Since I brought up Joe Jackson yesterday, here’s a cut from a cool record of covers he once did:

David Lebovitz takes a food tour of New York.

Dig in.

I come from a bookish family but I didn’t much like reading as a kid. Then, in middle school, like so many other kids, I tore through S.E. Hinton’s four novels. Later, I saw all of the movie adaptations, but the one I like most was the first one, Tex.

It is an unaffected movie that features the easy, natural gifts of its star, Matt Dillion. Meg Tilly and Emilio Estevez are winning too, and yup, that’s old Ben Johnson who plays their father. Jim Metzler is also strong as Tex’s put-upon older brother. There is nothing loud about this movie, but the yearning and discomfort of a parentless home is evoked in such a way that seems authentic and true. I feel sad and anxious just thinking about it.

Can a New Yorker feel sad about the closing of a mega-store? Well, the big Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Center is going to close in a few months. And I think that’s a bummer cause I fall through that store relatively often.

Man, what’s the call on Marcus Thames? I can’t figure it out.

This is as close as I can get.

When you watch as much baseball as most of us do, it’s hard not to feel fatigued at times, like when a pitcher gets a dead-arm. Add blogging to the mix–and not just blogging during the season but every day of the year–and it’s hard not to just want to turn everything off and feel some sense of calm. All this information, all the access we have at our disposal, is addicting and exhausting. Not only that, but information is processed at light speed these days. Hell, blogs are practically old-fashioned now in the Twitter-Age.

What we sacrifice with technology is time to think and contemplate, to digest. I got to thinking about this last night watching Derek Jeter, who continues to struggle offensively. What’s wrong? Is he hiding an injury, is this the start of the finish? Maybe he’s just playing the way most 36-year-old shortstops do. Sure, he made a nice play in the field, and yup, there he was giving Marcus Thames a great straight-face after Thames hit another long home run. Same ol’ Jeter, as if nothing was wrong.

I don’t pretend to know if this is just a slump for Jeter, an off-year, or what. What I think is compelling is that he’s having his worst season as a major leaguer in a walk year. Things have always come up roses for Jeter. Not that they’ve come easily, but he’s never really been up against it. His legacy is secure, he’s going to join the 3,000 hit club soon. How much more baseball does he have left? And at what level?

Can a play age gracefully these days? I wonder.

The Yanks are back in the Bronx. They kick off their longest home stand of the year tonight against the Oakland A’s. Here’s Ted Berg with a preview:

And of course, our man CC does his thing.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

I’ve always loved this drawing by Pablo Picasso:

When in doubt, turn to Jacques:

Let’s do a week of sleepers, movies that were overlooked but are worth checking out.

First up, this early Debra Winger movie that went straight to HBO:

Nice soundtrack by Joe Jackson, to boot.

Lists are fun if inherently dorky.

Here’s one to stir you up. The L.A. Times Magazine ranks the 50 Greatest Guitarists of all-time.

Charlie Christian make the cut but no love for Grant Green:

Bring the (beautiful) Noise:

Belated but hearty congratulations go out to Eric Nusbaum of the stellar Pitchers and Poets site. Eric’s story, The Death of a Pitcher, was selected for the Best American Sports Writing 2010, edited by Peter Gammons.

Write on, dude, great job.

If you aren’t already a regular, bookmark Pitchers and Poets, it is as good as they come.

Let’s rip into the week with some style:

Mark Feinsand on Andy Pettitte:

Team trainer Gene Monahan told Pettitte to throw at the same 75% strength he did on Friday, but once Pettitte felt comfortable enough with his leg, he turned it up for his final 20 pitches.

“I heated it up pretty good,” Pettitte said. “I went out there planning on kind of being nice and easy like I did the other day, and it ended up being a little more intensity – and it felt really good. Just another good step in the right direction.”

Pettitte is slated to throw another bullpen session either tomorrow or Wednesday, after which he’ll likely throw a simulated game or live batting practice. There is no firm timetable for his return, but Pettitte estimated that without any further setbacks, he could be back in the rotation by mid-September.

“It just depends on what they want me to do, if they make me throw a couple batting practices and a simulated game,” Pettitte said. “I think the quickest I could get ready would probably be about two weeks or so.”

“That sounds about right,” Joe Girardi said. “As long as we don’t have any setbacks, that’s realistic.”

[Photo Credit: via The New Yorker]

The Future Hall of Famer, Frank Thomas, aka The Big Hurt, had his number retired before the game today in Chicago. Then Ivan Nova, who is a pretty big kid himself, pitched into the sixth inning and left the game with a 2-1 lead. Boy, was he impressive, throwing hard and throwing strikes. He also had a good curve ball. Seven K’s and just one walk.

Marcus Thames–whose hacktastic swing sometimes looks straight out of a beer softball league–hit another home run and Brett Gardner singled home Francisco “4 for 4” Cervelli, putting a couple of runs on the board for the Yanks over the first three innings. After that, it was too much Nova and the Bombers’ bullpen. Kerry Wood slipped out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth and Joba Chamberlain hit 100 mph on the radar gun on his way to 1.1 scoreless innings.

The Great Mariano worked around a one-out walk in the ninth and got Omar Vizquel to pop out in foul territory to Cervelli to end the game.

Final Score: Yanks 2, White Sox 1. That’s win number one for Mr. Nova.

A terrific win for the Bombers on a day when the pitching was good and the fielding was slick–the White Sox turned a lovely 6-4-3 double play in the second inning that is bound for the highlight reels.

Sox and Rays go tonight on Sunday Night Baseball.

Sit back, relax, grab some eats, have a beverage and enjoy. See ya in the a.m.

[Picture by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images and Gourmet Magazine]

How ’bout a little Nova with your Sunday bagels? Fresh direct from the Lo Hud Yankee Oven, dig these biscuits—Andy feels good; Teix scratched:

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Marcus Thames DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Austin Kearns RF
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Francisco Cervelli C

Really looking forward to watching Mr. Nova.

Wonder if the ball will jump out of the park again today? Ah, never mind the homers…

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

[Photo Credit: New York Times]

Take it away, Otis…

We know the old cliche–heck, when it comes to sports and sports writing, sometimes everything feels like a cliche–“He pitched just well enough to win,” or “He pitched good enough to lose.” Last night, Johan Santana, vexed by bad luck on a bad team, pitched just good enough to lose. Again. Meanwhile, CC Sabathia, a good pitcher on a good team, pitched poorly, but well enough to keep his team in the game.

As Tyler Kepner writes in a good column today about Felix Hernandez:

Mike Mussina used to say that the best pitchers win half their starts. Mussina did that almost precisely over 18 seasons, winning 270 of his 536 career starts. Mussina understood the finicky role luck plays in wins and losses. But he also knew that, over time, a pitcher’s luck tends to even out. He deserved 270 victories, and that is what he got.

When the smoke cleared–presumably from all the fireworks that explode after a White Sox hits a home run–the Yanks survived a wild night of offense, 12-9. A good thing, as the Rays edged-out the Red Sox. Once again, the Yanks and Rays are tied for first place.

For the best and brightest of recaps, check out our friends at: River Ave Blues, Yankeeist, the Daily News, New York Post and New York Times.

Mark Teixeira left the game early and is listed as day-to-day with a bone bruise.

[Picture by Bags]

Ace’s high tonight in Chi-Town. Every game for CC feels like a must-win. Lots of pressure, but he’s usually game.

Fresh from the Lo-Hud Oven, here’s the line-up:

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Marcus Thames DH
Jorge Posada C
Austin Kearns LF
Brett Gardner CF
Eduardo Nunez 3B

I say Nunez has a good night….

Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

[Picture by Bags]

It’s still summer in the city after a grey and wet week in the Big Apple.

Yanks and White Sox play tonight. We’ll see you then.

[Pictures by Bags]