inevitable..I'm glad Manny is not in the AL anymore. With this deal and his new motivation I think he will hit 50dingers in the NL..the Dodgers look great to repeat, but they'll need to get Scott Proctor back..
Randy Newman..never really got him...and certainly got no love for L.A., too much driving!
Great. I'll be rooting for the big flake whole-heartedly. Chowdah Heads will explode if he rakes all year. It's gonna be great. Mean while, the Sox' most expensive player is getting back injections...
Wow. Think about it. Andruw Jones out, Manny Ramirez in. Now that's what I call an upgrade.
[2][3] Agree on both counts..Andruw Jones is just a fascinating case..I mean, has ANYone ever crashed like this guy?? he hit.158 last year! Funny how Baseball Reference still has him at 170lbs..yeah, sure..
"According to MLB.com, $25 million of the contract is deferred over five years and Ramirez has the right to opt out of the deal after one year. "
If Manny opts out, that means his total salary is deferred? Seems this deal isn't much more money they the Sox $20m up front. Maybe Manny is happier in LA, but it seems to me that Boston is a better park to hit in, and the Sox have a much better chance at the PS/WS.
[11] i've been passed Citi field a few times lately, as i go visit my grandpa (2 more upcoming trips!), and i can't agree, either. it's nothing too special, at least from the outside...
[6] i should really get into Randy Newman, also. i've always heard great things. i can dig "piano pop," just fine. i LOVE Joe Jackson - not that i'd consider him under that banner - and (i know i'll catch hell for this here, but....) old Billy Joel, is cool, too.
i played a gig a coupla months ago and it had an old Randy Newman tune from the early 70's, called "Naked Man." the song seemed simple, but i just LOVED it! the whole group did. crafty songwriting, every which way and top flight studio musicians abound. one day i'll check him out, but everything is Blue Note classic era right now... : )
[14] Billy Joel..wowza..your collection is going to surpass mine in unexpected shelfbuddies. you got "Glass Houses" next to Judas Priest "Screaming for Vengeance"?? :)
[14] I for one will not give you a hard time about old Billy Joel or Joe Jackson... though I wish Joe didn't sound like a guy coming off a severe head cold >;)
[16] something like that! i do have a decent amount of both of those artists, but believe it or not, not those 2 specific titles. i think they're well represented on greatest hits compilations, however.
yeah man, i've got all kindsa surprises! tons of bob dylan and joe jackson. a whole lot of tori amos and edie brickell, too! i literally have thousands of underground METAL units, that barely anyone has ever heard of! : ) i also have over 70 Frank Zappa cd's. Beatles, Phish and, of course, all the Jawbox stuff! lest not forgot a boatload of 70's Prog Rock, next to all the classic Tower of Power, which is near the Mahler & Shostakovich! : )
[17] thanks, chyll! for some reason, Joe is singing in his falsetto more than ever now. he also thinks smoking is actually GOOD for you! or, at least, not bad. on top of that, he lives in Berlin now and is seen dressed like a woman well more often than a man. you'll have that. he goes under the name "Dale De Vere." i'm not kidding.
[17] You a Billy fan too?? Not saying he can't write a song but..even he would admit "Uptown Girl" is shockingly awful..
[18] I know I would swim in your collection (hasitly brushing past the Edie Brickell cds, hoping not to touch them lest I be infected..)
most random stuff I have is a series of old Nigerian Juju and Highlife records, also a growing collection of Congolese Rumba, especially Franco & OK Jazz (the Duke Ellington orchestra of all African bands and yes, origin of my tagname, the secret's out..)
[21] i dig the early Billy stuff, not Uptown Girl. i did play that song in band, on snare drum, as section leader, in the 5th grade! student teacher was a drummer, came to the back and told me i did it wrong. that did not go over very well with this 10-yr. old. we butted heads for a solid 5 years after that, then he became my mentor and is the main reason i got in and went to college. we're in close contact to this day! : )
Miami 2017, is an epic piece of music. so is Scenes (...Italian Restaurant), Billy The Kid, etc. etc. the old stuff was really great. i also grew up on Long Island and played with a northeast piano player for 7 years here in Atlanta...
nice! i actually taught some West African Highlife stuff about 2 weeks ago - i absolutely adore it! i taught a rhumba today! i was supposed to record one this afternoon, but my engineer was in bed, sick with the flu...
i just picked up the Solomon Ilori afro-drum ensemble on BN...
i simply can't believe how many people smoke. it astounds me. i used to be a heavy cigarette smoker, but that was like another life ago...
yeah, JJ is a weirdo, but he's absolutely brilliant musician. there was a great quote about him from back in 1991 ("laughter & lust" era): "joe jackson has more musical ideas on a sunday afternoon than most musicians have in a lifetime." it's true!
[21] I admit to liking "Honesty" the most, and "Uptown Girl" was just embarrassing. However, I loved when he joked on himself on Conan when he said, "Oh that song "Honesty"? That was just a bunch of bullshit..."
[21] ps - edie's 2nd album, Ghost Of A Dog, is amazing. some great songs, playing, lyrics, vibe, etc. matt chamberlain, laid down some tasty grooves. then, when she was married to Paul Simon, she had a great solo studio record, with some amazing session players on it. but, i hear ya... : )
your Banter tag names is pretty ruling! so was Duke Ellington. i wrote a paper on him in Classical Music school - that's how cool he was! : )
[24] yeah, sorry 'bout the JJ news, guys. it's old news, but i'm sorry if i ruined it for you. ya gotta Look Sharp! ; ) i guess, he doesn't like being, um...flat. ugh, that's was uncalled for! sorry.
that's great about Billy & "Honesty"! i didn't know that story. that cat got to sleep with Christie Brinkley - that elevates him to "hero" status! i'll settle for Emily Procter, thank you very much!!! ; )
[24] Billy is a kool kat, I liked when he responded to criticism of "Just The Way You Are", that is didn't rock enough.."Man, I'm a tunesmith from Long Island, do I look like Jimi Hendrix to you??" (maybe messing up that quote!)
[25] West and Central African records are all I buy now outside of jazz, just hundreds of great bands from the 60s on down. Also, you got to hear Toumani Diabate from Mali, really one of the greatest musicians I have ever heard.
thelarmis, you got to get your friend the organist at the Stadium to bring some better tunes in! :)
[27] i think it's awesome you're an authority on World Music. i dig it a lot and have a few key records; i also study and perform some of it, but i'm certainly not an authority. are you familiar with the Tongue Singers of Tuva? i'm sure you have some Olatunji. i really like Indian Classical music.
obviously, i have no pull with music at the Stadium. but i do think Bernie should hire a certain drummer on this here Yankees board to take on tour! ; )
[27] i just received 2 cool BN titles - Curtis Fuller & Lou Donaldson. both rare titles, Jap RVG only, released last year. these are full jewel case cd's, NOT the mini-LP cardboard sleeves - just the way i like 'em! i have NO idea what other titles have been issued or where to get them. if you see anything like this in the shops, *please* let me know! i will send you a "wish list" soon - i'm not sure what' out there, over by you...
[28] A great DJ here in Tokyo got me hooked on world music, especially the African stuff. Yeah, have herd the Tuvan guys but thought they were "throat" singers..?
Olatunji, sure. Indian classical a bit, it's an extensive world though andjust got my feet wet with a few "classics"..seriously though, my budget is so wrapped up in getting music it hurts other areas..thankfully live baseball here is cheaper than in NYC!
[29] LOTS of Japan only releases in the past, though I heard BN is trying to streamline the re-issues a bit..send me some titles and glad to have a look. Often they are in the cardbaord sleeves though, with Japanese notes..
[32] I know, too few hours in the day..I've been "reading" the same Japanese novel for six months now, too many jazz-related projects going on! Wish I could have been so productive when in my 20s though, instead of..umm...meeting local people..?? yeah, that's the ticket..
[33] i was incredibly productive in my 20's. still, i'd like to propose 48-hour days. still wouldn't be enough, but it sure would help. i still have a ton to do tonight and i have to wake up early to conduct high school perc. ensemble... : ~
i have a BN book on my coffee table = unread. i'd like to pick up the new Bill Bruford autobiography. who knows when i'll actually read the damn thing though. btw, the Joe Jackson autobiography is a must read = it's awesome!
[34] History of Blue Note is a great read. Make sure you get hold of Art Pepper's autobiography..great warning against ever doing hard drugs in case anyone needs it! I just got "Blue Nippon", a sociological look at jazz in Japan..on the to-read pile but Hardball Times 2009 is ahead of it..
[35] hell, i've never even done soft drugs before, so i think i'm okay, in that regard! : )
i also picked up an entire library of baseball books recently. i'm waiting to sift thru them and will post about it here. i think Alex Belth will be pleased with me! : )
[36] Nice, I really got into all the recommended books on the old Toaster. Alex's exceprts from Pat Jordan inspired me to get "A False Spring", also got Hardball Times Annual and amazingly, only a few months ago read "Ball Four" for the first time.
well, i guess it's not an "entire" library, but it was over 85 books, which i think is a lot. i'll probably read a grand total of ZERO of them. i have NO room to store these books or my cd's. it goes *very* well with my NO time to read the books or listen to the cd's! : ) of course, i keep buying them...
[39] i couldn't pass it up. i'll tell you about it when i post about them. i haven't even fully gone thru to see everything i got! some pretty cool things though...
[41] i spun it in the car...italics!!! it really is an excellent collection! and a great price for the 2cd set. as a major Joe Jackson collector, i was quite pleased to add this piece. i'm glad you have it, too! : )
btw, i listened to Snakes & Arrows this afternoon! : ) i'll pick up the new dvd soon, but of course, won't have any time to watch it. i heard it's terrific! i'm not surprised...
oh, and Neil Peart himself, is a self-proclaimed JJ fan!!!
[42] i spun it in the car...italics - that's AWESOME!!! totally sober, too. i rule. um, i meant to say: i spun that Joe cd in the car *TODAY*. i'm trying really hard to use the HTML for emphasis, it just doesn't suit this computer idiot very well. that line is pretty funny, ya gotta admit! : ~
[23][27] True Story (what? Another?)
I went to 'college' at Nathaniel Hawthorne (Natty Haha) in beautiful Antrim NH. A good bud of mine, Bob, was a soulful guitarist who was on a strict diet of Quaaludes and Coca Cola. Most late mornings I would bring my sticks up to his room where Bob would give everyone a morning snack Lude, and then he would sing and strum away while I tapped out the rhythm on various objects found in the room.
One morning our group included 'little Amy', a nice girl from LI (where most of us were from) who was Bob's #1 groupie. We sounded pretty good that morning (to all those that had ingested 2 Ludes by 10:00 AM). Amy was telling us how 'good' we sounded and after a while suggested we start a band.
She said she had a cousin on LI who played piano and was looking to put together a band. Of her cousin... "He's really good" she said. "Uh huh" we said. "No really" she said, "he's really, really good. Maybe I can put you guys together". "Uh huh" we replied. "No really. I think he's like professional level. People say he's gonna make it".
"Yeah, thanks" I replied. "I'm sure we ALL have a cousin on LI who's 'a professional level' piano player. But thanks for your help anyway... Amy Joel".
A lot of people might be familiar with Billy post 'The Stranger'. However, I would put up his first 4 albums (up to/including 'The Stranger') up against any first 4 albums put out by anyone. The greatest rock pianist even. 'Angry Young Man'... just awesome stuff.
Of course, like a lot of greats (Simon, McCartney, Elton John), when he stopped being angry, his intensity dropped off a lot.
inevitable..I'm glad Manny is not in the AL anymore. With this deal and his new motivation I think he will hit 50dingers in the NL..the Dodgers look great to repeat, but they'll need to get Scott Proctor back..
Randy Newman..never really got him...and certainly got no love for L.A., too much driving!
Still would have liked to have him.
Great. I'll be rooting for the big flake whole-heartedly. Chowdah Heads will explode if he rakes all year. It's gonna be great. Mean while, the Sox' most expensive player is getting back injections...
Wow. Think about it. Andruw Jones out, Manny Ramirez in. Now that's what I call an upgrade.
[2][3] Agree on both counts..Andruw Jones is just a fascinating case..I mean, has ANYone ever crashed like this guy?? he hit.158 last year! Funny how Baseball Reference still has him at 170lbs..yeah, sure..
I remember BR has Bartolo Colon and Sidney Ponson under 200 lbs for a while. Fudgie The Whale is still listed as 225.
Mr JOKT, the "I Love LA" song is kind of half ironic.
I love Randy Newman. He might be my favorite lyricist, and he's also at or near the pinnacle of a certain kind of pop -- maybe it's "Piano Pop".
Wait, so you don't like "Short People", or Political Science?
[6] Yeah, I need to go back and check him out, some music geek-pals swear by him and told me I would dig his lyrics..will YouTube now
(then again some have said that about Springsteen..I like his acoustic albums but his "rock" stuff..yikes..wayy too operatic for my tastes)
[6] Ok RIYank, that was great, thanks..I'm not a huge "piano-pop" fan but that was excellent. I like Tom Waits piano-songs too..
"According to MLB.com, $25 million of the contract is deferred over five years and Ramirez has the right to opt out of the deal after one year. "
If Manny opts out, that means his total salary is deferred? Seems this deal isn't much more money they the Sox $20m up front. Maybe Manny is happier in LA, but it seems to me that Boston is a better park to hit in, and the Sox have a much better chance at the PS/WS.
I am grateful that when Manny is pulling his tired act (in my mind) this season, I will be soundly asleep most of time. Sweet.
http://tinyurl.com/c84kj3
Painful to say but Citi Field looks a helluva lot nicer than the new Stadium..
[11] I can't say I agree. Citi strikes me as another contrived retro-park.
[11] i've been passed Citi field a few times lately, as i go visit my grandpa (2 more upcoming trips!), and i can't agree, either. it's nothing too special, at least from the outside...
[6] i should really get into Randy Newman, also. i've always heard great things. i can dig "piano pop," just fine. i LOVE Joe Jackson - not that i'd consider him under that banner - and (i know i'll catch hell for this here, but....) old Billy Joel, is cool, too.
i played a gig a coupla months ago and it had an old Randy Newman tune from the early 70's, called "Naked Man." the song seemed simple, but i just LOVED it! the whole group did. crafty songwriting, every which way and top flight studio musicians abound. one day i'll check him out, but everything is Blue Note classic era right now... : )
The Yankees will likely get one last bite of the apple when Manny opts out after the season.
[12][13] Inside looked nice from the pix..
[14] Billy Joel..wowza..your collection is going to surpass mine in unexpected shelfbuddies. you got "Glass Houses" next to Judas Priest "Screaming for Vengeance"?? :)
[14] I for one will not give you a hard time about old Billy Joel or Joe Jackson... though I wish Joe didn't sound like a guy coming off a severe head cold >;)
[16] something like that! i do have a decent amount of both of those artists, but believe it or not, not those 2 specific titles. i think they're well represented on greatest hits compilations, however.
yeah man, i've got all kindsa surprises! tons of bob dylan and joe jackson. a whole lot of tori amos and edie brickell, too! i literally have thousands of underground METAL units, that barely anyone has ever heard of! : ) i also have over 70 Frank Zappa cd's. Beatles, Phish and, of course, all the Jawbox stuff! lest not forgot a boatload of 70's Prog Rock, next to all the classic Tower of Power, which is near the Mahler & Shostakovich! : )
[17] thanks, chyll! for some reason, Joe is singing in his falsetto more than ever now. he also thinks smoking is actually GOOD for you! or, at least, not bad. on top of that, he lives in Berlin now and is seen dressed like a woman well more often than a man. you'll have that. he goes under the name "Dale De Vere." i'm not kidding.
[18] ooh, i can't forget all the Paul Gilbert shred guitar stuff! that guy RULES!!!
[19] seriously, chyll - i'm not kidding! disturbing, i know...
[17] You a Billy fan too?? Not saying he can't write a song but..even he would admit "Uptown Girl" is shockingly awful..
[18] I know I would swim in your collection (hasitly brushing past the Edie Brickell cds, hoping not to touch them lest I be infected..)
most random stuff I have is a series of old Nigerian Juju and Highlife records, also a growing collection of Congolese Rumba, especially Franco & OK Jazz (the Duke Ellington orchestra of all African bands and yes, origin of my tagname, the secret's out..)
[19] hey, i live in Japan where everyone smokes and lives to be 85..it MUST be good for you!
didn't know that about Joe Jackson..
[21] i dig the early Billy stuff, not Uptown Girl. i did play that song in band, on snare drum, as section leader, in the 5th grade! student teacher was a drummer, came to the back and told me i did it wrong. that did not go over very well with this 10-yr. old. we butted heads for a solid 5 years after that, then he became my mentor and is the main reason i got in and went to college. we're in close contact to this day! : )
Miami 2017, is an epic piece of music. so is Scenes (...Italian Restaurant), Billy The Kid, etc. etc. the old stuff was really great. i also grew up on Long Island and played with a northeast piano player for 7 years here in Atlanta...
nice! i actually taught some West African Highlife stuff about 2 weeks ago - i absolutely adore it! i taught a rhumba today! i was supposed to record one this afternoon, but my engineer was in bed, sick with the flu...
i just picked up the Solomon Ilori afro-drum ensemble on BN...
i simply can't believe how many people smoke. it astounds me. i used to be a heavy cigarette smoker, but that was like another life ago...
yeah, JJ is a weirdo, but he's absolutely brilliant musician. there was a great quote about him from back in 1991 ("laughter & lust" era): "joe jackson has more musical ideas on a sunday afternoon than most musicians have in a lifetime." it's true!
[19] So um, whaddya think he's trying to say?
[21] I admit to liking "Honesty" the most, and "Uptown Girl" was just embarrassing. However, I loved when he joked on himself on Conan when he said, "Oh that song "Honesty"? That was just a bunch of bullshit..."
[22] probably wish you didn't, huh...
[21] ps - edie's 2nd album, Ghost Of A Dog, is amazing. some great songs, playing, lyrics, vibe, etc. matt chamberlain, laid down some tasty grooves. then, when she was married to Paul Simon, she had a great solo studio record, with some amazing session players on it. but, i hear ya... : )
your Banter tag names is pretty ruling! so was Duke Ellington. i wrote a paper on him in Classical Music school - that's how cool he was! : )
[24] yeah, sorry 'bout the JJ news, guys. it's old news, but i'm sorry if i ruined it for you. ya gotta Look Sharp! ; ) i guess, he doesn't like being, um...flat. ugh, that's was uncalled for! sorry.
that's great about Billy & "Honesty"! i didn't know that story. that cat got to sleep with Christie Brinkley - that elevates him to "hero" status! i'll settle for Emily Procter, thank you very much!!! ; )
[24] Billy is a kool kat, I liked when he responded to criticism of "Just The Way You Are", that is didn't rock enough.."Man, I'm a tunesmith from Long Island, do I look like Jimi Hendrix to you??" (maybe messing up that quote!)
[25] West and Central African records are all I buy now outside of jazz, just hundreds of great bands from the 60s on down. Also, you got to hear Toumani Diabate from Mali, really one of the greatest musicians I have ever heard.
thelarmis, you got to get your friend the organist at the Stadium to bring some better tunes in! :)
[27] i think it's awesome you're an authority on World Music. i dig it a lot and have a few key records; i also study and perform some of it, but i'm certainly not an authority. are you familiar with the Tongue Singers of Tuva? i'm sure you have some Olatunji. i really like Indian Classical music.
obviously, i have no pull with music at the Stadium. but i do think Bernie should hire a certain drummer on this here Yankees board to take on tour! ; )
[27] i just received 2 cool BN titles - Curtis Fuller & Lou Donaldson. both rare titles, Jap RVG only, released last year. these are full jewel case cd's, NOT the mini-LP cardboard sleeves - just the way i like 'em! i have NO idea what other titles have been issued or where to get them. if you see anything like this in the shops, *please* let me know! i will send you a "wish list" soon - i'm not sure what' out there, over by you...
[28] A great DJ here in Tokyo got me hooked on world music, especially the African stuff. Yeah, have herd the Tuvan guys but thought they were "throat" singers..?
Olatunji, sure. Indian classical a bit, it's an extensive world though andjust got my feet wet with a few "classics"..seriously though, my budget is so wrapped up in getting music it hurts other areas..thankfully live baseball here is cheaper than in NYC!
[29] LOTS of Japan only releases in the past, though I heard BN is trying to streamline the re-issues a bit..send me some titles and glad to have a look. Often they are in the cardbaord sleeves though, with Japanese notes..
[31] yes, "throat" singers - my bad! doh.
yeah, i don't want the cardboard sleeves...
i can't wait for live baseball. but then i'll never listen to cd's, read the librettos, or...practice. not good! but i like the tradeoff! : )
[32] I know, too few hours in the day..I've been "reading" the same Japanese novel for six months now, too many jazz-related projects going on! Wish I could have been so productive when in my 20s though, instead of..umm...meeting local people..?? yeah, that's the ticket..
[33] i was incredibly productive in my 20's. still, i'd like to propose 48-hour days. still wouldn't be enough, but it sure would help. i still have a ton to do tonight and i have to wake up early to conduct high school perc. ensemble... : ~
i have a BN book on my coffee table = unread. i'd like to pick up the new Bill Bruford autobiography. who knows when i'll actually read the damn thing though. btw, the Joe Jackson autobiography is a must read = it's awesome!
[34] History of Blue Note is a great read. Make sure you get hold of Art Pepper's autobiography..great warning against ever doing hard drugs in case anyone needs it! I just got "Blue Nippon", a sociological look at jazz in Japan..on the to-read pile but Hardball Times 2009 is ahead of it..
[35] hell, i've never even done soft drugs before, so i think i'm okay, in that regard! : )
i also picked up an entire library of baseball books recently. i'm waiting to sift thru them and will post about it here. i think Alex Belth will be pleased with me! : )
[36] Nice, I really got into all the recommended books on the old Toaster. Alex's exceprts from Pat Jordan inspired me to get "A False Spring", also got Hardball Times Annual and amazingly, only a few months ago read "Ball Four" for the first time.
well, i guess it's not an "entire" library, but it was over 85 books, which i think is a lot. i'll probably read a grand total of ZERO of them. i have NO room to store these books or my cd's. it goes *very* well with my NO time to read the books or listen to the cd's! : ) of course, i keep buying them...
damn, 85 baseball books??! I know what you mean about catching up on the reading, but there's always time to listen to cds and vinyl!
[39] i couldn't pass it up. i'll tell you about it when i post about them. i haven't even fully gone thru to see everything i got! some pretty cool things though...
I'm a big fan of both Joe Jacksons ....
The singer has a new collection out, BBC Sessions ... lots of classic cuts from across the years.
[41] i spun it in the car...italics!!! it really is an excellent collection! and a great price for the 2cd set. as a major Joe Jackson collector, i was quite pleased to add this piece. i'm glad you have it, too! : )
btw, i listened to Snakes & Arrows this afternoon! : ) i'll pick up the new dvd soon, but of course, won't have any time to watch it. i heard it's terrific! i'm not surprised...
oh, and Neil Peart himself, is a self-proclaimed JJ fan!!!
[42] i spun it in the car...italics - that's AWESOME!!! totally sober, too. i rule. um, i meant to say: i spun that Joe cd in the car *TODAY*. i'm trying really hard to use the HTML for emphasis, it just doesn't suit this computer idiot very well. that line is pretty funny, ya gotta admit! : ~
and on that note...'nite all.
[23] [27] True Story (what? Another?)
I went to 'college' at Nathaniel Hawthorne (Natty Haha) in beautiful Antrim NH. A good bud of mine, Bob, was a soulful guitarist who was on a strict diet of Quaaludes and Coca Cola. Most late mornings I would bring my sticks up to his room where Bob would give everyone a morning snack Lude, and then he would sing and strum away while I tapped out the rhythm on various objects found in the room.
One morning our group included 'little Amy', a nice girl from LI (where most of us were from) who was Bob's #1 groupie. We sounded pretty good that morning (to all those that had ingested 2 Ludes by 10:00 AM). Amy was telling us how 'good' we sounded and after a while suggested we start a band.
She said she had a cousin on LI who played piano and was looking to put together a band. Of her cousin... "He's really good" she said. "Uh huh" we said. "No really" she said, "he's really, really good. Maybe I can put you guys together". "Uh huh" we replied. "No really. I think he's like professional level. People say he's gonna make it".
"Yeah, thanks" I replied. "I'm sure we ALL have a cousin on LI who's 'a professional level' piano player. But thanks for your help anyway... Amy Joel".
A lot of people might be familiar with Billy post 'The Stranger'. However, I would put up his first 4 albums (up to/including 'The Stranger') up against any first 4 albums put out by anyone. The greatest rock pianist even. 'Angry Young Man'... just awesome stuff.
Of course, like a lot of greats (Simon, McCartney, Elton John), when he stopped being angry, his intensity dropped off a lot.