Blog Archives

Swiped from Biblioklept, dig this bit of goodness from Steve Earle:

[Picture by Bags]

Robbie Cano, one of the great Yankees of his time–and arguably the greatest second baseman in team history–returns to the Bronx tonight.

Be nice to see him again, though odd to watch him playing against the Yanks.

[Photo Credit: Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports]

Monday Night open thread.

NBA and NHL playoffs, a few baseball games. Have at it.

Tomorrow, Robbie Cano returns.

Picture by Bags.  

Through August 24, dig Martin Wong’s impressive collection of street art over at the Museum of the City of New York. This 1988 painting is by Lee Quiñones. 

Yes. Yes.

[Photo Credit: Rob Patronite]

Monday, man.

[Painting by David Imlay]

“Ocean Park 70” by Richard Diebenkorn.

Over at Grantland, Charlie Pierce weighs in on the many problems with Donald Sterling:

But there is one problem that never can be solved. This is because what is a problem for you might not be a problem for the good old boy network of plutocrats that actually own the games into which you pour your devotion and your money. And, even if you decide to stop spending the latter to satisfy the former, it may not really matter. The odds are that, through the largesse of television and the legerdemain of modern accounting, you can’t solve it that way, either. There never has been anything you can do about a bad owner. That one is out of your hands.

Which is where we find ourselves today in the case of Donald Sterling, the alleged racist slumlord owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who was an alleged racist slumlord, and a confirmed terrible owner, for three decades before audio surfaced of a conversation that was reportedly between him and a woman named V. Stiviano, who appears to have James O’Keefe’d him. (Is there more? Of course there is.)

The league is investigating the audio, but by now, half the world has already weighed in, including the coach of his team, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, LeBron James, and the president of the United States. All of them agree — as does any advanced carbon-based life form — that if the recording is authentic, the comments show that Sterling is undeniably racist, undeniably revolting, and undeniably rooted in the mind of a man who would have to yield his moral pride of place to algae. There have been a number of calls for the league to strip Sterling of his franchise. This, I confess, makes me more than a little nervous. Taking someone’s assets because of what they think and say, no matter how grotesque it is, sets off all kinds of alarm bells in my First Amendment conscience. The league certainly is within its rights to suspend him, for as long as it wants to suspend him. There were also calls for the Clippers players to make some kind of public statement. Before Sunday’s Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors, they did just that, when they removed their shooting shirts at center court and turned their red warm-ups inside out.

Check out this clever and appealing new book by my cousin, Dinah Fried.

Buzzfeed has a gallery; now, go buy the book.

And then dig this interview with her over at NPR.

To Die For is a favorite.

Cool obit in the Times:

Connie Marrero, a chunky right-hander from Cuba with a windmill delivery and a wicked curveball, was nearly 39 years old when he reached the major leagues with the 1950 Washington Senators.

He went on to become an All-Star in his second season, when he threw a one-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics, and he won 39 games in five seasons with lackluster Senator teams.

When he died on Wednesday in Havana at 102, two days short of his 103rd birthday, Marrero was the oldest former major leaguer. But his time with the Senators was only one chapter of a long career in which he became a cherished figure in Cuban baseball.

[Photo Credit: Al Fenn/Time Life Pictures via Getty Images]

Man, oh man, how I love sweet plantains, aka plátanos maduros.

Alongside chicken, rice, and beans, that there’s some good Bronx style home cookin’ fuh ya.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Derek Jeter SS
Carlos Beltran RF
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Kelly Johnson 3B
Yangervis Solarte 2B
Ichiro Suzuki LF

It’s our man Tanaka with another challenge–the formidable Angels offense.

Never mind the late hour:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo (and recipe) Via: Lil’ Miss]

Almost warm. Late April 2014.

Close game. The Yankee bullpen delivering fine work, particularly from Dellin Betances–who would earn the win. J.R. Murphy drives in 3 runs including the go-ahead run with a solo homer in the fifth.

Ninth inning, Mike Trout on first with one out. Albert Pujols at bat. Two hits already–and one fly out to left which he just missed and was almost a three-run home run. David Robertson on the mound. He gets Pujols to hit a pop fly just beyond the Yankee dugout. Mark Teixeira has it measured. He stops at the fence and leans in to make the catch. Except the two fat bastards in the front row–Yankee fans–get in his way because they are trying to catch the ball. And so nobody catches it.

Beautiful, gentleman.

Trout steals second but then Robertson gets Pujols to fly out to left and strikes out Howie Kendrick on a full count to end the game.

And the two dummies avoid a permanent mark on their record.

Final Score: Yanks 4, Angels 3.

[Photo Credit: Howard Simmons/N.Y. Daily News]

That’d be Vidal Nuno. Wonder if he’s got enough to tame the impressive Angels’ hitters or if this afternoon will be another long one for our boys. Then again, chances are the Yanks are going to score more than 1 run themselves.

Never mind the rain:

Let’s Go Yank-ees.

[Photo Via: Melodrama Queen]

The Yanks creamed the Red Sox on Thursday night in Boston, turned around and took a beatin’ last night in the Bronx to the tune of 13-1. Albert Pujols who looks like his old dominant self hit a gorgeous, long home run as the Angels buried the Yanks early.

[Picture by Bags]

Ellsbury CF

Jeter SS

Beltran RF

Soriano DH

Teixeira 1B

McCann C

Gardner LF

Roberts 2B

Solarte 3B

Our man Hiroki’s on the hill.

Never mind Phat Al and King Trout:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Image Via Stamen Design]

Via Cinephilia and Beyond dig this cool Robert Altman gallery.

Cool Cover.

C.C. goes. Yanks try to win the series.

Never mind the stickiness:

Let’s Go Yank-ees.

[Picture Via Retrogasm]