes to stick his tongue out of his mouth more often than His Airness, has been good in the clutch as of late, plays a deep second base, and makes the off-balance throw to first better than anyone I’ve ever seen.

5. Scott Rolen stinks right now, whether he (or his bum, surgically-repaired shoulder) wants to admit it. Pitch to him all day and all night, and watch him feebly pop up to short center field.

6. Chris Duncan (or “Chaw” as he’s called in my house) wears a skillet for a glove, but carries a mighty big stick, much like one former U.S. President.

7. Hollywood Jim Edmonds is suffering from “post-concussion syndrome,” whatever that means. He also has a tinge in his shoulder and an ouchy on his foot. Man, is he playing in pain. You will now cringe as the broadcasters remind you of this four times each game.

8. You do not want to face Chris Carpenter. Seriously, you better abduct him while he’s in St. Louis, otherwise you aren’t winning Game 3.

9. Don’t look Wainwright’s curve ball in the eyes — it’ll break your heart.

10. The only current Redbird to ever hit a homer off of Billy Wagner is … wait for it … a little longer … David Eckstein. (That just means Pujols is due.)

11. Speaking of the Big Guy, Albert the Great, he’s got two career hits against Maine in three at bats. Both of those hits left the yard. (Did someone say SEVEN RBI?)

12. That tuft of red hair on Speez’s chin is a year-long gimmick that won’t die. Please make it die. Pretty please?

13. I don’t like Tony La Russa. I think he’s overrated, so I guess we share something in common. But boy did he pull all the right strings in the NLDS. Too bad he has a habit of choking in the NLCS and beyond.

14. About the veggie lovin’, animal huggin’, former middle-infield scrub: He’s having a hard time deciding whether to start veteran Jason Marquis and his 6.02 ERA in Game 4, or rookie Anthony “Hey! Did you forget that I one-hit the White Sox this year?” Reyes. Them’s smarts. That’s what a law degree will getcha.

15. Soup — or Sooooooooooup if you’re really feeling it — is our version of Greg Maddux, minus the Hall of Fame credentials. Laugh all you want, but Delgado, Green, and Beltran are hitting a combined .172 against him in his career.

16. I don’t know why So Taguchi is on a Major League roster either, unless it’s to up our cute factor. (But isn’t that why we acquired Eckstein?)

17. Juan Encarnacion collected ONE RBI in his first 19 games this year. Everyone hated him. Then he had a game-winning triple in Game 4 of the NLDS. Now everyone loves him.

18. Jeff Weaver is one ugly motherfucker.

19. We will not let Braden Looper beat us. He’s been relegated to mop-up duty, unless the rest of our inexperienced pen implodes. (Very doubtful: we’ve got Tyler Johnson, Josh Kinney, Brad Thompson, Randy Flores, and Josh Hancock on our side — all names that strike fear into the minds of opposing batters.)

20. Those who pitch around Pujols are pussies. Smart baseball, my ass!

Changing my tune

2006-10-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

So I'm a little more interested in the NL playoffs now. Cards vs. Mets has the makings of a good series. More on that in a second.

First, let's review my playoff predictions. I missed out on the A's and Mets, and really screwed up in having the Dodgers going all the way to the Series. They were my Big Mo team, the team no one was talking about that I felt had a good shot to ride a wave of momentum into the Series. Their pitchers did keep the ball in the yard -- allowing just two homers in three games -- but unfortunately the ball was sprayed all over the yard, especially with runners in scoring position. I was also wrong in the AL, calling the A's-Twins match up the "series to watch". The A's really stepped it up a notch, especially their starting pitching.

I was absolutely correct, however, on the Cards and Tigers. Detroit's pitching was too much for the Yanks, just as I predicted. Did you see Zumaya hitting 103 on the gun? If The Gambler has any mojo left, look out A's. I like the match up of two deep, talented staffs in the ALCS.

I was also dead-on with the Cards. The Cards scored runs early in their victories, making the Padres pen a non-factor. Surprisingly, however, they also did a great job of keeping the Padres from scoring. Part of that can be blamed on some fluke-ish poor hitting in the clutch from San Diego. But honestly, that lineup is not going to put the fear of god in any opposing staff this side of AAA. Sure, they were a good hitting club in the regular season, but they lack big boppers and they are a far cry from the Cards next opponent: the Mets.

I'm taking infield grounders this week before the start of the NLCS by reading Jeff Pearlman's tribute to the rowdy, skirt-chasing, assholes of yore, the '86 Mets. Sadly, there's been no definitive tome written on the White Rat's Runnin' Redbirds ... yet.

I wonder what Listmaker is doing to ready himself for this sure-to-be-classic NLCS slugfest? Growing a playoff beard? Wearing the same, smelly Mets cap to bed every night? Asking the baseball gods to locate Sidd Finch and rush him to the Mets rotation? Or maybe checking to see if Seaver and The Doc still have live arms? Inquiring minds want to know. Would Listmaker be up for posting an NLCS preview of the Mets on my blog, in exchange for me giving him a post to his blog on the Cards?

I guess I just needed to warm up to the idea that my Redbirds were good enough to win a playoff series, and now that I am, I'm ready to watch some NL baseball. On the wall of my office at work, staring at me all day long, is a shrine to Cardinals past. (Sure, that may sound cheesy, but I do work at a sports publisher, so it also makes some sense.) Nine framed black and white photos adorn the wall: The Dean brothers, Gibby, Rajah, Flood, Country Slaughter, the Gashouse Gang, Brock, and The Man. But the ninth in particular has caught my eye right now: a photo of Boyer, Gibson, and McCarver hugging on the mound after the '64 Cardinals knocked off another New York team, the Yankees, to win the Fall Classic. Fans are spilling over the 12-foot-high outfield fence at Sportsman's Park, preparing to storm the field. Maybe, just maybe, this'll be the year...

My new favorite band

2006-10-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

Meet Black Lips, who hail from Atlanta. They puke on stage. They play their guitars with their dicks. They drop-kick each other. They love feedback like no other. They play with the shittiest equipment money can buy. They're fucking stoopid. They've been banned from a slew of clubs and stiffed by an army of promoters. They don't shower and they refer to themselves as "Flower Punks". And they covered one of my favorite obscuro garage rock tunes of all time -- Jacques Dutronc's "Hippie Hippie Hoorah" -- on their 2005 full length Let It Bloom.

Greg Shaw signed 'em when they were still in their teens. Then they went to In the Red and now they're on the hip Vice Records and are opening shows for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Who knows how long they'll be this good. See for yourself...

Black Lips - "Fad"

Who's excited for the NL playoffs? Not I.

2006-10-02T20:10:00.000-05:00

We've been hearing all about it for the past few years: the AL reigns supreme over the NL. The point has been driven home in All-Star games and World Series alike. ESPN is the leading booster, making certain we know it's so by pumping as much AL-related content down our throats as possible. (We must have deep throats, too, considering all the fucking Red Sox-Yankees-White Sox games we had to choose not to watch this year.)

But the truth is, well, the truth: the AL is superior to the NL. This year's playoffs will surely cement that point as Fact No. 1 in baseball's collective conscious. Think about it: In the AL you've got four supremely talented teams paced by exciting players (yes, even the Tigers have Pudge, Jonesy's handlebar stache, and a 100-mph-throwing phenom named Joel Zumaya, who you will know soon enough); in the NL you've got, uh, Pujols? Do the Padres get your blood pumping? No, not even in their camo jerseys. Not even when Trevor "The All Time Saves Leader" Hoffman toes the rubber to unleash a nasty 74-mph change up. Not even with Mike "Tight Pants" Piazza batting clean up and Brian "I Will Walk 500 Times" Giles in the two-hole.

What about the Dodgers? Sure, they've got Nomah (when he's healthy enough to play) and JD Drew (when he's healthy enough to play) and Kenny Lofton (when he's healthy enough to play) and Brad "my career highlight came when I struck out the side in the '06 All-Star game" Penny. But they've also got at least one player who is nearly impossible to root for -- Jeff Fucking Kent -- and a legion of no-name, good-play rookies.

How about the Mets minus Pedro? They've still got Glavine and El Duque and Wagner and a scary lineup ... but you gotta admit that without Pedro, you find yourself doing a huge double-take before handing over the NL pennant to the Mets. Pedro had been unhealthy and ineffective for the entire second half of the season, so the Mets won't really miss him. (They were 54-35 at the break this year, and just a tick worse at 43-30 after, even as Pedro posted just two wins and an ERA north of seven.) But still, this is Pedro we're talking about. You can't really believe New York's chances will improve by inserting a rookie into Pedro's spot in the rotation, or needing to count on a strong start from the likes of Steve Trachsel.

And then there's my Cardinals, who finished the year doing their best impersonation of a ticking time bomb. I know ya'll are sick and tired of hearing me babble on about Sir Albert Pujols, but if you really don't think that he's deserving of the MVP Award, then you don't know jack about baseball. He ended our most recent 7-game losing streak just in time with yet another walk-off homer to ensure that we had a fighting chance of fending off the reigning NL pennant-winners, those pesky (steroid using) Astros. The Cardinals suck, folks. I mean, they suck bad. Only in this weak-ass NL playoff picture do we actually stand a chance at winning a division series, even if no pundit on Mother Earth will put their rep on the line and pick us to do so.

So, am I excited by the prospects of watching my Cards fall behind early and often to the Padres? Am I anxious to see Greg Maddux face off against Tom Glavine in a battle of 40-something ex-teammates? Uh, FUCK NO. The only thing worth watching in this year's playoffs is the play of Jose Reyes, who is the best player in the NL not to have his name thrown into the MVP voting ring. (When was the last time your team's leadoff hitter smacked 66 extra-base hits, drove in 81 runs, and swiped 64 bases?)

For once, I'll be much more interested in watching the AL, where I will take pleasure in watching the Tigers embarrass Joe Torre's crew (one can hope) while the playoffs best series -- Twins v. A's -- develops one for the ages. And by the way, a big FUCK YOU to Major League Baseball for having Santana v. Zito be the fucking NOON game on Tuesday. Why, you ask, would baseball be so dumb? Oh, so the Yankees can have primetime to themselves. ESPN, Fox, and MLB needs to grow some balls and kindly do what's right for baseball fans around the globe whose teams aren't in the hunt -- whom their new playoff advertisements are oddly enough targeting -- instead of worrying only about the ratings. Give us a chance to actually watch some exciting baseball this October. Better yet, allow Oakland fans to actually watch some evening playoff baseball instead of sticking them with the early morning game every time out.

Okay, moving on ... I've got one last tidbit to tidy up from earlier in the season. Way back at the end of April, when Pujols was ripping the cover off the ball much as Ryan Howard did in Half Two, I made the following prediction as to how Albert's season would finish up. Of course, I didn't foresee the oblique strain that would sideline him for 15 games, permanently altering his season when he was in peak form. But, for comparison's sake, let's see how he ended up.

My April prediction is listed first, followed by his actual production (asterisk denotes career high).

Plate appearances: 675/634
Walks: 140/92
At-bats: 515/535
Hits: 182/177
2B: 36/33
HR: 52/49*
RBI: 123/137*
Runs: 148/119
On-base %: .487/.431
Slugging %: .753/.671*
Avg: .353/.331

Conclusion: While he missed my high marks overall, Pujols still posted some career highs in key categories. But the Cards' lack of punch hurt Sir Albert, as his run total was down this year despite homering at a career-best rate. For the first time in four seasons, he won't lead the league in runs scored.

We also know that opposing managers were foolish. Given his 24 game-winning hits (tying Willie Mays for best ever) and the fact that he killed with runners in scoring position, Albert should have been walked more frequently. He was intentionally walked a career-best 28 times, but that was less than Ryan Howard's 37 IBBs. Given Howard's lack of productivity with runner's on, that difference is a bit perplexing. Pundits love to point to that stat in affirming why Howard should get the nod over Pujols in MVP voting, but that's just silly. Why put such stock in a number that is essentially based on reputation and not in the player's immediate control? There's no shame in Howard being the NL MVP, but it won't make it right should it happen.

To wrap up this post, here are my postseason predictions...

NL MVP: Howard, PHI (I'd give it to Pujols, of course)
NL Cy: Carpenter, STL
NL Manager: Girardi, FLA
AL MVP: Jeter, NYY (although I'd give it to Mauer or Morneau)
AL Cy: Santana, MIN (for shits and giggles, compare him to Wang, who also finished with a 19-6 record)
AL Manager: Leyland, DET

Cardinals over Padres in 5
The Padres have learned the hard way to walk Pujols late in games, but for once the Cards offense will jump on top first, allowing Pujols to do enough damage early in games and negating the Padres solid pen.
Dodgers over Mets in 5
Gutsy call, and not a popular one. Penny and Maddux didn't fare too well versus the Mets in the regular season, and Penny specifically has stunk it up since the break. But I like LA's chances with a staff that keeps the ball in the yard. And something just tells me that this isn't the Mets year. (See: Pedro)
Dodgers over Cardinals in 5
Unless Pujols suddenly becomes Babe Ruth and toes the rubber, I don't see the Cards advancing any farther in the playoffs. They were 7-0 against the Dodgers this year, but they're going to be 1-4 against them when it counts most.

Twins over A's in 5
I think this is the series to watch. Too bad I won't get to see much of it thanks to TV scheduling. On paper, this is the weakest of Beane's Moneyball teams. They struggled all season long offensively, but the Twins rotation is paper thin beyond Santana, so I see lots of offense in this series, despite two solid pens. Slight edge to the Twins.
Tigers over Yankees in 4
Great oh-fence for the Yanks, but can they keep their opponent from scoring? The Tigers offense pales in comparison. Still, I like the Tigers deep, consistent rotation and lights-out pen. Choke time for Torre and Co.
Tigers over Twins in 7
Great matchup, but will anyone pay attention to two northern midwest teams? Unless Santana figures out a way to start four games, I don't see the Twins taking out the Tigers. Mauer keeps 'em in it until Game 7, when The Gambler blanks 'em through seven and Zumaya, his arm ready to fall off, slams the door shut with 102 mph fastballs at the knees.

Dodgers over Tigers in 6
So what if no one else saw this coming? The difference maker here is that the Dodgers are the fresher team, having taken care of the Cards in five. Takashi Saito pitches five scoreless innings of relief to notch three saves, and everyone in the country learns how to correctly pronounce his name. Meanwhile, Jeff Fucking Kent hits a game-winning home run, and Nomah, wincing in pain after every swing, delivers his own walk-off home run in the clincher against Todd Jones, who curses his handlebar stache after the game as having betrayed him for the last time!

Am I nuts? Rob Neyer agrees with me regarding the Dodgers, so maybe so. Just a hunch. After all of my earlier talk of the AL's dominance, I think this may be the year the NL gets even. Ever the optimist, I suppose.

What are your picks?

Dead Moon rising on Sub Pop

2006-09-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite discoveries of the past few years is getting a proper retrospective on Sub Pop: Oregon garage rockers Dead Moon. They're one of the truly great unknown rock bands in the land of liberty, and now that their songs are readily available via a mega-indie, you have no excuse for not falling in fucking love. I say they sound like Love if Arthur Lee and the boys had huffed a mighty dose of Radio Birdman. Or, more to the point, they sound like a trio of crusty punks, each with a broken, bleeding heart tucked under a tight, sweaty T. It doesn't get any more sincere than Fred Cole and company. If anyone knows squat about maintaining his cool, it's Cole, whose pushing 60.

My only complaint about this 49-song comp is the omission of my fave Dead Moon song, "Crazy to the Bone". It would have been a fitting 50th song. Here's a synopsis from their Sub Pop bio to get you up to speed, followed by some tunes:

Clackamas, Oregon’s Dead Moon is truly one of the most independent and revered Northwest underground bands of all time. With Fred Cole on guitar and vocals, his wife Toody on bass and vocals, and the indefatigable Andrew Loomis on drums, Dead Moon have been churning out their own indescribable brand of rock and roll for nearly 20 years now. Their dedication and love for each other and what they do make it unlikely they will be stopping anytime soon.

Fred began his recording career in 1964 with The Lords, releasing the single "Ain't Got No Self-Respect." Fred’s next band The Weeds released a 7” before being renamed The Lollipop Shoppe to avoid confusion with The Seeds (with whom they shared a manager). Their 1968 burner “You Must Be a Witch” was released on 7” by MCA subsidiary Uni Records and eventually landed on the first Nuggets anthology box set. The Lollipop Shoppe / Weeds configuration went on to play with the likes of The Doors, The Seeds and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin before disbanding in 1969.

Fred and Toody met in Portland in 1966 after The Weeds ran out of gas on their way to Canada where members of the band were planning to wait out the Vietnam War. They were married in 1967, and when The Lollipop Shoppe disbanded in 1971, the couple spent some time homesteading in the Yukon, briefly lived in LA and finally landed back in Oregon, just outside of Portland, in Clackamas.

In 1987, after years spent playing in and releasing records by a dizzying succession of bands, Fred and Toody recruited Andrew Loomis to play drums for a new rock and roll band that would be stripped to its rawest essentials: electric guitar and bass with no effects, simple, powerful drumming, and tough, impassioned vocals (from both Fred and Toody). A red moon Fred and Toody saw on the way home from one of their many trips to Reno spawned the name for the new band, and Fred’s desperate, intense and haunting lyrics fit perfectly...

Dead Moon - "Dagger Moon"
Dead Moon - "A Miss of You"
Dead Moon - "Walking on My Grave"

You can beat the Cardinals...

2006-09-13T10:13:00.000-05:00

...But you can't beat Pujols. It's a saying that started in Cardinals nation last year, gaining significant momentum in the playoffs when Albert crushed that game-winning home run against Brad Lidge. It's been true ever since then, including last night when Pujols collected his 23rd game-winning hit of the season -- 18 of which have been homers. Last night's was merely a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth against Lidge. With that hit, Pujols probably halted the Astros run at the postseason.

Talk of the MVP race is heating as usual in September. Ryan Howard has grabbed a bulk of the headlines with his barrage of home runs, and deservedly so. The kid is having a monster second half. If you look at his core stats -- 56 HR, 138 RBI, .316 AVG -- he's hard to argue against. I don't buy into the argument that if the Phillies miss the playoffs he shouldn't receive as much consideration in voting, because he's carried his team this far -- to the brink of a playoff spot. There are too many other factors that will ultimately decide if his team makes it or not. But we can be certain that they wouldn't be in the hunt this late in the season without his lumber.

However, I can't give him the nod over Pujols -- despite the traditional stats in his favor. Pujols only leads Howard by the slimmest of margins in OPS, and trails him by a considerable amount in homers and ribbies. But I can't get beyond those Major League-leading 23 game-winning hits. Where would the Cards be without even half of those? The answer is in second place -- or worse. I shy away from the term "clutch" because so much of baseball is pure luck. But in Pujols' case, I make an exception. The man is capable of willing his team to victory, and he's proven that fact time and time again this season. His typical Pujols numbers (he's on pace for a career-best 51 HR, 137 RBI, and 121 runs) coupled with his stellar play in the field (a Gold Glove is not out of the question) give him the qualities one looks for in an MVP candidate. And his name recognition alone will probably give him the slight nod. But this year, maybe more so than any other, he truly deserves it, with key injuries to Edmonds and Eckstein (his protection and lead-off hitter) and our pitching staff's ineffectiveness causing this team to stumble throughout the season. This is weakest Cardinals team of the Pujols era.

Of course, just because he deserves it doesn't mean that he'll get it. He'll have to battle Howard, set to break 61 homers, and fabulous seasons from Carlos Beltran, Lance Berkman, Alfonso Soriano, and Miguel Cabrera, the latter of which right now is what Pujols was to Bonds four years ago. But for my money, there's no one else in baseball that I want at the plate with the game on the line and runners on base. And that, to me, is one true way to measure an MVP.

I'll leave you with these splits, which illustrate that sometimes the numbers don't give you the whole truth. RBIs -- of which Howard leads Pujols by 18 at this point -- are a function in part of the effectiveness of the lineup around you. Anyone who has watched more than a handful of Cardinals games this season can tell you how poor our 7-8-9-1-2 hitters have been this year at reaching base. Pujols has simply had fewer opportunities to knock in runners than Howard: Albert's had 150 plate appearances with runners in scoring position; Ryan's had 197. What Albert has done with those opportunities, however, is why he gets my vote for MVP.

With runners in scoring position, Albert is hitting .383 and slugging .766 to Howard's .248 and .517. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Albert is hitting .405 and slugging .703 to Howard's .230 and .473. Howard narrows the gap in close and late situations -- Albert's at .306/.742 to Howard's .293/.646 -- but the fact remains that Albert does his damage when it counts the most. Hard to argue with that.

UPDATE: Apparently, I should write for ESPN. I noticed this article was posted today, but I had no advance knowledge of it before penning the above. Funny, we're making a lot of the same points.

The absolute worst baseball uniforms of all time: Part 2, 1950-2006

2006-09-09T18:21:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since Part 1 of my countdown of the worst fashion baseball has had to offer. Without further ado, here's the second half of the list. I'm skipping odd one-off unis that have appeared, like those camo jerseys the Padres occasionally trot out in honor of the troops.

Baseball unis from 1950 on are, for the most part, a bore. I had a hard time finding anything from 1950-1970 worth including on this list. Uniforms were plain Jane, to a fault. The same can be said for 1990 onward. The years inbetween, especially the flamboyant '70s, make up the bulk of this list thanks to uniforms featuring lots of color. Enough color to blind you. Colors that grown men should never wear from head to toe. And that makes their selection almost too easy. Or, maybe too hard. It's difficult to fault those who tried to stray from the norm. But instead of interjecting just a splash of color, these uniforms go overboard. Here's the losers...

No. 10
1969 Seattle Pilots (64-98; last in AL West)

Ah, the one-year losers that gave us Jim Bouton's Ball Four and these sickly road unis. The Pilots got the trend started: yellow as an accent color on powder blue unis. Upon relocating to Milwaukee in 1970 and renaming themselves the Brewers, the team continued this terrible tradition well into the '80s. But back to the Pilots, led by a group of grizzled vets, including two-time batting champ Tommy Davis and the aforementioned Bouton, the Pilots stunk it up and would be all but forgotten if not for Ball Four, easily one of the top five baseball books ever published.

No. 9
1983 New York Mets (68-94; last in NL East)

From 1962-82, the Mets home uniform looked pretty much the same. Pinstripes, blue caps and stirrups, and "Mets" scrawled across the chest in cursive. In 1983, they added a small embellishment -- an orange and blue stripe -- down the shoulders and up the sides. In a word: overkill. Why add stripes to a pinstriped uni? The Mets had been sucking for years, and this change to their uni's trim did little to turn that around in their first season in revamped unis. However, in the following season Davey Johnson came on board as skipper, Darryl Strawberry blossomed, and a young kid named Doc Gooden toed the rubber in his rookie season. Needless to say, they did alright despite their uniforms.

No. 8
1977 Atlanta Braves (61-101; last in NL West)

In case you haven't noticed the trend yet, teams playing in ugly uniforms haven't fared so well. The '77 Braves didn't buck that trend, finishing a distant last to the Garvey-Cey-Lopes-Russell Dodgers. Red pinstripes should never be an option. Ever. This was the first of four years the Braves tried this look for their home jerseys, and they won an average of just 69 games per year over that time span. The '77 Braves featured one of my favorite-named players of all time, catcher Biff Picoroba, as well as slugger Jeff Burroughs and a second-year outfielder soon to break through, Dale Murphy. A couple other points of interest about this team: 1) Phil Niekro tossed 330 innings that year, the first of three-straight years of 330-plus innings; and 2) media mogul and hands-on team owner Ted Turner took a turn as manager one day in the '77 season. It was his first, and only, turn as skipper, and the Braves did him the honor of losing. About managing, Turner said, "Managing isn't that difficult, you just have to score more runs than the other guy". On this day, he didn't, as they lost 6-2 to the Big Red Machine.

No. 7
1971 Baltimore Orioles (101-57; won AL pennant)

The '71 O's bucked the losing trend of the other teams on this list with their third-straight 100-win season. Earl Weaver's boys were led by sluggers Frank Robinson and Boog Powell and a vacuum cleaner at third, Brooks Robinson. And in this particular year, four 20-game winners: Cuellar, Dobson, Palmer, and McNally. Helluva team; still surprises me that they only won one World Series in three successive attempts. Anyway, in 1954 the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles. For several years, the O's kept the Browns brownish unis, eventually morphing from brown to a dull orange. For one year only, they tried an alternate uni at home that featured an orange jersey and pants. I think it speaks for itself -- not the best look. It must've gone over with a dud, as they used orange only as an accent color the following three years before going back to orange jerseys for a long stretch. The question on my mind is: Does Listmaker have this vintage orange uni, and if so would he kindly model it?

No. 6
1975 Cleveland Indians (79-80; 4th in AL East)

Everyone knows the Indians sucked in the '70s. Matter of fact, they pretty much defined mediocrity throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s, until Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez rescued them in the mid-'90s. That '75 team was managed by 39 year-old, rookie skipper Frank Robinson, who took his turn in the field as well. Was it Frank's idea to make one of the Indians' two road unis feature red pants and jerseys? (Maybe he was inspired by the success of the '71 O's? After all, Boog Powell played on this Cleveland team, too.) They sort of look like ketchup bottles, especially if you imagine the unis without the blue undershirts. The unis stuck around throughout Robinson's three-year stint as manager, and then promptly disappeared just as he did. So maybe he did have something to do with the bold look?

No. 5
1963 Kansas City A's (73-89; 8th in AL)

In the '60s, the KC A's were continuing their proud tradition of being a farm team for the Yankees. The A's roster was like a turnstile during this time. They would ship their best talent to the Yankees and other winning clubs in losing trades time and time again. Their stability was so poor that the team actually used 11 managers in the decade of the '60s alone. This particular team featured a bunch of who-dats: Bobby Del Greco, Gino Cimoli, Jose "Father of Danny" Tartabull, Ed Charles, and the like. Five years later, owner Charlie Finley would move the team to Oakland. But in '63, Finley had other changes in mind, namely to his team's unis. This was the beginning of the colors green and yellow for the A's. Finely ditched red and blue for the more vibrant scheme, which surely shocked his players as much as the fans. At least he had some restraint: Upon moving the team to Oakland in '68, Finley decided to make the socks yellow, too. It would have been easy to select any of the '70s A's unis for this list, but this is where they all got their start.

No. 4
1972 San Diego Padres (58-95; last in NL West)

Speaking of yellow, how about this variation on a theme? Ugh. Coupled with the brown, doesn't this scheme sort of resemble cat diarrhea? The Padres have had some ugly uniforms since their inception in '69, but none top this uni, which somehow survived for two seasons. I don't know how anyone could get geared up to play when part of the process involved slipping into this uniform. Sure enough, the Padres won just 37% of their games while wearing these colors. In '72, they were under the guidance of rookie manager Don Zimmer, who had an anemic offense and an abysmal pitching staff to name as scapegoats. But I'd still blame the unis.

No. 3
1975 Houston Astros (64-97; last in NL West)

Seriously, are you keeping track of how many of these teams suck? How can you possibly ignore the threads when considering how poorly these teams performed? The Astros went radical in '75 with the debut of these famous jerseys, which they wore both at home and on the road. Never has any team tried something so odd. I was tempted to put this uni on the good list, simply because it's such a ballsy design. But let's be honest, do bands of orange and yellow stripes do much for hiding the gut of a major league player? I think not. But the Stros kept these jerseys around until 1987. And throughout those years, they did have some flashes of brilliance, three times winning their division. But in '75 they stunk. Fireballer J.R. Richard, then 25, had yet to strut his All-Star stuff, and veteran Larry Dierker was at the end of the rainbow (and there was no pot of gold). But over the next four seasons Richard would win 74 games and strike out 1,044 batters while his team slowly rose in the standings.

No. 2
1979 Philadelphia Phillies (84-78; 4th in NL East)

Well, pick your poison with this one. I hate all three of these uniforms. The Phillies had been sporting the maroon pinstripes at home for years. It's the easiest one to swallow of the bunch, but still makes my stomach turn due to the lack of an accent color. So you would think adding another color would help. But when that color is baby blue, well, puke. Those road jerseys had been around for several seasons as well. But the all maroon solid color look, that was new in '79 with the arrival of Pete Rose, and it didn't last a year longer. I'm guessing that Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton approached ownership after the season and said, "Either the alternate unis go, or we go." And the Phils chose wisely.

No. 1
1977 Pittsburgh Pirates (96-66; 2nd in NL East)

Chuck Tanner's "Fam-a-Lee" sure played the game the right way; too bad they were wearing the wrong unis. The Pirates needed to fire their creative director. I mean, who came up with one of these unis and then said, "You know what? We need four more uniforms to complement this one. I'll get to work." All five of these unis debuted in '77, even though they were popularized by the '79 World Series winners. I've got an image of Dave Parker in uni No. 4 emblazened in my mind from my childhood, and I don't think I could shake it if I wanted to. The worst part of these uniforms was the hat, with its piping wrapping around the skull several times. U.G.L.Y. But the ridiculousness of Pittsburgh's uniforms coincided with the excessiveness of the Disco era, and in part I can excuse such blunders in design as a result. Still, large adult men simply should not wear bright yellow uniforms. M and Chris may disagree, but they're just allowing their childhood emotions to get the best of 'em.

On turning 30

2006-09-09T16:08:00.000-05:00

I believe it was former Giants outfielder Chili Davis who said, "growing old is mandatory; growing up is not." Mark Twain may have put it better when he said, "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." But I prefer the ageless wisdom of Bob Hope, who said, "middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle." So by adopting that philosophy, I'm still in my 20s.

But who am I kidding? The 20s sucked. They were so ... you know ... 20s. At any rate, they're over. Ain't no going back. I woke up one day last month, and I was 30. I even took a picture to prove it.

My 30th just happened to fall on a Sunday, and not just any Sunday but the Sunday that the Cards went for a sweep of the Cubs. To celebrate the potential broomstick I headed to Mike & Molly's with my peeps. There, I met up with the MVP of the '82 World Series, Mr. Darrell Porter, and we enjoyed a cold one. (Left to right: Cold One, Porter, a kick-ass homemade B-day card.)

Later that night, I was given plenty of fabulous gifts. Gary Bennett hit a walk-off grand slam to secure the sweep of the Cubs, and my friends chipped in a stack of old baseball cards (including some Fleer!), several mix CDs, a gift card that turned into Willie Nelson's new book The Tao of Willie, a collection of Cardinals DVDs showcasing their World Series years from the '40s to the present (thanks M!), and the following stellar shirt from D&A (keeping me in the coolest threads as I enter my 30s).

Of course, no birthday at MnMs is complete without an Irish Car Bomb (or two). Bombs away!

I'm not sure that Amy -- who turned 30 just one month prior -- approves of all this drinking.

I leave you with this, a salute to beards and Hall-of-Famers with the baby blue Birds on the Bat. Bet you wish you got this for your b-day, huh?

For all of you that may have missed...

2006-08-28T01:02:00.000-05:00

The Cards delivered the best 30th birthday gift possible -- a sweep of the Cubs thanks to a 9th-inning, walk-off grand slam by back-up catcher Gary Bennett. His second game-winning hit in two days! Seriously, I screamed my ass off in Mike & Molly's tonight. Thanks to all who were there to share my 30th with me. You will not be forgotten; nor should you find shame in taking a back seat to Gary Bennett on this night. (I kid.) Unforgettable!

Birds prepare to migrate south (in the standings)

2006-08-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

Another day, another rant. I haven't written about the Cardinals in a while. And the reason is simple: they haven't been an inspiring team as of late, as evidenced by their recent sweep at the hands of Listmaker's Big Apple darlings, the Mets. Of course, I saw that one coming from a mile away. With the pitchers we are running out there on a nightly basis, it's a miracle that we win more than 1 out of every 5 games. Outside of Chris Carpenter and his 3.05 ERA, we don't have a single starter in our current rotation with an ERA under 5.00: Suppan, 5.03; Weaver, 5.74; Marquis, 5.77; and Mulder, 6.77 (!). Reyes, who we recently sent back down to AAA to allow space for Mulder to suck ass as he "rehabs", had a 4.73 mark (with a 1.31 WHIP) upon being sent down. In his first start in AAA -- finally outside of the harmful influence of pitching coach Dave Duncan -- he threw six shutout innings and struck out 9. Poor kid just needs a chance to be himself.

The offense hasn't really been the problem, as we saw in the Mets series. Everyone is performing at or above career norms, with the exception of the injured Edmonds. Yes, we have a pathetic bench; sure we have little pop in the bottom third of the order; yes, our leadoff hitter is weak. But we've got the best hitter in baseball in the third-hole, and a mighty fine clean-up hitter behind him. The offense is producing at a good enough clip to keep us in most games, and that's about all you can expect. Could they improve in close-and-late situations? Yes. But is the offense the reason we stink this year; the reason our lead in the Central has evaporated as of today? No.

That fault lies on a pitching staff regressing to its norms. After banking on another awesome season from every member of the rotation -- including Carp, who was just nasty for 5/6 of last season -- every Cardinal pitcher has reverted to his norm, or something close to it. And the signs -- a quick glance at the peripherals, the poor K/9 especially -- were all there. Management fooled themselves if they thought otherwise. Izzy is toast. He's done. He can't accept that his cut fastball ain't cutting like he wants, and so he won't stop throwing it and get back to the basics, what made him a good closer in the first place: a 95mph fastball and a deadly curve. He doesn't even throw the curve with any frequency nowadays. Why not? Cause he's constantly behind in the count, due to a cutter he can't locate.

Izzy's problem is stubbornness, which is unfortunately ingrained in him on a daily basis by his pitching coach and manager -- possibly the two least flexible beings in baseball. I could spend an entire post speaking to the ways in which La Russa and Duncan have ruined their stud youngster, Anthony Reyes, by demanding that he pitch to their style versus the style that has garnered him success throughout his career. But I'll save you those details. The coaching staff's stubbornness is the stuff of legend among Cards fans this year. It's why they continue to trot out Izzy to close games, when anyone -- even Braden F'in Looper -- would be a better bet at this point. It's why they continue to give starts to Marquis and Mulder instead of allowing Wainwright or Reyes -- both obviously more capable pitchers -- to fill in at a time of dire need. It's their instinct to trust veterans over rookies that is killing us right now.

That stubbornness is going to cost us a trip to the playoffs. But they're not entirely to blame. The GM and ownership also should receive a healthy wag of the finger. Jocketty set us up for a dud of a season by failing to make any impact moves in the offseason. The lone impact moves for this season were: 1) a spring-training roster decision made by La Russa, allowing Wainwright a role in the bullpen (he quickly advanced from long-relief to set-up man on the strength of his stuff, and he now owns the pen's best ERA at 3.14); and 2) allowing Chris Duncan some PT around mid-season (he's since become our BEST hitter this side of Pujols). Imagine that: two youngsters coming up big. Huh. Go figure. We've essentially stockpiled a collection of DFA-worthy veteran scrubs this season: Aaron Miles, Deivi Cruz, So Taguchi, Larry Bigbie, Gary Bennett, Randy Flores, Sidney Ponson, Junior Spivey, Timo Perez, Jeff Weaver, Preston Wilson, Jose Vizcaino, and Jorge Sosa. Those last five names were all acquired around or since the trading deadline -- all of them DFA'ed by their former teams. Ponson, Perez, Cruz, and Spivey have all since been DFA'ed by the Cards. This was our attempt to improve our roster in the offseason.

Then there's the owners perceived greed this season. They opened a new ballpark, sold-out the entire season, created several new sources of revenue, and have refused to budge payroll up in a significant manner. They claim its not how much you spend, it's how you spend it, which is true. And look at how we've spent our money: on a long list of DFAs. Why? Jocketty claims it was a better decision to roll the dice on them rather than spend on proven talent. Of course, for him, proven talent means Juan Encarnacion. So I sorta get his drift. But I'm not buying into it.

Point being: Cards fans got a bum deal this year. We're not going to make the playoffs on the pace we're on now -- and even if we do, we'll probably be drop our first postseason series. Coming off of a trip to the World Series and a trip to the NLCS, that's simply not good enough. Sorry.

The result is that we may just turn into the Cubs: pack the park every year and watch a mediocre team take the field. I'd look into a new coaching staff first, and a new owner second. That won't happen, of course. But it doesn't mean it shouldn't.

Fixing the Fork

2006-08-22T13:10:00.000-05:00

As I sit here sipping on my Fuze White Tea and listening to The Gongettes "Gong Gong Song" -- one of the best '60s girl group songs you've never heard -- I'm pleasantly reminded of how I'm just soooo much fucking hipper than you. I may be turning 30 in less than a week, but I'll be damned if I'm not still going to be cooler than you -- all because of the music knowledge in my noggin. And thanks to such knowledge, I can tell you plainly that Pitchfork's recent countdown of the top 200 songs of the '60s is total bullshit. Complete, utter crap. A total waste of time. An exercise in jacking off. Good for several hearty laughs. Et cetera.

Okay, kidding aside (about me, not the Fork), the list is a ridiculous attempt to catalogue the best decade in rock music history, and flawed through and through. Pitchfork provides us with no real reasoning for how they selected the songs, other than stating they limited the list to five songs per artist, entirely fair to bands both prolific and superb like the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. We don't know if they polled their writers (as they've done in the past) for a ranked list of 100 songs and then tabulated the results to give us an overall ranking. Although, it's pretty clear by looking at the list that they did not. (They couldn't have possibly had enough critics vote for Ennio Morricone's theme song "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" for it to end up ranked No. 32. No fucking way. And if they did go this route -- wherein someone on their staff of, say, 30 peeps, selected that tune No. 1 or 2 on their list which in turn gave it enough "points" to earn a No. 32 overall rating -- then once again we're seeing a clear flaw.) So, we have to suppose then that they simply had some sort of a roundtable discussion, with certain people spearheading the decision making about how high certain songs should be ranked. And of course, that's what I think they did, especially considering how tailored and snobby the list ended up. Then there's the staff's obvious desire to be genre inclusive; instead of sticking to rock and excluding other genres, they attempt to incorporate jazz, country, electronic music, R&B, and other genres, which only leads us to contemplate apples and oranges. A bad decision I think.

Anyway, humor me while I debate some of the more, well, suspicious selections. The list is suspect from the start. Before we even make it out of the bottom 10, Nos. 200-191, we find trouble: Johnny and June's "Jackson" is No. 193. A song that is clearly considered by plenty to be among the finest tunes in Cash's catalogue -- and no I'm not just sentimental a year after seeing the flick in the theater -- and it barely cracks the list? Pa-lease! Or, how about song No. 200, The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon", from their unfortunately overlooked 1966 masterpiece Face to Face? Sure, it's a good song. But name me a person with ears who finds it a more valuable asset to society than its record-mate, "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home", and I'll show you a red-faced liar. Sure, this is all up for grabs -- and my opinion shouldn't hold more weight per say -- but listen to the Fork's explanation for why this song made the cut: "While already rightly revered as bratty garage rockers by the time of this track's release, the Kinks truly excelled when singer Ray Davies took a more observational, wry approach to songwriting -- and "Sunny Afternoon" is one of his wriest on record." Oh, okay, so it's more wry than the rest. Gotcha.

Debates aside -- cause I could debate plenty on this list -- how does one reasonably say that "Sunny Afternoon" is a cut above "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" or "Tired of Waiting for You" or "David Watts", none of which made the list? And while we're on the subject of The Kinks (okay, fuck not debating this shit), what the hell is up with "You Really Got Me" at No. 88? Oh, let's just neglect the song that spawned punk and hard rock with one mighty swing of Dave Davies' axe. Eighty-eight? Gimme a break.

There's plenty of additional WTF moments throughout the list. MC5's "Kick out the Jams" at No. 176 when it was an anthem for rebellion in the anti-government climate of the late-'60s? The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" at No. 154? Oh, sure, cause it didn't kickstart a national garage rock phenomenon or anything (and besides that fact is a bitchin' song). John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" at No. 130? Sorry, but the song defined the man's greatness on so many levels. (And there's only three other "jazz" tunes ahead of it on the list -- Miles at No. 125, Ray at No. 52, and Vince Gauraldi at No. 43. Must've been a slow decade for jazz, eh?) Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" doesn't break the Top 100? Neither does Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" (which has no business on this list since it was originally recorded in the 1920s), or Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces". Simon & Garfunkel's classic "Mrs. Robinson" peaks at No. 94. Why, cause it's too popular?

Speaking of popular, "staples" like the Stones' "Satisfaction" and The Who's "My Generation" are totally absent. Meanwhile, did you know that The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "A Day in the Life" were the best three songs they ever recorded? Tis true! That's not eye-opening enough for you? How about this: there are four Beach Boys tunes in the Top 21, including "God Only Knows" at No. 1. Now that's a damn fine tune -- and works perfectly as the theme song to HBO's Big Love -- but I can't even say it's the best song on Pet Sounds ("I'm Waiting for the Day" or "Wouldn't It Be Nice"), let alone the best song of the entire decade.

As for how I would change this exercise: For starters, stick to one genre, like rock/pop. Adding in jazz and country (while mysteriously snubbing blues) just muddies up the water. (It's clear Pitchfork's intent was to focus on rock/pop, so do so exclusively.) Not to mention, each genre is worthy of their own list. You can't do any of them justice by sprinkling a few singles in amongst the majority of rock/pop cuts. And considering the decade, it's not like country tunes were competing on the charts with rock singles. So, keep 'em separate. That opens up slots on the list for obvious MIAs like Captain Beefheart, Wilson Pickett, the Small Faces, the Dave Clark Five, Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Doors, more early rock & roll artists from both sides of the pond, and more of the deserving (albeit one-off) garage rockers.

The big change I would make is to own up to the fact that your list is going to have a lot in common with Time-Life compilations: you can't get around selecting songs like "Satisfaction", "Purple Haze", "Mr. Tambourine Man", and "Blowin' in the Wind" simply because they're ingrained in our fabric. A song's timelessness is one of the biggest clues as to whether it warrants inclusion. So stop trying to inform people of how "under the radar" you can fly and instead try to create the best list, period. At least, that's my two cents.

50 cents a pack: John Henry Johnson

2006-08-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post a link to this article about the demise of baseball cards for a while. Sadly, I came up in the same era of collecting as the author. I still have about 40 too many Bobby Bonilla rookie cards. Sigh.

At least I still have my 1987 Topps John Henry Johnson card to keep me happy. This particular year of Topps cards has to be among the ugliest baseball cards of all time. I mean, wood grain? C'mon. I'm sure they were going for a retro feel, but they failed.

I don't have a whole lot to say about the man with three first names -- other than, what the fuck is up with that hair? Seriously. White boy fro! It looks as if someone gave poor Johnny the Wooly Willy treatment.

Johnson's eight-year career was so forgettable that the amazing factoid Topps provides on the back of his card is ... drum roll ... wait for it ... "John Henry participated in Little League ball." Well that surely distinguishes him from the pack.

To be fair, there were a few high points to his career. For starters, he was traded along with seven others by the Giants to the A's to acquire Hall of Fame hurler Vida Blue (who may have his own 50 cents entry later). He debuted in the majors the year of the trade ('78), and had a decent rookie year: better-than-average 3.39 ERA, 11 wins, and 186 innings pitched. He was actually seventh in the league in hits allowed per nine innings. He stunk it up for the A's the following year and was traded mid-season to the Rangers, where he continued to stink. In 1980, the Rangers said "to hell with you starting" and moved him to the pen, where he posted a sparkling 2.33 ERA and better than a K per inning in limited duty, probably saving his major league career in the process.

I'm guessing injuries did him in in '81, as he only pitched in 24 games and missed all of '82. Interesting side note: Johnson went from striking out 1.2 batters per inning in '80 to 0.3 in '81 -- probably due to an arm injury that caused a drop in velocity. Texas dealt him to Boston, where Johnson regained his K-form and became a serviceable reliever. Again, he missed an entire season in '85, however. I'm not sure if it was injury again, or what. He was released by the BoSox in April of '85, and signed ten days later by the Pirates, who then released him in late July without him ever taking the mound. Must have been another injury or a rehab gone wrong. But a month later, Johnson was signed by the Brewers -- his third team in one season despite never playing in a major league game. Hmmm...

Johnson (and his hair) was healthy enough to pitch in 19 games for the '86 Brewers, in which he posted a 2.66 ERA. For his services, he netted $60,000. The following year he got bombed to the tune of a 9.57 ERA in 26 innings, and his career was over. John Johnson never pitched for a division winner, so there's no postseason stats to examine. Oh well, maybe he won a championship in Little League.

Sorry it's been a while

2006-08-12T10:31:00.000-05:00

I'll pick up the posting pace once work settles down in, uh, well, sometime in the future. In the book publishing business, the summer months are the busiest, which sucks for a long list of obvious reasons. While many of my friends are taking lengthy jaunts across the country, sipping adult beverages on the beach, or simply going out 'til 3 in the morning and sleeping in 'til noon, I'm busting my ass at work.

I've worked close to 40 hours of OT in the past two weeks alone. Since we release about 70% of our list in-between July and September, that means I'm on a perpetual deadline from about May 15 through late August. This year our production department also downsized, causing the well-oiled machine to get gummied up. And my entire department (all 4 of us) had to move our offices this week to a new part of the building. In the process, I lost my: 1) ceiling; 2) door; and 3) window. I gained a few square feet in the shift, but now I'm in a loft space with tall walls, but no way to keep the sound from traveling. Worse yet, I'm about 10 feet from a printer that squawks and squeaks every time it's asked to do its thing.

To remind me once again that I'm overworked and underpaid, a new project was conveniently dropped in my lap a few weeks ago. It's a 300-page coffee table book on a certain NYC neighborhood that I shall not name for Googling purposes. Let's just call it "America's most diverse ethnic neighborhood," a claim that I don't endorse, but nonetheless one that we're considering for the book's subtitle. We're to receive all of the materials for the book by Aug. 21, and the book needs to go to the printer 11 days later. Not 11 "work" days, mind you, but by Sept. 1. In other words, it's what we call an "instant book".

The short of it with these instant books is that the source providing us with the photos and text needs to be on top of their game. We know how to put these suckers together and without fail hit our deadlines. And we usually receive adequate cooperation from the source, because that source is typically a newspaper. Obviously, they have experience in hitting deadlines, too. But this time, the source is a Chamber of Commerce, and while they're working in tangent with NYC's second-highest circulating daily, they are not used to working on deadlines of this nature. They also lack some common tools, like the ability to follow simple directions that I give them. I ask them for chickens, and they give me monkeys. Woe is me. The short of it is, to all my NYC friends, I would highly recommend NOT purchasing this book.

Outside of work, I've been busy on the weekends. Two weeks ago I soaked through two T-shirts in the 90-plus degree sunshine at the Pitchfork Festival. I was excited about the lineup, but I think the weather clouded my enjoyment by providing a lack of cloud coverage. Still, it was great to see the following bands, in order:

1) Jens Lekman: We got to the festival on Day 2 a song or two into Jens' early-afternoon set, but what we saw was just FUN FUN FUN! Jens had a 6-female backing band of Swedes, including a three-person horn section. He's such a great performer, and he proved me foolish for wondering how the intimate club performance I witnessed a couple years ago would transfer to the big stage.

2) Destroyer: I love Dan Bejar, and his set, featuring almost exclusively songs from his latest album, Destroyer's Rubies, met expectations for my first live encounter. His was one of the only sets that I camped out up front for, quite a feat considering he was on during the beastly late-afternoon sun. But the lead guitar blasting into my left ear was a thing of beauty.

3) Mission of Burma: Plenty of late-'70s/early-'80s bands that are reforming as of late have no business playing their old material, let alone recording new stuff. They come across as second-rate cover bands, in part because they're missing original members and in part because they've simply aged and lost their spunk. However, MOB's new material is full of punch, and their old songs -- like my personal fave "Academy Fight Song" -- still sound spectacular. (On a related note: Os Mutantes didn't do much for me. They sound little like their original selves, and they were missing original frontwoman Rita Lee. Boo!)

4) Devendra Banhart: With a bearded, long-haired lookalike backing rock band (think: Skynyrd), Devendra came across much different than on record. For having three electric guitarists on stage, he was still very mellow. And his in-between song banter was a bit befuddling and longwinded at times. (He actually invited some guy from the audience on stage as a lark, I presume, to perform a song. The kid gets up there, straps on Devednra's guitar, and the band leaves the stage, bottles of Jack in hand. The kid, obviously influenced by Banhart, plays an original song that was not embarrasing given the circumstances, much to the crowd's approval. Unfortunately, this stripped about 10 minutes from Devendra's set.) All in all, a mixed back from Banhart. I wish I would've saw him do a solo gig two years ago, when I had the tickets in hand.

Bands I missed or ignored while laying in the shade/eating tamales/drenching myself in the misting tent/waiting in line for Ben & Jerry's/camping out in front of the opposite stage for the next band: Yo La Tengo (sounded more rockin' from a distance), Spoon (the usual), Ted Leo (heard he bloodied his forehead by headbutting the mic), Art Brut (snore), The Mountain Goats (man they were quiet), and The Futureheads (sounded good from a distance). Bands I didn't have the patience for: The Liars (too hot for that shit), The Silver Jews (too tired for that shit), and Man Man (too far away for that shit).

All in all, the sound quality was poor again this year. I'm guessing they can only crank it up so loud due to the surrounding neighborhoods, but at a festival with 15-20,000 peeps in attendance, you don't want to have the wind fucking with your ability to hear the music when you're standing a football field away from the stage due to the massive crowd. The weather was again unbearable, making my mood and energy level -- and hence my enjoyment -- of the festival a wash. Despite the affordable tickets, food, and drink, I won't be going next year unless they raise Syd, Jimi, Stiv, and Arthur from the dead.

Last weekend, I spent time with my family in celebration of our many August birthdays. Mine is included in that list; I turn 30 on Aug. 27. More details to come on what, if anything, I'll be doing locally to celebrate another year of living.

Now, since it's a gorgeous 73 degrees outside, I'm going to go for a long bike ride to make up for a couple weekends spent drinking beer instead of peddling.

Arthur Lee: Alone Again Or

2006-08-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

What's up with all of my favorite cult rock figures from the late-'60s passing as of late? First Sir Barrett, now Arthur Lee of Love. If you haven't heard the news, Lee died yesterday after fighting a mighty battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The man was an eccentric for sure, with prison terms to his credit, but he was also a true artifact of the '60s that was blessed with a gorgeous voice and one of the best backing bands of all time. If you haven't stumbled upon Love yet, I'll hook you up with some additional mp3s later. I feel like running home right this second to throw on my Love tee shirt. Not sure what the co-workers would think, but fuck 'em. 'Tis a sad day.

Love - "Alone Again Or"

Part of the process of "maintaining my cool"?

2006-07-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

You know what I love about Danville Dans baseball? The BEER. It's nice to visit a ballpark where the economics of beer do not prevent me from getting a good buzz going. Now I know that last comment sounds a bit immature -- do I sound like a bleacher bum or what? -- but I do enjoy a drink from time to time, even in my old age.

My fifth Dans baseball game in three weeks was another solid game. The Dans lost, 5-4, to the up-and-coming Dubois Bombers, who now sit just 2 games back of our leaders. It was an action-packed, extra-inning affair completed by my first CICL home run, hit by none other than Dans 1B Garrett Gipe. Mr. Gipe, a junior currently attending USC, had his family in tow all the way from California. Ma and Pa and his three bronzed sisters -- known from this day forward as simply "the Gipe sisters" -- provided Garrett with a boisterous cheering section, and he responded with an eighth-inning, game-tying home run right down the third-base line. 'Twas a beaut.

No foul balls for me on this night, but I did catch a souvenir of another sort: a Crime Stoppers beer cozy. (Uh, maybe not the best way to promote the solving of crimes?) It kept my Goose Island chilly all night long.

After the game, we cruised back into town for a nightcap at Mike & Molly's. It was there that we decided an Irish Car Bomb was a good idea.

3/4 pint Guinness® stout
1/2 shot Bailey's® Irish cream mixed with 1/2 shot Jameson® Irish whiskey
Drop shot glass into pint glass and chug.

Chris and I ponder the wisdom of doing said shot. It's a slippery slope...

The stare down, a common practice in pre-Car Bomb toasts.

And they're off...

Chug! Chug! Chug!

Surveying the damage, immediately after.

It was so tasty, we had another a half-hour later. How do you know when you're officially bombed thanks to the Irish Car Bomb?

Time to go home. Gotta get up for work tomorrow ... three hours late. Many thanks to Amy L -- who turns THIRTY tomorrow -- for snapping these photos and driving our drunk asses around.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to the Pitchfork Festival, where I plan to do a lot of sweating in the 92-degree heat.

More fun with the Dans

2006-07-24T18:44:00.000-05:00

We headed back to Danville on Saturday for our second double-header of the season. The Dans are still atop the CICL, with two weeks left in the season. The tension was mounting, and the Quincy Gems were in town! Our previous game was a Wednesday night, and the stadium was maybe a third full. But apparently there's nothing else to do in Danville on a Saturday night than take in 14 innings of baseball, cause the place was nearly packed. We had to improvise a parking space, which we did a ways away from the field. (Our previous trip taught us that foul balls break windshields. Not ours, but others.)

Oh Captain, My Captain. Sir Crunch was the big draw. He even threw out the first pitch. I'm amazed that he could see well enough to come within five feet of home plate. Did I mention that I used to have a Captain Crunch doll when I was a kid?

I enjoyed a pretzel with mustard and two "sliders" -- dogs with onions, yellow mustard, and nacho cheese. Mmmmm. I was the Designated Driver, so no Goose Island for me. Here, Chris ponders the delight that is brain freeze, mid sno-cone.

The games were a bit of a bore this time around. In Game 1, the Dans lost 4-0. They had the bases juiced twice, but couldn't come up with any clutch hits. (I don't recall seeing a single extra base hit the entire night.) Sadly, there would be no polka music piped through Danville Stadium until Game 2, when the Dans finally scored in the bottom of the second. There was nearly a brawl in Game 2, as the Quincy pitcher had a bit of Ricky Vaughn in him. He plunked three batters in just four innings. We left after the fourth inning, missing the Dans offensive explosion which led to their 8-1 win.

Interesting note that I think I forgot to mention last time: The Dans put their players to work. Here they're hosing down the field between games.

The highlight of the night for me: my third foul ball of the baseball season! A vicious foul line drive flew over our heads, bouncing off the backdrop of the stadium and bouncing back down the seats and coming to rest a couple rows below me. I grabbed it and once again turned it over to a kid. I gotta say, they don't mind using scuffed balls in Danville. Must be a cost-conscious move so they can keep their tickets so cheap.

Previewing the 'Fork Fest, pt. 2

2006-07-14T19:20:00.000-05:00

See part one of the preview here. My friends are giving the nod to Day 2 of the Pitchfork Music Festival, and I can't say I disagree.

Opener: Tapes 'n Tapes
Compared to Day One's opener, the Hot Machines, Tapes 'n Tapes carry a lotta expectation and hype. I'm not that into the Minneapolis natives, but maybe they'll sell me with their live show.
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Insistor"
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Just Drums"

Danielson
These guys probably sounded like an A&R guys wet dream on paper: Modest Mouse crossed with Sufjan Stevens. But on record, I'm not that into them. They are a Secretly Canadian band, however, and I trust those dudes taste. So maybe something will click for me after seeing them in concert.
Danielson - "Did I Step on Your Trumpet"
Danielson - "Time That Bald Sexton"

Jens Lekman
One of my favorite songwriters of the past couple years. I'm quite excited to see Jens again. The Swedish sensation was spectacular in a club setting; hopefully he'll be able to carry that charm over for a crowd of 15,000. Back to back Secretly Canadian acts -- woo-hoo! "Yeah, I got busted. I painted a dirty word on your old man's Mercedes Benz cause you told me to do it."
Jens Lekman - "You Are the Light"
Jens Lekman - "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill"

The National
Another hyped band, this time from NYC. These guys will fill the quotient for the 30+ alternative rock crowd, while I seek out refreshments and shade.
The National - "Mr. November"
The National - "Daughters of the Soho Riots"

Liars
Awkward transition from The National to these guys. Liars' intense live show charted at No. 18 on my Top 25 concerts of all time. I loved them in their original incarnation (listen to the first song). But they've since upped the dementia (listen to the second song), and I'm not sure I quite follow. That said, I'm stoked to see them again.
Liars - "We Live NE of Compton"
Liars - "Hold You, Drum"

Aesop Rock with Mr. Lif
Aesop Rock is one of the few hip-hop artists that I've gotten into over the past five years. The 'Fork couldn't have selected a better rapper for my tastes. Plus, he's sporting a Cardinals cap in that photo. That about says it.
Aesop Rock - "1,000 Deaths"
Mr. Lif featuring Aesop Rock - "Success"

Mission of Burma
Time for another odd transition, but I guess you'll have those at these sorts of festivals. As far as geezer-rock reformations go, Boston's Mission of Burma are one of the few bands that can still bring it. The first tune is one of their golden oldies; the second is from their 2006 release, The Obliterati.
Mission of Burma - "Academy Fight Song"
Mission of Burma - "2wice"

Devendra Banhart
Banhart sealed the deal for me. I had tickets to see him in 2004, but didn't go due to laziness. Whether you find his hippie schtick to be revolting or not, I have a feeling he's going to put on a very engaging show that should appeal to a large swath of the crowd.
Devendra Banhart - "I Feel Just Like a Child"
Devendra Banhart - "At the Hop"

Yo La Tengo
Am I the only one who finds it a bit odd that Yo La got added to this festival? I mean, they're surely going to draw well, but they're hardly a buzz-worthy band anymore. I guess we'll file them under "crowd pleaser", which they will be (for me) if they play a good deal of older, more rockin' stuff. (Did you know their forthcoming record is called I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass? Here's hoping their new stuff will feature lots of Ira Kaplan freakouts on guitar.) Now, here's two of my faves from their peak years in the mid-'90s.
Yo La Tengo - "Big Day Coming"
Yo La Tengo - "Decora"

Spoon
Can't go wrong with Spoon, although I'm shocked that they weren't chosen as a headliner for Day 2 and the festival. I'm pumped to see Os Mutantes, but I'm guessing I'm in the minority.
Spoon - "Car Radio"
Spoon - "I Summon You" (demo)

Headliner: Os Mutantes
I've tried to raise the excitement level amongst my friends for Os Mutantes (The Mutants), but how do you get a bunch of peeps pumped up to see a long-disbanded, off-kilter, garage-pop band from Brazil? It's impossible to compare Os Mutantes to anyone else, because their sound is so utterly their own. So when someone says, "What do they sound like?", I'm left grasping at straws. These guys/gal haven't played together in over 30 years, but their preliminary shows this summer have received positive press. I think for festival's huge crowd, they're either gonna be an unexpectedly awesome wrap up to a weekend of great music, or they're gonna flop. I don't see much room for grey area. They sing -- mostly -- in Portuguese, and their tunes run the gamut from outsider folk with a Latin tint to Beatles-influenced LSD pop. I swear that Yo La Tengo actually covered the second tune here on one of their mid-'90s releases (probably an EP), but I can't find proof. Check out the YouTube clip as well, which is a teaser for an Os Mutantes documentary and will provide some additional perspective on the band.
Os Mutantes - "Bat Macumba"
Os Mutantes - "Baby"
Os Mutantes Documentary Movie

If you're still on the fence about attending the 'Fork Fest, two-day passes are no longer available. You'll have to purchase two, one-day passes, which still only sets you back $40.

10 good reasons to visit Danville

2006-07-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

...and all of them have to do with the Danville Dans! Who are the Dans, you ask? Why, they're a summer-league baseball team comprised of collegians from around the country. They play with wooden bats, they're first in the league, and here's why you should go see them in action.

1) Danville Stadium is a total throwback -- a one-deck, wooden stadium with an outfield fence that appears to be falling backward at certain points. It was built in the '40s to house a minor-league team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The list of big league players who have made stops in Danville -- either as part of the minor leagues or later as part of independent summer leagues -- is long and impressive: Pedro Guerrero, Gorman Thomas, Carl Erskine, Cecil Cooper, Dave Stewart, Devon White, and Jonathan Papelbon, to name just a few.

2) You're so close to the action you can hear the umpire call strikes and the catcher's mit pop clear as day.

3) Rally caps are encouraged, and good-natured taunting is, too. (Thanks for the pic, Pretty Typewriters.) Note: my rally hat failed, but I chalk that up to the fact that it was a STL Cardinals cap, and not a Danville Dans cap.

4) Rooting for college kids with dreams of making the big leagues is far more beneficial to the player than rooting for larger-than-life pros with fat wallets will ever be. These kids are not spoiled, unless you count the occasional fan that sneaks them a hot dog during the game.

5) The beer is relatively cheap -- $2.50 for a plastic cup of Goose Island!

6) The foot is edible. I repeat, the foot is edible. Chicago-style dogs, warm & salty popcorn, pretzels, and sno-cones!

7) Foul pop ups land on the wooden roof with a WHACK.

8) Where else can you see a double-header that features 8 errors in the first game, and then a five-inning no-hitter in the second? Plus, the Dans were pitching the no-hitter, yet losing 1-0.

9) Every time the Dans score a run, they pipe in this polka music that sounds as if it's being played on a Casio. And inbetween innings they play good old time rock 'n' roll.

10) You can purchase broken bats (game used!) for $5!

They only play ball through early August, so hurry up!

Syd's Dead

2006-07-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

Sadly, in the near future we may all know where Syd Barrett lives, as he is soon to reside in a cemetary. The Pink Floyd founder died in his sleep over the weekend. While it's no great loss to the current music scene -- it's been over 35 years since the ever-reclusive Syd released a record -- his passing will no doubt affect a good number of psychedelic fans who rightfully champion his influence on the genre. Hopefully, his passing will open a new window for biographers hoping to shed light on Syd's mysterious, private life and continued withdrawal from the psych-rock scene he helped to birth.

Pink Floyd - "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk"
Syd Barrett - "No Man's Land"

Previewing the 'Fork Fest, pt. 1

2006-07-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

I'm confident about two things concerning his year's Pitchfork Music Festival: 1) it will be overcast with a high of 81; and 2) the lineup is going to kick some serious ass. Here's a quick audio preview for my friends who are going, and (like me) may not be too familiar with all of the bands.

Day One

Opener: Hot Machines
This is the only song I've heard from these Chicagoans. However, they're on In the Red Records, and their offshoot, Miss Alex White, I really dig. I think they'll be a great opener.
Hot Machines - "Tear it Apart"

Chin Up Chin Up
Meh, my indie pop days are over. (Okay, they're not. But I don't really dig these Chicago boys.)
Chin Up Chin Up - "Virginia Don't Drown"

Man Man
They've got a definite thing for Tom Waits and Beefheart. Not sure how this will go over in person.
Man Man - "Van Helsing Boom Box"
Man Man - "I, Manface"

Band of Horses
Sounds like: My Morning Jacket coupled with Christie Front Drive. I like. Could imagine them playing in the middle of a downpour. Actually, I think I'd enjoy that.
Band of Horses - "The Funeral"
Band of Horses - "The First Song"

The Mountain Goats
Two of my old faves from John Darnielle: "And the Chicago Cubs will beat every team in the league. And the Tampa Bay Bucs will make it all the way to January!"
The Mountain Goats - "Cubs in Five"
The Mountain Goats - "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton"

Destroyer
Woo-hoo! Dan Bejar from Vancouver! Woo-hoo!
Destroyer - "European Oils"
Destroyer - "Priest's Knees"

Art Brut
I could care less about Art Brut. I know, I know -- their live show is supposed to be spectacular. Well, it'll have to be to make up for the fact that I find their songs so boring. (Although they do get bonus points for David Gedge worship.)
Art Brut - "Emily Kane"
Art Brut - "Formed a Band"

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo, the new Paul Weller.
Ted Leo - "Me and Mia"
Ted Leo - "Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead"

The Futureheads
I don't know much about these guys. Did I miss the boat? I didn't know they were so influenced by late-'70s Brit punk. By this point in the day the audience's calves are gonna be sore from so much pogo-ing.
The Futureheads - "Help Us Out"
The Futureheads - "He Knows"

The Walkmen
God I love these guys. Hamilton Leithauser will be the best frontman in attendance. More organ!
The Walkmen - "Lost in Boston"
The Walkmen - "The Rat"

Headliner: Silver Jews
Odd choice for a headliner, but considering there will be about 15,000 people at the festival who have never seen David Berman before, I suppose it's a good choice. Let's hope he sticks to the rock, and cross our fingers that Stephen Malkmus makes an appearance.
Silver Jews - "Punks in the Beerlight"
Silver Jews - "Friday Night Fever"

Day 2 coming soon.

Vacationing near the 'Burgh

2006-07-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

Just got back from a five day getaway in southwestern Pee-ay with M. I won't bore you with all the details, but here's a quick recap of the highlights.

1) I've now seen three Frank Lloyd Wright homes in three weeks. I visited his "masterpiece", Falling Water, and one of his Usonian homes, Kentuck Knob, just a few miles away. Falling Water was spectacular, in so many ways. The below photo (top) showcases how it works with nature, but there's just as much of interest inside the home. Kentuck Knob (below, bottom), by comparison, was a snooze, although it did feature a circular kitchen with a nearly two-story tall ceiling. (If you've ever been to a FLW home, you know how strange that is.)

2) Later that day, we visited Ohiopyle State Park and took in some river rapids and Cucumber Falls. (Lots of falls for one day.) It was nice to actually visit the mountains after spending a lot of time in southwestern Pennsylvania ignoring them on previous trips.

3) Spent a day-plus in Pittsburgh, and took in my second Pirates game at PNC Park, which still gets my vote for best park in the majors (that I've visited, at least). Our seats were great, about even with the first base bag and around thirty rows in. I haven't had seats that good at a major league game for years. I told M before the game I felt good about my chances of catching a foul ball. Well, I underestimated myself. I had a play on two foul balls. The first came off the bat of Curtis Granderson. (He's on both of my fantasy baseball teams, so maybe he was rewarding me for being faithful.) Curtis hit a pop up that landed two rows directly behind me. It bounced off a guy's hand and I snagged it on the fly with my left hand. After taking a bow, I gave the ball back to the guy's kid, who was probably four at the oldest. Less than a minute later, the ball went whizzing by my head, landing about eight rows in front of me. Apparently, the kid wasn't too happy that his dad didn't catch it. Or something. I retrieved it and gave it back to the kid, and he managed to hold onto it the rest of the game.

A couple innings later, another of my fantasy players, Chris Shelton, hit a pop up directly above me, which landed in the second deck. I waited a beat, and sure enough, it dropped down from the deck. I reached across the aisle and got my right hand on the ball, but it hit my hand and dropped right into the lap of some dude who wasn't paying attention. He kept the ball. Oh well, 1-for-2 ain't too shabby. I wish I would have remembered to have M take a picture of me and the ball, but neither of us thought of the idea until it was too late. I did get a picture of this guy, however. Gotta love someone daring enough to wear a Craig Paquette jersey (autographed, no less!) to the ballpark.

There was no shortage of Tigers fans at the park, and Pirates fans were particularly interested in Detroit's first-base coach, one Andy Van Slyke. M's sister brought her vintage Van Slyke pennant to the park, along with the ball Andy tossed her when she was a kid. But Andy wasn't paying any attention to the crowd.

It's hard to root against these Tigers. Like the Pirates, they've been in the dumps much of the last decade. Unlike the Bucs, however, they've turned things around this year and currently find themselves with the best record in baseball. They've also got a couple ex-Cardinals (Van Slyke and current Tiger, Placido Polanco), a great group of young players, and one vicious bullpen (Todd Jones and his handlebar mustache aside). I was hoping for the game to be close enough in the 8th inning for Detroit to bring in ace set-up man Joel Zumaya. The Pirates did their part, rallying late in the game to force Jim Leyland's hand. Zumaya entered the game, pitched pretty well, but topped out at 99 mph on the gun. (He hit 101 on a pitch just two night's earlier.) Sadly, I'll have to wait a bit longer to see 100 in person. (Oddly enough, the last young gun to almost hit 100 for me, Matt Anderson, was a Tiger as well.)

4) After the game, I tried Ethiopian food for the first time. I gotta say, it wasn't bad. Although their bread, called injera, shares a similar texture to a sponge.

Coming up later this week: thoughts on Ben Wallace, a preview of the Pitchfork Fest, and some photos from our trip to see Central Illinois' Danville Dans.

Finally, an evening of "sports" worth watching

2006-06-29T09:05:00.000-05:00

The Cardinals ended their 8-game losing streak -- the team's longest since 1988 -- in rather Cardinal-like fashion: by the skin of their teeth. After the bullpen again coughed up the lead -- this time for Carpenter, who redeemed himself after a horrible previous start -- the Indians basically handed us the game in the bottom of the ninth. The following sequence of events gave us the "W": A two-base error on an infield pop-up that was dropped by the backup catcher, followed by a sacrifice bunt, a game-tying double, a ground out to advance the runner to third, and then an error on what should have been a game-ending groundout to short.

The latter error was unbelievable. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta's throw to first base one-hopped the first baseman, in this case everyday catcher Victor Martinez, who hasn't played but a few innings at first in his Major League career. An adequate first baseman digs that ball out, and the game is over. But Peralta's throw scooted past the bag into foul territory, and just like that the Cards were winners once again. As the team burst onto the field to congratulate itself on winning a game it didn't really deserve to win, Cardinals fans showered the field ... with seat cushions. It was a giveaway night, and as the rally mounted fans began slapping their complementary seat cushions together as if they were those annoying thunder stick thingamagigs. When Aaron Miles crossed home with the winning run, cushions were thrown up into the air in graduation cap style, with many landing on the field. It was that kind of a relief to finally win a game.

Every flaw the Cardinals have -- and there are plenty -- was exquisitely showcased in this 8-game trouncing at the hands of the American League, clearly the better league. Weak pen. Check. Inability to strike batters out. Check. Tendency to give up the gopher ball. Check. Lack of ability to hit the gopher ball. Check. No timely hitting. Check. A threadbare rotation. Check.

The sad fact is, there isn't likely to be much help on the horizon. We don't have the assets to fix both the rotation, pen, and lineup. And what assets we have -- namely young studs Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright -- to fix one of those areas is not going to be traded. So, we're kinda floating aimlessly up shit creek, left to stare at our warts for the rest of the season. Once the postseason begins, it's anyone's guess. The NL is evenly matched across the top of each division, with the Mets possibly having a slight edge over the competition. Maybe the Cards make it to the World Series. But even if they do, I expect them to get their asses handed to them by whichever superior AL team survives what will surely be a thrilling two rounds of AL playoffs. It should be a repeat of the '04 Series, in which the Sox handed the Cards their hats with a steaming pile of poo inside. Fuck. I thought I was going to be optimistic this season, too. But that was before this 8-game skid. Maybe I just need to find a seat cushion to toss into the air?

In addition to the thrilling ending of the Cards game last night, the NBA draft went down. I'm a sucker for the draft, even though I don't really much care for the NBA as a whole. (I love playing fantasy basketball, but I'm not the sort who watches a lot of NBA games.) I do love NCAA ball, though, and that's probably why I'm always so interested in the draft. I want to see where the kids I watched all season long end up going in the draft.

To that end, the NBA draft is often a frustrating experience, seeing as how so much weight is placed upon "potential". Take a kid like LSU's Ty Thomas, who went fourth in the draft (to the Bulls via the Trailblazers). He was a redshirt freshman this season, and didn't even begin the year in LSU's starting 5. However, he was a big reason why LSU made it to the Final Four, and since he has freakish athleticism, he gets tagged as a "project" who will someday be the sort of player who can disrupt on defense and give you some high-flying dunks on offense. Taken right after him -- and widely criticized for being taken so high -- was Duke's senior power forward Shelden Williams. The Landlord is the only Duke player in the Coach K reign to average a double-double for his career. He's played against the NCAA's stiffest competition for four seasons. Yet, according to experts, he's a little undersized to play the 4 in the pros and isn't blessed with amazing hops. Translation: he's seen as a typical workman who will adequately fill a role, but doesn't have much potential to become an elite player -- despite being one for four years in college.

Now, I understand -- and to some degree agree -- with that assessment. However, that doesn't change the fact that I think the NBA places way too much stock in "potential". As has begun to happen with baseball, at some point shouldn't a scout pay as much attention to past success and statistical evidence as "tools" like vertical jump, standing reach, etc.? Shouldn't the fact that Williams found a way to be a consistent elite player in college basketball's toughest league be worth more than Thomas' brief, albeit bright, success in the NCAA Tourney? I'm all for potential and recognizing players who can still develop, but I'd choose to find that potential in player's who have proven their worth time and time again, instead of in players who simply carried their teams for two-week stretches. Thomas may turn out to be a success due to his athletic gifts and desire, but to me that doesn't mean that he has more potential than, say, Williams. If Williams continues to play at the same level in the pros, he's likely a 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks a night kinda guy. And while that's not All Star material, it's consistent production that most teams would surely bend over backward to get. Teams spend so much time searching for a star that they often miss the sure-things, and end up with a dud.

I'm even more baffled by the overseas players who are selected. Sure, these kids play in an NCAA-like environment in their European leagues. But they are being drafted after accumulating little-to-no playing experience. The Blazers took a 7-foot British kid who has only been playing competitive ball for one year. One. I know you can't teach height, but it doesn't seem reasonable to me that the Blazers would choose to bank on this kid's development rather than take an experienced, polished player like, oh, Michigan State's Paul Davis, who went four picks later in the second round. One would think that's especially true when considering that the kid will be kept in Europe for at least a couple years of "seasoning", playing for a coach who will not necessarily be teaching this kid how to improve -- or giving him the game minutes to do so.

NCAA success does not translate to high draft picks. Just look at the second round of the draft, which is littered with college kids who starred for their respective programs: Davis, Dee Brown, Craig Smith, Daniel Gibson, Leon Powe, Guillermo Diaz, Will Blalock, and on and on. These kids are all flawed, for certain. Dee Brown is too short; his shot is inconsistent. But I guarantee he's a ten-times better baller than Joel Freeland, the 7-foot limey. Just look at what he acheived in college ball, winning well over 100 games for two different coaches and playing for a championship-caliber team. Now I've said on multiple occasions that I think Dee Brown will have a hard time sticking in the NBA, but I would still draft him before I'd take a British kid who's spent more time bagging groceries over the past few years than ballin'.

By the way, the Jazz were very smart to draft Dee Brown. He'll make their roster -- he's just got that sort of fortitude and determination. But even if he doesn't pan out this year and is released after the season, he'll still have aided the Jazz in the long run by providing their top point guard, former Brown teammate Deron Williams, with a best bud to hang out with. He'll help Williams continue his transition to the NBA on a personal level, and will probably challenge Williams on the practice court -- just as he did throughout their college tenure together.

As for my Bulls, the verdict is out on Ty Thomas. To me, he looks like the second-coming of Tyson Chandler, minus a few inches. He's got a bit more offensive upside, which is good, but I'm not convinced he'll end up being any more valuable. Their other first-round pick went to a 22 year-old from Switzerland. (No, I'm not making that up.) Thabo Sefolosha, who was born in South Africa, is a lanky, tall 2 guard. Much like Thomas, he's made his reputation on the defensive end of the court. Not a bad gamble, but again, we could have had Rodney Carney (a better athlete and scorer), Ronnie Brewer (again, a better athlete), or Shannon Brown (ditto Carney). Time will tell, as always.

Mix #1: Drugs to Take Summer to

2006-06-28T08:13:00.000-05:00

Here's my first attempt at a mix for mass consumption. This goes best with warm weather, late nights, and as the title suggests, an altered state of mind. Enjoy. (But be warned, it's a large file. It'll take about three minutes to download using a cable modem. But it's worth it!)

Drugs to Take Summer to

Track list:
00:00 Funkadelic - "Maggot Brain"
05:10 Brightblack Morning Light - "Everybody Daylight"
10:58 My Morning Jacket - "Sooner"
14:30 The Action - "Brain"
17:23 Dungen - "Sjutton"
20:07 The Congos - "Can't Come In"
25:51 Charles Mingus - "Moanin'"
33:46 TV on the Radio - "Staring at the Sun"
38:34 Brian Eno - "Golden Hours"

I'll be on vacation for several days. See you next week sometime.

Madison, I think I love you

2006-06-25T12:33:00.000-05:00

So last weekend M and I went roadtrippin' with four of our friends -- Amys 1 and 2, DF, and Chris -- to Madison, Wisconsin. As promised, here's a long, photo-heavy post about the coolest "small city" in the Midwest. (Thanks to Amy2 for lending some of her photos.)

After settling into our Red Roof on the outskirts of town on Friday afternoon and dusting off a couple adult beverages, we took up a recommendation to drink beer on Lake Mendota, one of two large lakes that surround Madison. Drinking on a large body of water was nothing new for me. But this opportunity was unique, and not just because I live in landlocked Champaign-Urbana. You see, we were going to drink beer at the University of Wisconsin students' union, which overlooks the lake.

The union features a huge outdoor seating area which serves a variety of good beer -- some local/regional. Turns out, they've been doing so since 1933, making this union the first of its kind. The atmosphere was refreshing, and not just because of the abundance of water and warmth. The union was a destination for old folks and young folks alike, a place for the community at large to gather; try saying that about any particular portion of the UI campus. M and I enjoyed our New Glarus Spotted Cow.

It was at the union that we unearthed "kilt man", who was preparing to send some people out on the lake in canoes. In his free time, he drew attention to himself, as pictured to the right. DF spotted him the following day as well, still sporting the kilt. Every campus has their own version of kilt man.

After the union, we headed back to State St., which if you've never been to Madison is essentially the main campus thoroughfare where one finds retail, bars, restaurants, etc. State St. was under construction, so it was a bit of a bitch to traverse through it at certain intersections. But nonetheless, the amount of retail and nightlife was impressive, especially compared to our campus. We had chosen an Afghan restaurant for dinner based on another recommendation, and it didn't disappoint. We ordered a variety of appetizers, and my chicken and lamb kebab was delicious. (The Turkish pilsner was even good.) We skipped to a rooftop bar after dinner before heading back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, as we had an early start planned for Saturday. On the way home, we missed our turn off, drove out of town a couple miles, and by pure chance ended up at Hoepker Road. My namesake. There's a few Hoepkers living in Madison, some of which took up residence on Hoepker Rd. As we were a little bit lost at this point in the evening, we decided to take Hoepker Rd. as far as it would go. Luckily, it led us back to our hotel, in a roundabout fashion. Thanks Hoepkers of Madison for looking out for us!

On Saturday morning, we left for Madison's "legendary" Farmer's Market, which borders the capital building. Despite some frustrating foot traffic concerns at the market (everyone moves in the same direction, and the aisle is narrow), it turned out to be a fun way to kick off the day. The amount of pastries for sale was astounding -- from donuts as big as my head to tasty scones -- and, of course, there was plenty of cheese. M, DF, and Amy1 even stumbled upon the rare, coveted Black Krim tomato plant, which was snatched up for their garden.

After our hour-long trek around the capital was complete, we piled back into the rental mini van and headed West, for the centerpiece of our trip to Wisconsin: Taliesin and the House on the Rock. Taliesin -- the longtime home and office of architect Frank Lloyd Wright -- sits on a pastoral hill overlooking a small lake, just a few miles outside Spring Green, Wisconsin (see picture at left). The large home is fairly typical of Wright's organic designs, and I don't want to bore you with all the details. I'd rather bitch about the tour, which we dropped 50 bones on. (No shit.) Once you get beyond a $16 tour -- which doesn't show you Taliesin itself -- every tour offered is about $50 and up. For $50, one would expect to see a lot of the home itself. But all the information in the tour pamphlets was rather vague, it turns out, because you can only view about six rooms in the home. A good deal of the home is not viewable, because it's occupied, by whom we never really found out.

Anyway, I was fine dropping that kind of money on the tour -- before the tour. Afterward, I had mixed feelings. Our tour began with a somewhat thorough look at one of the other buildings on the Taliesin property, the school house, office, students quarters, and theater -- all housed in a huge L-shaped building.

As with most any Wright building, the building looks drastically different depending on the perspective you're viewing it from. A look from the West or the South would provide an utterly unique perspective. The offices were added on to house the architecture students who studied under Wright beginning during the Great Depression. The students lived on the grounds, often doing far more than simply studying, including farming, construction, and other manual labor. In the winter, when temperatures dropped, the students and the Wright family moved to Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This secondary building, like much of the Taliesin estate, is in less than ideal condition. To put it simply, it was easy to see that my $50 was going toward upkeep of the very building I was touring. But that said, it was not without its charms, like this tree, that grew into the house with age. (Instead of chopping down the tree, the nature-minded Wright simply trimmed the roof to accommodate it.)

Taliesin itself was a bit more awe-inspiring, as evidenced by the massive stone staircase that eventually led to the home's entryway. It's hard to tell by the following photograph, but the stairs, which seem to naturally sprout up from the earth, lead up to landing, turn at a 90-degree angle to the left up to another landing, turn another 90-degrees to the right and lead to a final landing. On that landing, you can go straight into a garden, turn to the left to go to another portion of the house that houses (amongst other things) a small kitchen, or turn right to enter the main portion of the house. The point: the staircase is spectacular, but the home's actual entrance is hidden, an architectural detail that is in stark contrast to most home construction (but one that Wright adhered to in many of his homes).

Once inside the home, where we couldn't take photographs (a sad fact considering the tour's $50 price tag; on expensive tours of other Wright homes, you can sometimes do so), we were asked to place little booties over our shoes, which made the home's stone floors sorta slippery. The main (I suppose "living") room in Wright's Taliesin is widely considered one of the most compelling interior designs in architectural history, and this older photograph just doesn't do it justice. To the photographer's back in that photo are wall-to-wall windows that showcase the view outside. It's that view that in part demonstrates the genius in Wright's design. Anyway, the room was as impressive as advertised. Something you just have to experience in person, I suppose.

In addition to the living room, there were a few other aspects of the home's interior worth mentioning. First, this portion of the home features but one interior staircase. Again, unlike other architects of his time (or any time, for that matter), Wright chose to not make the staircase a focal point. In Taliesin, it was a narrow, plain, stone staircase hidden behind a drapery. Second, there was a lovely "bird walk", essentially a 30-foot long terrace extending straight off the side of the home. It was designed for Wright's wife to be able to walk among the tree tops, amongst the birds and nature. Finally, the master bedroom, a small room (Wright thought bedrooms were for sleeping, and nothing else), included a raised platform (a sort of miniature balcony) above the bed. The platform was only accessible through a tiny door in the wall above it, no bigger than the doors on a cupboard. The door led to an upstairs hallway, and Wright's children would enter through the tiny door to gain access to the platform, where they could visit with their parents and put on puppet shows. Truly, an odd, compelling piece of design.

It was disappointing to not be able to view more rooms in the home, which snakes through the hillside like a creek. The grounds outside were gorgeous, though, featuring gardens, small wading pools, fountains, and the like. Here's a few photos.

From Taliesin, we headed down the road a few miles to the House on the Rock, which featured fifty times the guests. That says more about the visitors than it does the attraction, unfortunately. The House on the Rock was designed by a man who was rejected by Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture school, and later built by his son. The house is built on a rocky bluff overlooking a valley. But the house itself, which was never actually lived in, is only a small part of the attraction. It's essentially a grouping of rooms -- most unlivable by normal standards -- that wind around in an almost maze-like fashion. In each room, two things can surely be found: 1) deep red carpet, which is everywhere, from the floors to the walls to the ceilings; and 2) lots of "sofa benches," cushions lining wooden benches.

Then there's the "Infinity Room", which juts out of the house as if Mother Nature had rammed a giant glass hallway into the side of the bluff. It continues on for over 218 feet, unsupported by anything. Once inside, it gives you the appearance of a room that continues on indefinitely, although you can only walk out a certain distance, admittedly farther than most feel comfortable going. At the stopping point, there's a window in the floor which lets you know just how high up you are. Here's a good shot of the Infinity Room from the inside.

The house itself -- which from the outside appears to have an Asian influence, completely lacking on the inside -- is hardly more than a starting point for the "museum" aspect of the House on the Rock. Each room in the home contains a hint of the collection of oddities that lie beyond the house in large buildings that are navigated to via outdoor ramps, some thirty or more feet in the air.

I hadn't visited House on the Rock since I was a kid. I was curious to see whether or not the bizarre images I had stored in my memory were accurate, or merely warped by time. They were, to a T, dead on. We opted to tour two-thirds of the huge House, at a cost of $22. It was money well spent. I can't fully explain the collections that exist here, or why Alex Jordan, the man who built the House, ever began collecting such things. Suffice it to say, they are without a doubt the strangest collections of antiques and artifacts I'll ever stumble upon, especially when taken as a whole. Things you will see include, but are not limited to: a 200-foot sea creature; what has to be one of the world's largest collections of doll houses; animated, automated music machines and gigantic pipe organs, including the world's only mechanically-operated symphony orchestra; a 35-ton, 35-feet tall carousel that you can not ride, which features mythical creatures and exotic animals, but no horses (instead, carousel horses line the walls of the room in a fashion that eerily resembles taxidermy); a collection of miniature, built-to-scale circus models; ancient weapons galore; crown jewel replicas; and model airplanes. As weird as the items are in and of themselves, it's the presentation that's truly bizarre. It's a collage affect that seems completely nonsensical, which only adds to the jarring affect. It's overwhelming, to say the least. Here's a couple photos that truly do not do the place an ounce of justice. (Although the second photo, a close up of one of the carousels, hits the nail on the head.)

Okay, so what does one do after viewing the House on the Rock? Per DF's suggestion, we headed through the Wisconsin countryside to find the Forevertron. Dr. Evermor, a welder/sculptor with a connection to the House on the Rock, has amassed a collection of sculptures which amounts to one of the country's oddest roadside attractions. For free, you can tour his own personal museum, nestled right next to a scrap heap. What, oh what, is the Forevertron? Feast your eyes on this, the world's largest (there was a lot of "world's largest" during our day) metal sculpture.

Chris was brave enough to speak to Dr. Evermore, who was hanging out in a lawn chair by his lonesome. Turns out, he believes the Forevertron will one day transport him to outer space. (Keep in mind, he's not making any money off this museum, so why just make shit up?) He began building the sculpture in 1983, following his early retirement from the large-scale wrecking and salvage business. To compliment the massive sculpture, there were plenty of smaller metal sculptures, including many ostrich-like birds, of which there were probably 30-40, some standing as tall as eight feet. They were a little intimidating, to be honest.

Music plays a big part of Dr. Evermor's world as well. Each of the birds incorporated a musical instrument, be it french horn, clarinet, trumpet, or tuba. Then there was the massive, three-story tall violin.

Sadly, we had but 15 minutes to spend at The Land of Evermor, as it was closing time at 5 p.m. So we drove back to Madison. That evening, we enjoyed dinner at the Great Dane Brew Pub, then wandered the streets in search of a bar. We ended up at Genna's, which for you C-U folks was a lot like Mike & Molly's, only with a bit more effort expended to spruce up the place. After a few beers of the regional variety, we called it a night.

On Sunday, we had a delicious brunch at Sunroom, and on our way out of town stopped by Ella's Deli and Ice Cream Parlor. As it turned out, Ella's was the perfect conclusion to a trip full of sights out of the ordinary. We each enjoyed some hand-dipped ice cream (I had a turtle sundae, but DF and Amy1 braved the grilled homemade pound cake sundae), while the restaurant's House-on-the-Rock-ish collection of animated displays whizzed, twirled, and teetered above. (A soaring Mighty Mouse trekked above our heads.) Post dessert, we jumped at the chance to go for a ride on a carousel, finally.

The trip home was so mundane by comparison, even with a tornado warning in effect for part of the drive. All in all, Madison was plenty of things that Champaign-Urbana will probably never be. It had the feel of a big city in certain ways, but the humbleness of a small one. The breadth of retail and restaurants should be a model C-U aspires toward. (At least three independent record stores is a hell of a start!) Also of note was how effectively Madison seemed to bridge the gap between campus and community. Part of that is simple geography, as the campus is walking-distance close to the capitol (and what I presume they would call "downtown"). But that doesn't entirely account for a sense of oneness that is sorely lacking from Champaign, Urbana, and the UI campus.

Of course, the landscape, with hills and water, was pleasing on the eyes, too. And we'll never be able to overcome such a deficiency here. Also, the extra population -- Madison is roughly twice the size of C-U -- and employment opportunities doesn't hurt Madison's cause, either. But still, we shouldn't focus on the excuses for why we're not in the same league; the town was a model that I feel we could achieve with some dedication. It takes getting the campus and the community on the same page, for starters. And we're a long way from that happening.

In the meantime, it's nice to know that a town so lovely is just a four-hour drive away.

Why focus on the negative?

2006-06-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

When you have such a surprising positive to celebrate. I was going to write about the Cardinals implosion against an obviously superior ball club, the Chicago White Sox, in interleague play. Surrendering 33 runs in two games was a gut check I sure wasn't ready for, even knowing that our four-fifths of our starting rotation was suspect at best. Since 1957 -- which is just a random date that happens to be the extent of Retrosheet's searchable database for box scores -- no Cardinal duo of starting pitchers has surrendered more runs in back-to-back games than the 22 given up by Mulder and Marquis.

But instead of focusing on a sky-is-falling attitude, I spent yesterday channeling all the positive energy I had to last night's starting pitcher, 24 year-old Anthony Reyes. I begged M to stay home (she had plans) and watch the game with me, and even convinced my fellow Cardinal coworker to think positive thoughts all day long. Now, I'm not saying that I had anything to do with the kid throwing a one-hitter against the Sox (and still losing -- damn Jim Thome!), but I will say this:

St. Louis, meet this season's savior.

We aren't going to get a better player via trade (we don't have the resources, and best not be thinking about surrendering our newfound savior in a trade), so we better all just jump on the Anthony Reyes bandwagon and enjoy the ride. This means YOU, Tony La Russa.

(P.S. Some guy named Pujols returned to the lineup last night after sitting out just 15 games. He's a bum, though. He went 0-for-4.)

My kinda game show

2006-06-22T08:27:00.000-05:00

Pitchfork reports:

...The Showbox club will host "Iron Composer #13", a raucous comedic and musical competition featuring "Saturday Night Live" comedian (and former Trenchmouth member) Fred Armisen taking on Martin Crandell and David Hernandez of the Shins in a battle of extreme absurdity.

According to a press release, during the "Iron Chef"-inspired game show, Armisen and the Shins "must compose a song in 45 minutes based on a random interview with an audience member, while being distracted and confused by the outlandish characters behind Iron Composer, the audience, five ‘Mystery Turmoils', and consuming five mandatory shots of vodka in 45 minutes." The competition will be judged by comedians Cross, Todd Barry, and Jon Benjamin.

The Game Show Network is turning the concept into a TV series. Hopefully, they'll stick to "cool" indie bands instead of, say, Metallica. Actually, Metallica may be cool in this setting, too.

Summertime blues

2006-06-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

I've neglected the blog as of late, and when assigning fault I choose work. It's been a busy month, as is true each and every summer. While my friends -- many of whom are in grad school or teachers -- enjoy their summer on their own schedule, work becomes a big headache for me. The summer months are deadline months for our fall titles, which means I work my ass off from April through August, with emphasis on June and July. To complicate matters worse, I was assigned to work on the Dallas Mavericks championship book, which as you know today is no longer happening since the Mavs lost to the Heat in the Finals. But that book not only disrupts my regular schedule, as it takes priority over everything else I'm currently working on under deadline, it also disrupts my non-work, evening schedule. Why? Well, I have to actually watch the NBA games, so I have a clue as to what to do with the book the following day.

I don't normally watch many NBA games throughout the season. When it comes to basketball, I'd much rather watch college games, and when baseball starts up in April, I'd much rather give my evenings over to the Cardinals than the NBA. (Sorry, Chicago Bulls.) This year the NBA playoffs were actually exciting, although I partially agree with M when she says you can watch the last five minutes of any NBA game and just skip the drama-less 43 minutes prior. While the playoffs as a whole were fun to watch, the NBA Finals were a let down. Sure, three of the six games were nailbiters, including Game 6. But for some reason, the matchup just wasn't that compelling. I'm a Mavs guy, partially because I like tall, dorky-looking, blonde-haired German men who shoot ugly -- albeit unblockable and often deadly -- jump shots. The Mavs were just a far more interesting team than the Heat, a collection of aging former All Stars and perceived selfish players coached by a guy I can't stand. By comparison, the Mavs feature a younger, less defined group of guys, and a rookie coach who has reshaped the team in his image (or at least attempted to). I suppose it's easy to root against the Heat and Shaq, and so maybe that should have made for a more compelling series from my point of view. But I just couldn't muster much energy in that regard. (Although I do know now what it must have felt like for anyone forced to root for a team playing against MJ in the playoffs. D-Wade is a phenomenal talent.)

My main reason for rooting for the Mavs wasn't the fact that they, like the Heat, had never won an NBA Championship. Nor was it the fact that one of the first books I edited here was on the Mavs, so they hold a sentimental spot in my memory. It was their diminutive coach Avery Johnson, whom I liked as a player. You see, it's been over 20 years since a black coach won an NBA Championship. Sad, but true. It was 1985 when KC Jones won the title with one of the best teams ever assembled, the Celtics of McHale, Parrish, Bird, Ainge, DJ, and Walton. It was KC's second title in three years. I still think Avery Johnson will get his title eventually. He's just too good of a coach, and as long as he sticks with Cuban, he'll likely have the players necessary to make a run at the championship.

But enough about basketball. (Well, almost. I just want to mention that I'm thankful that Game 6 was on last night, so that I could choose not to suffer through the Cardinals 20-6 loss to the White Sox. Man, what a fucking ugly game that was.) It's time to appease the readers of my blog who speed read through my sports posts. (You know who you are.) I'm going to post on my trip to Madison, but I'm not ready just yet. Instead, I'll update you on some good news. But first, the bad news: Younger Than Yesterday, my radio show, isn't long for this world. But don't fret, as I intend to keep up a twice-a-month schedule from the comfort of my home. I took the old two-channel mixer for a test drive this week, and I'm happy to report that it appears I'll soon be able to post DJ sets in mp3 form on the blog. To keep things interesting, I welcome any themes that people would like to see me explore in an hour-long set.

It's 90 degrees outside today, although it feels muggy and oppressive. I'm planning on going for a run after work, and I'm anxious to see how I hold up in the heat. Luckily, my 1.8 mile route includes a lot of shade. I skipped softball this week (another loss for the Sluggers) in favor of recovering from a long weekend, so this will be my first exercise of the week. Prior to this lapse, I had been doing a good job of keeping up on my every-other-day schedule of running. I hope to get a basketball game going this weekend as well, plus a nice, long bike ride. I'm a far cry from the conditioned state I need to be in to make my summer-end goal of a 25-mile bike ride. But hopefully I can get back into the swing of things. The problem is that my weekends have been so busy as of late, and weekends are the ideal time for biking. I guess I'll just have to force myself to make time.

Roadtrippin'

2006-06-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

More to come on my fun weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, later in the week after photos become available. But in the meantime, here's a little teaser.

For real.

The absolute worst baseball uniforms of all time: Part 1, 1900-1949

2006-06-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

Humor me. I know I'm probably taking things a bit too far by breaking down my analysis of baseball uniforms into a four-part post. Sure, two parts could probably suffice. But after I looked through the first 50 years of baseball uniforms, I found the process of trimming possibilities too difficult. Plus, comparing uniforms from the 1920s to uniforms from the 1980s is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. With that in mind, I'll keep uniform eras grouped together in a rough sense. To begin, let's look at the worst uniforms from baseball's younger years.

No. 10 (tie)
1929 Boston Braves (56-98; last in NL)
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates (103-36; won NL pennant)

The Braves weren't the first team to try their logo on the back of the jersey; they actually ripped that idea off of the '28 Tigers. It looks ridiculous, which is probably the reason why the Tigers got rid of it in '29. Coupling the chief logo between the shoulder blades with the mustard and ketchup coloring is a recipe for disaster. A disaster is exactly what the Braves were on the field under skipper Judge Fuchs, who lasted just one season at the helm despite the colorful uniforms and his colorful name.

The striped undershirt sleeves on the 1902 Pirates uniform has a bit of a Kurt Cobain feel to it. The Pirates of this era were quite good, winning three straight NL pennants before the World Series had been thought up. Led by a dazzling outfield -- Ginger Beaumont, player-manager Fred Clarke, and Honus Wagner -- and Hall of Fame hurler Jack Chesbro (who once won 41 games in a season), Pittsburgh ran away with the NL by 27.5 games.

No. 9
1942 Chicago Cubs (68-86; 6th in NL)

After winning the '38 NL pennant with just 89 wins, the Cubs were swept in the World Series by the Yankees, and then endured a string of mediocre to poor finishes interrupted by their '45 Series loss to the Tigers in seven games. The '42 team was a fairly weak-hitting bunch devoid of much star power, save for outfielder Bill Nicholson and starting pitcher Claude Passeau. I don't know what star would want to play for the Cubbies when they had to wear this uniform on the road. A precursor to the baby-blue unis of the Swingin' Seventies, this uni debuted in '41 and lasted just through the '42 season. Note the patriotic patch above the logo. Most teams added the patch to the sleeve, but the Cubs jersey was sleeveless.

No. 8
1904 Chicago Cubs (93-60; 2nd in NL)

If ever there was a time when a Cubs team wanted to be known, it was the nineteen-oughts and early teens. Too bad their 1904 uniform didn't feature their name or logo anywhere, a concept that actually appealed to a few other teams in the olden days as well. The Cubs were a force at this time, winning a pair of World Series titles and regularly topping 90 wins. Led by a pair of Hall of Famers, first baseman Frank Chance and hurler Three Finger Mordecai Brown, Chicago finished second in the NL to the unstoppable New York Giants, who won 106 games under John McGraw.

No. 7
1911 Chicago White Sox (77-74; 4th in AL)

Possibly, the 1911 White Sox just wanted to fit in with their fans. At this time, crowds at baseball games often dressed up as if it was a Sunday morning. But the necktie look just doesn't do much for me, especially on such a plain uni. Brooklyn actually was the first to use the down-the-buttons logo in 1910, so the Sox can't take credit for a bad idea. But Brooklyn didn't utilize a stripe of color down the buttons like the Sox, so their design didn't make the team name appear to be printed on a tie. Both the Sox and the Dodgers abandoned the design in 1912.

No. 6
1925 Chicago White Sox (79-75; 5th in AL)

The 1920s were a miserable decade for the White Sox (but for that matter, so were the '30s and '40s). After the Black Sox scandal of 1919, the 1920 squad won 96 games and finished second. But following that season Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball, and the team went South in the standings. This ill-fated uniform choice for their road games -- which has a distinct train conductor look to it (or possibly prison inmate?) -- was the most black the White Sox donned for decades. A little tough on the eyes, wouldn't you agree?

No. 5
1931 Chicago Cubs (84-70; third in the NL)

By now you may be sensing a Chicago theme to the list, but alas the Chicago baseball clubs had some poor fashion sense it seems. In the case of the '31 Cubs, it's not so much that their uniforms were ugly, rather they were suffering from split-personality disorder. Four uniforms -- each with a different logo -- makes for poor branding, but I suppose great jersey sales? Led by player-manager Rogers Hornsby, who replaced Joe McCarthy as skipper at the very end of the 1930 season, these Cubs featured a potent, league-best offense that included catcher Gabby Hartnett, outfielder Kiki Cuyler, and slugger Hack Wilson. After posting his still-record 191 RBI season in '30, Wilson was a complete bust in '31, having one of the worst declines in production in the history of the game (possibly the bottle let him down). From '30 to '31, Hack's OPS dropped 380 points. No matter, the '31 Cubs were no match for Gabby Street's Cardinals, who won the Series that year.

No. 4
1918 Chicago Cubs (84-45; won NL pennant)

Oh, stop picking on the Cubs already! Okay, I promise this is the last one ... at least for the first part of this series. I don't know what the worst aspect of this uniform is: 1) the slightly pink hue; or 2) the "C" in the logo, which looks as if it was designed by an elementary school kid (no knock on kids, just the Cubs). Only two things of note concerning the '18 Cubs: First, they lost to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox in the World Series; and second, they featured a pitcher with one of the best names in the history of baseball -- Hippo Vaughn.

No. 3
1906 St. Louis Browns (76-73; 5th in NL)

Ah, the Browns. It's hard to hate them. They were truly baseball's first lovable losers. In '06, they wore this bland -- yet somehow ugly -- uni at home. It resembles the outline of a sewing pattern that might have been used to make an actual uniform. It's as if the wardrobe manufacturer forgot to fill in the lines with color. Truly a gross uniform. The Browns only claim to fame from this season -- other than boasting a pitcher, Barney Pelty, who went by the nickname The Yiddish Curver -- is that a young catcher by the name of Branch Rickey debuted for the team, hitting .284 at the plate.

No. 2
1915 Kansas City Packers (81-72; 4th in Federal League)

The Federal League was the last serious attempt to establish a third league to compete with the National and American leagues. After its debut season as a "major league" in 1914, the FL slapped an anti-trust lawsuit on the AL and NL. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis -- who just six years later would become baseball's first commissioner, but at the time was still an actual judge -- urged the two sides to negotiate and delayed a ruling. In the meantime, the FL couldn't support itself due to poor funding and went belly up following the 1915 season. Several of the Federal League team owners were allowed to purchase stakes in NL or AL clubs, allowing their FL rosters to merge with established but struggling franchises. The KC Packers weren't so lucky, however. They went bankrupt following the 1915 season, and were finished. Also of note, the 1915 FL season featured one of the tightest pennant races in baseball's history. The Chicago Whales won the league by a single percentage point over the St. Louis Terriers. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Rebels had to settle for third place, just a half-game in back of St. Louie. As for the Packers, they finished 5.5 games back in these tough-on-the-eyes unis. The team name is so hard to read on the jersey that it reminds me of a stereogram, those odd flash cards used by eye doctors.

No. 1
1916 New York Giants (86-66; 4th in NL)

I'm shocked that John McGraw's boys didn't stage a player revolt after getting a look at their new uniforms in 1916. It's no surprise they improved by 12 games to win the NL pennant the following year, after these unis were tossed in the dumpster. I imagine the Giants commissioning a hip NYC fashionista to take a crack at a uniform overhaul. Flash forward to spring training, and "Laughing Larry" Doyle, the team's second basemen, is standing in front of his teammates in his new uniform. They're all laughing at him. Doyle spits out some tobaccy and says, "The hell if I'ma gonna wear this." Indeed.

I don't recall my feet hurting me...

2006-06-12T21:52:00.000-05:00

...when I ran cross country in high school. What the hell is it about athletic activity nowadays that causes my feet to hurt? I don't mean blisters or anything of that sort -- I mean that the muscles in my feet ache. I just played a fairly carefree hour-long softball game, and my feet are sore. Ugh. The Sluggers are now 0-for-the-season (0-7 I think) and in the four games I've played in, I'm still hitting .500 after going 1-2 tonight. The upside: I knocked in a run, my first RBI of the year. The downside: it was our team's only run. The deep downside: We lost 20-1. In the bottom of the third we came to the plate down 20-0. Two outs later, we had runners on 1st and 3rd with the game on the line. Make another out without scoring, and we lose by the 20-run rule (yes, there is such a thing). It was my turn at the plate, and I lofted a line drive hit to center to score the run and keep the game alive for another inning. Oddly enough, we almost recorded a 1-2-3 inning the next frame, easily our best effort of the night on the defensive end. I guess we needed the pressure of having our backs to the wall, er, nevermind. It's a sad day for the Sluggers when I can say that on two occasions I've scored our lone run, and on another I collected our lone RBI.

In other athletic news, Game 2 of this summer's mini-golf season went to ... me! I can't really brag, since I edged M out by a single stroke. Still, I'll take my wins any way I can get them. We went bowling the same night -- the first time in several months for either of us -- and we each took a game. Game 1: me-156 (with 4 strikes); M-111. Game 2: me-131 (with 4 strikes again); M-142. M is good at picking up spares, which is more than I can say for myself. If they don't all fall the first time, it's not likely I'm going to pick up the spare.

Weekend at the 'rents

2006-06-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

My mom was just involved in a car wreck. Some dude in a one-ton truck (with no insurance) slammed into the rear of her car while she was waiting to pull into the driveway. She was stationary, and he was going 60 mph. Luckily she was okay, but the car was totaled. So I drove my parents to pick up their insurance check, and then took them car shopping. As is typical for my parents, they bought the exact same car -- different color, year newer, but otherwise exactly the same. My parents are in their early seventies, so anytime death takes a whiff of them, I get sorta creeped out and insecure about just about everything. Mostly I fixate on the fact that I haven't made much of an effort in my life to get to know the 'rents. Hell, I'm only a few years removed from the rebellion stage.

But I realize time is of the essence, so I took the cue upon hearing of my mom's accident to skip out on the final day-and-a-half of the work week and head home to spend time with them. I actually had a good time, which was, yes, a surprise. Between my mom's horrible hearing (I said BETWEEN MY MOM'S HORRIBLE HEARING) and my dad's complete ignorance about the internet (I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with AOL, and then explained to my dad for the fifth time in the past six months how to use his Yahoo e-mail account), one would think that I may have been a bit, uh, frustrated. But I'm actually growing to enjoy my parents' quirks, which makes spending time with them more enticing. In an odd way, I feel like I have a leveling affect on them, as if I'm providing some perspective for them that's sadly lacking from their day-to-day life. Or maybe that's just what I'm telling myself after cooking four-cheese tortellini with vodka sauce for them, and having my dad ask in classic Wendy's commerical form, "Where's the meat?"

To change subjects, the radio show has turned into a bit of a drag. I'm just not enjoying it all that much. A lot of peeps want to hear the show but can't because they don't live in town. (Okay, that's actually more like five people, but they're important people!) And since there's no longer a Web stream, and there's no easy way to record the show in studio, I have no way of archiving the show for them. On top of that, there's plenty to dislike about the station's membership and its chosen model of decision-making. So I've been thinking about just recording at home. I've got the means to do hour-long shows that I could burn to disc and save as mp3s, and in doing so I could do shows on my own schedule, have an archive of each (a big deal for me), and be able to share with my friends who aren't within earshot. The idea is growing on me. Just think! With a few spare days, I could teach my dad how to download each radio show to his desktop, and soon he and mom could be rockin' to the oldies!

Music, beer, grillin', chillin'

2006-06-07T11:14:00.000-05:00

My streak of cookouts/potlucks ended last night at three. After spending Saturday night at Jon's enjoying some tasty edamame salad and listening to records on his patio, and Sunday night at Amy and Chris' smoking cigars and enjoying an Italian potluck prior to The Sopranos, I headed to Jonathan's on Monday for pork & beans and a screening of the new Townes Van Zandt documentary Be Here to Love Me. As far as documentaries go, I thought it was excellent, as it culled together some interesting, I'm sure never-seen-before footage and some compelling interviews. While the film ends on a downer, it also does a commendable job of showcasing Townes' unique humor and wit, which often is lost when listening to his pensive songs or discussing his tragic death.

Anyway, I've already blogged exhaustively about another documentary related to Townes, Heartworn Highways. (Many thanks to Zac for turning me on to it.) Be Here to Love Me borrows a small amount of footage and some outtakes from that film, including a brief segment of the following performance of "Waiting Around to Die". But the new documentary also sheds light on the song's origins. Turns out Townes wrote "Waiting Around to Die" shortly after marrying his first wife, who of course found the song's subject matter a bit perplexing considering that they had just married, and Townes was in his early 20s. Three cheers for YouTube for having this available. Enjoy.

YouTube: The Jam on Marc Bolan's TV show

2006-06-04T16:59:00.000-05:00

So I've fallen for YouTube. Hanging with my friend Jon this weekend, we spent an hour or so checking out a variety of music videos and live footage from an array of bands. It's amazing what you can find on there -- and the amount of rare footage is sure to go up as YouTube gains popularity -- so I'm going to share some of my favorites with you.

Here's The Jam performing "All Around the World" on Marc Bolan's after-school variety show. I'm guessing this dates back to late spring/early summer, 1977, just a few months after The Jam's debut album In the City was released, and a few months before Bolan died in an automobile accident.

What better way for Marc to get the kiddies attention as TV host than with a leopard-print jumpsuit? And you gotta love the synchronized kick between Bruce and Paul. Also note that drummer Rick Buckler fucks up the ending of the song by coming up empty on a drumstick toss.

In a word: motherfuckingcocksucker

2006-06-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

I was planning to post today on the Cubs continued manhandling of the Cards this season (bet they wish they could play us another 40 times this year), and the agonizing 14-inning game on Friday night that turned on a key Scott Rolen double, and then a key Scott Rolen error (through the wickets, no less). But in light of yesterday's news -- that Pujols is heading to the DL for an undetermined time due to an oblique muscle tear (that's in the lower back, yo) -- all other discussion seems irrelevant. I'm pissed on so many levels: Pujols loses his shot at a season for the record books; the Cardinals offense will surely take a HUGE hit; the team's chances to make the playoffs are in serious jeopardy; and the team is now even more likely to deal Anthony Reyes or Adam Wainright for help. Pujols has never been to the DL, playing through a variety of pain in the past to achieve such consistency. But Superman has finally met his kryptonite.

Viva El Birdos has an insightful post up about the impact of this injury on the team. As far as I'm concerned, having just watched the Astros sign Clemens to push their team payroll over the $100 mil threshold, Cardinals owners better open their wallets and get this team a boost of confidence come July. They owe it to this team. They owe it to the fans. They owe it to Pujols.

50 cents a pack: Moose Haas

2006-06-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

Glancing at Moose Haas' 1986 Topps card (#759 in the set), one thing stands out: the baby-blue uni. Man, those uniforms were ugly, but especially accented in the complimentary bright yellow. Whoever thought up the idea of baby-blue uniforms should be locked in a closet for the next six months and forced to watch nothing but Miami Vice reruns. (Or possibly the Jamie Foxx-Colin Farrell remake that's due to hit this summer.) Even though I identify the baby-blue unis with the '80s, they got their start in the '60s. A quick search turns up the 1964 White Sox as the first team to adopt the blues. Possibly they felt pressure to keep up with trendy cellar-dwellers, the Kansas City A's, who went from this look in 1962 to this look in 1963. No other team dared to don the blue until the expansion Seattle Pilots took on the challenge in 1969. Oddly enough, that year the White Sox tossed out their blue unis and reverted to a more traditional light grey road jersey. Meanwhile, the other expansion team, the Montreal Expos, also went baby blue in '69. And much like the Pilots, they finished dead last in their division. Matter of fact, the two teams combined to finish 81 games out of first place that year. (Montreal kept the blue unis the following year, though, as did the Pilots franchise, which packed their bags for Milwaukee after drawing just 678,000 fans on the season. Montreal fared a bit better, drawing over 500,000 more peeps to the park. Oh, the days when the Expos actually had fans!)

Anyway, in the '70s baseball enjoyed a color explosion, as if the rainbow suddenly decided to barf up its contents on the proud men of baseball. The Orioles went to a sort of dull pumpkin orange, the White Sox reverted back to their blues after two horrible seasons without them, the A's remained bold in their yellow unis with green sleeves, the Padres began a downhill stint in brown and yellow, the Phillies took a cue from the White Sox and went blue and red on the road (and pinstriped at home), the Indians and Braves began exploring with the colored jerseys on white slacks look, the Astros dropped acid, the Pirates said "fuck you, we can one-up that", and on and on. By 1979, you were out of step if you didn't have some sort of colorful ensemble, and baby blue was the summer fashion as no less than 10 teams adopted the color for their road unis. Even my beloved Cardinals flirted with disaster.

But enough about unis. I could write an entire post on the topic. Actually, I'll do that down the road, posting my Top 10 Favorite Unis of All Time. But for now, back to Mr. Moose Haas, who of course I loved simply for his fucked up name. He was born Bryan Edmund Haas, which is far more bland, and since he was going to be wearing a baby-blue uni, I'm glad he adopted a nickname with a bit more pizazz. Haas -- one of six Haases in the history of the game -- was drafted by Milwaukee in the second round of the '74 draft, and was already in the majors two seasons later at the age of 20. By 21, he had earned a spot in the rotation as a pin-point finesse pitcher, going 10-12 with an above-league average 4.33 ERA. If only the Brewers knew it then: his rookie campaign would pretty much represent his entire career. Moose was a slightly below average, .500 pitcher. He peaked at age 24 in 1980 with a 16-15 record, 252 innings pitched, a 3.10 ERA, and 146 strikeouts (all career highs). In '82, when the Brew Crew lost in the World Series to my Cardinals, Haas benefited from a league-best offense that featured five hitters with 23-plus homers (Ted Simmons, Robin Yount, Ben Oglivie, Cecil Cooper, and Gorman Thomas) -- hence the nickname "Harvey's Wallbangers". Moose went 11-8 that season with a robust 4.47 ERA, but the staff was anchored by another of my favorites, Pete Vuckovich, who went 18-6. (Fucked up side note: the Brewers five starters averaged just 3.9 strikeouts per nine innings that season, a ridiculously low rate for a modern pitching rotation.) In the World Series, Haas coughed up 5 runs in Game 4 to give the Cardinals a commanding lead, but the St. Louis pen surrendered 6 runs in the sixth to give away the game. In Game 7, Haas entered in the sixth in the middle of a Cardinals rally, replacing lefty Bob McClure. Whitey the Rat forced the move by pinch hitting for lefty Dane Iorg with righty David Green. With Keith Hernandez at third base and two outs, Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn went to the righthanded Haas, and the chess match was on. Herzog pinch hit yet again, this time switching back to a lefty in Steve Braun. The winner of the match: Haas and the Brewers. Braun grounded out. But Kuenn made the mistake of sticking with Haas with his team down 4-3. After pitching a scoreless frame in the seventh, Moose gave up a leadoff double to Lonnie Smith in the eight, and Smith later scored after Haas left the game. The Cardinals held on to win 6-3, and the World Series title was theirs.

Moose was traded to the A's for prospects in 1986 after nine full seasons of service with the Brewers, and retired after the 1987 season with 100 career wins and a shot arm. His claim to fame? He went three consecutive starts in 1987 without striking out a batter, an Oakland record that stood until Joe Blanton did the same in 2005. It's not as bad as it sounds, however, as Haas only pitched 11.1 innings over those three starts. (Blanton's three starts lasted just 7.2 innings.)

And that, folks, is Moose Haas in a nutshell.

Victory!

2006-06-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

With the season finale of The Sopranos and Big Love coming this weekend, and the season debut of Entourage and Deadwood the following weekend, it's quite an exciting time for TV watchin'. M and I just finished watching Season 2 of Entourage, which I know is old news for a lot of you. I really enjoyed the first 21 episodes of the show. At first I was skeptical of how interested I would be in a "Hollywood" sitcom, considering I could care less about movie stars and don't read Entertainment Weekly. I still don't give a fuck about any of that, but the characters, particularly the supporting characters, are quite entertaining. Johnny Drama works wonders as the butt of all jokes, Turtle is a delight, Ari has the best line I've heard in years ("Let's hug it out, bitch.), and Eric is a well thought out foil to Vince. I was pleased to see that Jeremy Piven will be sticking around for the next season, as his flawless interpretation of a super agent really separates the show from normality. And maybe there's hope for Vince and Mandy? (I doubt it. They're probably going to just skip the Aquaman filming altogether. They surely can't afford anymore of Mandy Moore and James Cameron's time.)