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So, did I tell you about the time I saw Dean Smith hung in effigy? In CHAPEL HILL?
Edit: For those who were unaware – Gammons was a sports reporter for the Daily tar Heel – UNC’s student paper – and was riding back with the team from an embarassing defeat at Wake Forest. When the bus arrived back in Chapel Hill, there was an effigy of Dean Smith hanging on an oak tree outside Woollen Gym. Billy Cunningham became enraged, jumped off the bus and tore down the effigy, and the tar Heels went on a huge win streak. Some folks credit that incident with saving Dean’s job. Anyway, just a little bit of Gammons trivia.
If you’re interested in seeing the honky tonk scene downtown, check out Tootsie’s or Robert’s. There’s always live music, and the people-watching can’t be beat. You could always see who’s at the Ryman (the old Grand Ole Opry house), too — most of my favorite concerts, I’ve seen there.
As for non-honky-tonk bars, there’s a place called Red Door (on Division) that I really like, but it can get annoyingly crowded on the weekends. South Street (also on Division) is a fun restaurant/bar combo. Bosco’s, over in Hillsboro Village, is a microbrewery with some pretty good food. If you wanna just stay downtown, though, finding bars will not be a problem.
My favorite restaurants in town are City House (Southern/Italian) and The Local Taco (Mexican, mostly). Best burger: Gabby’s, in a trailer over by the Sounds’ stadium. Best pizza: Mafiaoza’s, in the 12th South area. Best Mexican: Rose Pepper, in East Nashville.
For breakfast, if you’ve got time, hit the Pancake Pantry, down the street from where Bosco’s is. You’ll have to wait in a long-ish line, mostly outside, but the food is great and it’s a Nashville landmark.
The best BBQ in town is actually south of town, in Nolensville, at a place called Martin’s. If you’re downtown, though, you may not feel like making that drive. Besides, being from Missouri, you’d probably turn your nose up at it, anyway.
“You want Dan Uggla to get a few Web Gems? Sure, we can make that happen. You butter my bread, and ESPN will take care of you. Ravech owes me a lot of favors.”
Peter Gammons, friend to Sabermetrics, orally tests the consistency of the outfield dirt during Spring Training.
When asked about his strange method to test UZR/150, Gammons replied, “Warning tracks greatly factor into a player’s ability to track a deep fly. If it’s too grainy, then the feet crunch and distress the player’s judgment. If it’s not grainy enough then the brain might not register the change in surface and there’ll be outfielders galore just smashing into wall. Oh, and I like the taste of dirt. It’s earthy.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez (right) attempts to show Hall of Fame reporter Peter Gammons how to lock his phone’s touch screen in order to prevent butt tweets.
I had the most vivid dream last night where the Braves traded Terehan for Rasmus and Kyle Lhose. I remember it because I kept thinking “wtf.. why was Kyle Lohse involved?” The funny thing was I didn’t dream about a press conference or anything, I dreamed that I read it on MLBTR. The article in my dream even had those update headers that they use when they get new info.
Aw, thanks for mentioning that, Mac. I don’t think I would have pursued any of this if not for Bravesjournal. Finding a great group of people who know so much more than I do about baseball really helped me fall in love with it again. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, it doesn’t seem real.
Geez, that’s a bit harsh… a song written early in their career and before Pert started doing lyrics is enough to keep them out of the HoF? If that keeps them out then I wonder what qualifies one for entry into the HoF?
Seems like it’s a bit small, but that beats being too large imho, and really not much to quarrel with about those selected. It’s not like Kiss is in there or anything. For a commercial enterprise, I’d say this is a really good effort.
@67, I was just teasing. But they really did have a hilarious 4 album start to their career.
But let’s put the shoe on the other foot – make the case that they should be in there, besides selling an enormous amount of records.
Scratch “Yes” and insert “King Crimson” into my previous post.
Sooner or later they’ll get around to more prog inductees, but too many people have too little use for the genre. Right now it’s Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Traffic — and I doubt the more “proggy” entries of the latter two were the reason for their inductions.
I’m not really very good at creating convincing arguments (I guess that’s why I referenced the documentary because I think it does a good job) but I would say this:
1. They were and have been a very unique sound in the world of rock and roll.
2. They continue to tour to this day and sell out large venues which means a lot of people are fans of their stuff.
3. They have influenced other artists over the span of their career.
4. For a three man band they create some good music that is not so easy to play.
5. Neil Peart
6. They do have a pretty extensive catalog and they are still making new music.
7. They probably have some good counting stats (like platinum albums or some such).
8. When I go to concerts I see people from “that younger generation” which tells me they are still drawing new fans to their stuff instead of it just being a bunch of “old farts” like myself.
@70, Like my good pal Mark twain said, “Be not simply good, be good for something.” You want to put Neil Peart in the Drummer’s Hall of Fame? Be my guest (although I wonder what exactly you are basing “best” on, aside from constant repetition – I’ll take Al Jackson). Tell me what Rush has done to warrant induction.
They’re just really, really good musicians. No, I’m not going from reputation about Neal Peart. Limelight has probably the best drum entrance you’ll hear. Also, everyone talks about Tom Sawyer but their best songs are probably YYZ and 2112. Plus, a lot of their “spaceship” music does stand for things that I won’t go into in observance of the no politics rule. And like Hap said, their stuff transcends their generation. (I’m only 20)
Lastly, they’re promoted in I Love You, Man, which has to count for something, right?
A; They were/are very commercially successful for a long time (2,6,7,8)
B: Their music is complicated (1,4,5 – ha! unintentional blues joke!)
I am not sure about 3 – I mean I agree, I guess, but it doesn’t seem particularly broad or deep.
I just can’t think of anything particularly memorable they have done. They made half a dozen comic-con records, then went down some crazy pop psychology/technology trail, and then three albums about Peart’s personal tragedy. It’s a great career obviously, but for me the RR HoF in my mind skews much more to peak than career.
“Plus, a lot of their “spaceship” music does stand for things that I won’t go into in observance of the no politics rule.”
Thank goodness. But there was a hilarious anecdote recently about them sending a cease and desist order to a certain politician for using their music – the namesake of the self-stated inspiration for 2112 in fact. Delicious, delicious irony.
The Hall of Fame seems to be more about lasting influence than anything else. Velvet Underground, for example, was never particularly commercially successful, and they didn’t have a long career, but they were highly influential in rock music.
I think sansho1 has the right idea. King Crimson should probably be there. I’d probably put Yes in before Rush, though I’m not sure either really fit.
Although King Crimson is a pretty glaring omission, The Pixies seem like the most obvious band presently excluded. Well, maybe MC5. spike’s right, though. It’s a pretty good list.
Any Hall of Fame that doesn’t include Yes or Rush will not be visited by me.
At their respective peaks, their live musicianship alone should sway you.
You can argue that their early lyrics were pretentious and foolishly Utopian (or Luddite) but a lot of us were that way and, like them, grew out of it.
@78, have I mentioned Pink Floyd is one of my guilty pleasures here before? Gilmour’s love affair with the blues and really cool vintage instruments wins me over. But to answer your question, obviously I owned many Rush albums once upon a time, and for the record, I agree with the idea of King Crimson in the HoF. I don’t mind when a prog song comes on the radio, and definitely spent many hours learning how to play “Roundabout” back in the day.
Neither Tool nor Mastodon is eligible, obviously. (I prefer both to Meshuggah, though Chris may want to destroy erase improve my opinion.)
I saw the Rush doc and it actually substantially raised my opinion of them. I think the real question is whether they’re more like the Harold Baines of hard rock or the Eddie Murray of hard rock.
(The Will Clark of hard rock, IMO, is Queensryche: they’re basically the American Rush, having progressed from early high-pitched yowling metal to latter-period midrange vocals. But their 2-CD greatest hits is terrific, and I even liked their most recent album, Tribe. Similarly, Rush’s latest two, Vapour Trails and Snakes & Arrows, are two of the most palatable and easiest entry points in their career.)
Say what you want about the Tolkien and Ayn Rand influences on Peart’s lyrics, Moving Pictures is a pretty great album.
@Bethany
A) I just signed up this morning (Kickstarter is like Etsy… pure evil I love so much and can’t resist)
B) I love, love, love, love the “There is but one game, and that game is Baseball” poster… I may have just printed a copy of the image out to hang in my office for opening day (since the poster is going to the house).
Speaking of bands that probably shouldn’t be eligible for something called the “Rock & Roll” Hall of Fame, do you guys think Fairport Convention should be in?
@85, my reflexive internal response to your comment is, “Wait, Black Flag isn’t in the Hall of Fame?” That’s a pretty big omission. I don’t have enough of an encyclopedic memory to play this game.
@88, I am reminded of Duke Ellington’s famous quote “the jazz word simply means “freedom of expression”, as far as I’m concerned. We stopped using it, I mean, in 1943.” You could easily substitute Rock and Roll and 1958. But wrt to Fairport, obviously a hugely influential group but I know so little about them – I couldn’t say.
@89 now that the Stooges (and Ramones for some time) are in, I suspect one of the late 70′s american hardcore bands will go in soon
Black Flag’s further down my list of the bands I really want to see inducted. I’d rather see the Dictators, the New York Dolls, and Television get in first. (The Hall of Fame just ain’t the same without Handsome Dick Manitoba.)
Stu, if you’re ever looking to make a joke about Meshuggah, may I suggest the track listing of Fredrik Thordendal’s solo album as a good place to start?
@90 – I like Mastodon just fine, thanks, although not a connoisseur of the genre. They are good guys too. I can’t go see them play anymore, as I get mildly agoraphobic in packed clubs now in my dotage, but I enjoyed their live performances at the Earl and such a few years back very much indeed.
@93, they already have Patti Smith and the Talking Heads, which covers the two most influential artists from that scene. The fact that they have Blondie isn’t really a reason to include, say, Television. You’re pretty familiar with the failing of the “X is more qualified than Y, and Y is in Hall” argument. (Note: I am not specifically referring to the actual band X, even if X is more qualified than Blondie, and Blondie is in the Hall.)
Black Flag was hugely influential in rock music, and their influence isn’t really reflected elsewhere in the hall.
Critics hate prog-rockers, generally, and being hated by the people who vote for the Rock Hall doesn’t help. (And I confess to seeing them 4 times back in the day.) I saw that doc, too, but it did a good job of showing why some folks just HATE Rush.
Black Flag’s influence on indie rock is monumental, especially on the DIY touring end of it. There was a time when they were the bravest, hardest-working rock band in America. They took punk rock to middle America by driving there, setting up & playing. And their shows were amazing spectacles.
It never occurred to me, but Black Flag should probably be in.
Ran down to Buford Hwy for some Indian food, and just happened to have the greatest achievement of the greatest American composer in the CD player. It’s an unfair comparison, I know – the expression “an All-Star at every position” should have a photo of the group for a definition. Talk about some perspective, though – put whoever you like in the RR HoF.
@107, Gregg Ginn once bitterly complained to me at the old Metroplex that the thing that held them back the most was players constantly quitting the band as there was no money in it at all.
I think Rush has a better case than many are giving them credit for. They have arguably the best drummer and bassist of all time, they have an incredible length of quality career, and the breadth of their influence on Rock’n'Roll is incredible.
The last point is what does it for me. I think their influence is greater than that of Alice Cooper, or Genesis, or Yes.
On another subject, we got Sherrill to get lefties out. Well, he isn’t.
Okay, the drummer thing I have let slide because lets face it, they are drummers, but the best bassist? Really? Obviously, anyone is “arguably” the best anything when it comes to purely subjective subjects, but that seems like a stretch – much in the same way that “Neil Peart is the greatest drummer” is. What are these statements based on? “Flashiest”, or “uses the most crap onstage”, I can buy, but “greatest’ sounds an awful lot like “It’s my favorite band, so QED they are the best musicians”.
Okay, 118 came out sounding more combative than I meant to sound. Mea culpa. But it seems to me that the Neil Pearts and Geddy Lees of the world spend a lot more time playing “lead drums” and “lead bass” instead of, you know, rhythmically propelling a song. The next time either of them can sit still for 5 minutes and just do that will be the first time, from what I know of their style.
#110
Ginn coulda probably kept some of them if he hadn’t made them practice 10 hours a day, every day. And their tours were ridiculous.
This was back in the days of all-ages shows, so 2 gigs in one venue was pretty normal. They would do tours with, like, 60 shows in 50 days.
FWIW, I prefer Charlie Watts to Neal Peart, although I’ve heard some turntablists do amazing routines to “Tom Sawyer” (aka “The World’s Greatest Arena Breakbeat.”)
When DJs bite your beats & cut em up, you’re doing something right. Props to The Peart.
@129, if Main Stem comes on, I just about have to pull the car over. It’s so rhythmically compelling, it is difficult to pay full-time attention. Now THAT’S how to play bass and drums.
Getting away from the Ted is much easier than getting away from the Mickey.
Surveying my friends that play the drums, Peart is considered the best drummer by far. The same could be said of my friends that play bass and Geddy Lee. Granted, my friends will show a bias towards liking the same music I do, but that really does span across several generations.
I hear your point about “lead drums” and “lead bass” but that sounds more like an issue of taste. I am actually quite amazed at how well these complicated musical elements come together. Think of the harmonics and the playful bass line of Red Barchetta or the combination of all three in Limelight.
We disagree about how well we like their songs, but their technical skill is hard to argue, especially when you see it live. Neither is the point. I still think if you look at the breadth of their influence and how long it has endured, they belong in the RnR HOF.
This reminds me of a question I posed to a friend a while back. Which will happen first: Sonic Youth getting inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame or Bill James getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Which is why I, personally, can never get into most metal. Especially modern metal. I can appreciate technical ability, but when you’re eschewing any form of soul for the sake of showcasing how technically proficient you are, it’s just not something I want to listen to.
It may “sound good”, but I just get no enjoyment out of listening to it like I do, say, Ray Charles.
Edit: I feel like I should clarify that I’m not trying to demean Tom Waits in any way, just that if people can enjoy his voice then there’s really not much room to complain about anyone else.
I think it’s gotta be Sonic Youth, because the critical establishment has long adored them. Some day soon a lot of those ’80s bands are going to start going in like ’30s guys on Veterans Committee ballots. There were a lot of Chuck Kleins on the AM dials back then.
Tom Waits might be best described as a vocalist rather than a singer. You may not like his voice, but he sounds that way on purpose: he’s using his voice as an instrument. Mike Patton’s a great example of another person who might be better categorized as a “vocalist.” Though he can actually sing when he puts his mind to it, as on his album Mondo Cane, a collection of Italian standards he sings in perfect Italian, backed by an orchestra.
I don’t know how I feel about the Calipari article. It’s certainly not flattering, but the reporting was even. The whole ‘I’ll burn your village’ quote was a little strange.
I figured I could come up with ten American cities that were obviously better choices for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but actually I could come up with only eight. In roughly order of population, highest to lowest:
New York
LA
Philly
San Francisco
Seattle
Detroit
Memphis
Athens
Who am I missing? I’m leaving out cities like Tupelo associated with just one artist, and also Nashville since it’s really a country town — though inarguably more important in rock history than Cleveland.
Seattle has the Experience Music Project, funded by Allen, which opened in 2000. It has more of a Northwest music scene concentration, which seems to suit people there fine.
157 – Nobody cares, however. The system is a joke, the rules are a joke, the enforcement is a joke. But people keep going to games and watching on television and all the while the NCAA makes piles of money, so nothing changes.
Why, because some players sold stuff that was in their legal possession and he knew about it? It makes me sick that what those kids did is even considered a violation.
The at bat featuring 6 foot 11 Andrew Brackman pitching to 5 foot 6 former New Mexico Lobo Matt Young was one of the more amusing sights I’ve seen in awhile.
On the YES broadcast Michael Kay asked Girardi about Uggla’s defense when Girardi was his manager and he spoke very highly of him as a player in general, and said that he was ‘pretty happy’ with his defense, FWIW.
Also amused that Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Brain is played before a Wilkin Ramirez at bat at a park owned by Disney. Nothing says family friendly quite like Cypress Hill.
@171, considering the heck that Cam Newton went through this season because his dad asked for money, it’s reasonable to think that there is a large segment of college football fans who think players should not be paid. If you think players shouldn’t be paid, there is little difference between giving a kid $200 and giving him a trophy that he then sells for $200. I don’t see a big difference between what Tressel did and a coach finding out that a booster or agent is making cash payments to a player and not reporting it.
If you really think players shouldn’t be paid, I don’t see how you can avoid coming down hard.
@177, brown fractured a hamate – an injury KLaw Keith Law (ugh I HATE that) claims takes 12-16 months to fully recover strength from. The Phils will be scrambling a bit for runs for the first 6-8 weeks of the season.
Philly fans crying about the loss of Brown and Chutley Dutley only to hear the Braves have packaged Freeman, Delgatto and (some other prospect) for Puljos who has agreed to sign an extension (and Liberty Media has okayed a $30 million/year for 9 year deal)
Anybody taken the Wonderlic Personnel Test (or CCA Test) that’s used at the football combine?
My buddy’s just applied for an engineering position and took it as part of the interview.
@186, it’s the Howard basket that is/will be killing them.
@185 – here you go –
Phillies team physician Michael Ciccotti issued the following statement regarding Chase Utley’s health status:
“Chase has had mild patellar tendinitis and chondromalacia in the past that have previously resolved quickly. His symptoms returned during his off-season workouts, and he developed some anterior knee pain consistent with his prior history. When he reported to spring training this year, his knee was treated as it had been in the past, however his symptoms continued. An MRI was obtained that demonstrated his prior tendinitis, chondromalacia, and bone inflammation. His chondromalacia symptoms persisted in spite of focused non-operative care, including a cortisone injection. A subsequent cartilage-specific MRI was obtained confirming the initial diagnosis. Continued non-operative treatment is being carried out and additional opinions will be obtained.”
This seems very similar to last year when the Phillies had injury issues in Spring that affected the first half of the season (95 games in, we had a 7 game lead in the division). Let’s hope that Chipper and the and the Melky-less Braves can stay healthy so the Braves can continue to cash in on the Phillies misfortunes.
As much as I loathe Utley for killing us, I never want to root for a guy like that to be injured, and I wouldn’t want to have to predicate my division hopes on injuries to the Phillies. I hope they take a good long while to rehab him, but I hope he comes back healthy.
I just hope the injury bug that hit the Cardinals and Phillies stays the hell away from us.
It’s okay, I specifically engineered this injury bug to only affect the Cardinals and the Phillies. I also have one ready for the Nationals and Marlins, should they prove to be a problem within the division.
I think there is no chance that Schafer makes this team as a 4th OF’r. He needs AB’s and Young seems like the perfect bench player. Meanwhile, Mather looks awful too.
I had chondromalacia in my right knee 20 years ago. I had to walk down steps sideways. I had gotten up to 260# on leg extensions. I had the bright idea of lifting 70% of my usual left ( 180#) with two legs and lowering it with one. Rest helped in about a month and have never tried to do it again. Complete rest and come back by all star break.
I hope Salazar is okay. If I were hit in the face by a line drive, I think the last thing I’d want to do is spend 20 minutes in a helicopter. Sounds miserable.
Joke’s over, Fredi. Give me my jacket back.
March 6th, 2011 at 10:38 pmPhysique is only a word…
March 6th, 2011 at 10:51 pmWhere’s Bobby?
March 6th, 2011 at 11:01 pmGammo, Gonzo. Gonzo, Gammo.
March 6th, 2011 at 11:04 pm‘Good story Fredi, that reminds me of a ’72 Cape Cod League game …..’
March 6th, 2011 at 11:25 pmAngvcafl.
March 7th, 2011 at 12:46 amWait a minute, this isn’t the Red Sox camp.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:32 am“You know Bobby used to slip me a couple of Benjamins a week to say nice things about the Braves….”
March 7th, 2011 at 5:38 amFor the last time, ma’am, the postgame locker room is not part of the tour.
March 7th, 2011 at 6:04 am‘Battle of the Bellies’
March 7th, 2011 at 7:30 amYour comment here.
March 7th, 2011 at 7:31 amSo, did I tell you about the time I saw Dean Smith hung in effigy? In CHAPEL HILL?
Edit: For those who were unaware – Gammons was a sports reporter for the Daily tar Heel – UNC’s student paper – and was riding back with the team from an embarassing defeat at Wake Forest. When the bus arrived back in Chapel Hill, there was an effigy of Dean Smith hanging on an oak tree outside Woollen Gym. Billy Cunningham became enraged, jumped off the bus and tore down the effigy, and the tar Heels went on a huge win streak. Some folks credit that incident with saving Dean’s job. Anyway, just a little bit of Gammons trivia.
March 7th, 2011 at 7:48 amEthan,
If you’re interested in seeing the honky tonk scene downtown, check out Tootsie’s or Robert’s. There’s always live music, and the people-watching can’t be beat. You could always see who’s at the Ryman (the old Grand Ole Opry house), too — most of my favorite concerts, I’ve seen there.
As for non-honky-tonk bars, there’s a place called Red Door (on Division) that I really like, but it can get annoyingly crowded on the weekends. South Street (also on Division) is a fun restaurant/bar combo. Bosco’s, over in Hillsboro Village, is a microbrewery with some pretty good food. If you wanna just stay downtown, though, finding bars will not be a problem.
My favorite restaurants in town are City House (Southern/Italian) and The Local Taco (Mexican, mostly). Best burger: Gabby’s, in a trailer over by the Sounds’ stadium. Best pizza: Mafiaoza’s, in the 12th South area. Best Mexican: Rose Pepper, in East Nashville.
For breakfast, if you’ve got time, hit the Pancake Pantry, down the street from where Bosco’s is. You’ll have to wait in a long-ish line, mostly outside, but the food is great and it’s a Nashville landmark.
The best BBQ in town is actually south of town, in Nolensville, at a place called Martin’s. If you’re downtown, though, you may not feel like making that drive. Besides, being from Missouri, you’d probably turn your nose up at it, anyway.
March 7th, 2011 at 8:16 am“You want Dan Uggla to get a few Web Gems? Sure, we can make that happen. You butter my bread, and ESPN will take care of you. Ravech owes me a lot of favors.”
March 7th, 2011 at 8:24 amPeter Gammons, friend to Sabermetrics, orally tests the consistency of the outfield dirt during Spring Training.
When asked about his strange method to test UZR/150, Gammons replied, “Warning tracks greatly factor into a player’s ability to track a deep fly. If it’s too grainy, then the feet crunch and distress the player’s judgment. If it’s not grainy enough then the brain might not register the change in surface and there’ll be outfielders galore just smashing into wall. Oh, and I like the taste of dirt. It’s earthy.”
March 7th, 2011 at 8:25 amThis is Peter. Peter has bitch tits.
March 7th, 2011 at 8:28 am“Though it is only March, Peter Gammons shows off his Grimace from McDonald’s costume to Braves manager Fredi Gonzales.”
March 7th, 2011 at 9:03 am“Fredi, I’m about to go on air with a hot Matsuzaka-for-Teheran rumor.”
“Walk away and I’ll give you your meds back, Peter.”
March 7th, 2011 at 9:26 amFor all the Joe Morgan fans:
March 7th, 2011 at 9:44 amhttp://tinyurl.com/48t3bm7
Wait, there are Joe Morgan fans?
March 7th, 2011 at 9:50 am“No, Peter, I’m FREDI… Peter…. Peter, Bobby isn’t HERE…. PETER!… sigh… yeah, 78 was a hell of a season, Peter.”
March 7th, 2011 at 9:52 am#19
March 7th, 2011 at 10:03 amI kid—today, I’m a kidder.
Stu,
Fantastic stuff. Thanks. Actually staying at the downtown Courtyard Marriott so I should be in walking distance for a lot of it.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:20 amBraves manager Fredi Gonzalez (right) attempts to show Hall of Fame reporter Peter Gammons how to lock his phone’s touch screen in order to prevent butt tweets.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:29 amWSJ reviews “In the Time of Bobby Cox”, a book I had not heard of and sounds interesting to Braves fans.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704005404576176761933639974.html?KEYWORDS=bobby+cox
March 7th, 2011 at 10:42 amLOLink.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:08 amI had the most vivid dream last night where the Braves traded Terehan for Rasmus and Kyle Lhose. I remember it because I kept thinking “wtf.. why was Kyle Lohse involved?” The funny thing was I didn’t dream about a press conference or anything, I dreamed that I read it on MLBTR. The article in my dream even had those update headers that they use when they get new info.
I think I need help. Or baseball.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:22 am#25 – Is that real? Please tell me its not. Tyler Bray has his last name on his back? really? what a douche…
Poll Question – Biggest Douche?
A. Tyler Bray
B. Mark Teixeira
Mrs Pearl is also an idiot.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:52 amDefinitely is real.
March 7th, 2011 at 12:18 pmDOB: “Fellow #Braves scribe Mark Bowman just found mold on the hoagie roll on his shrimp po-boy here at Roger Dean Stadium. Yikes. Got refund.”
March 7th, 2011 at 12:52 pmThat’s real? As a joke it’s fantastic, but being real almost defies reality.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:00 pmOswalt line today – 2.2IP, 4H, 5ER, 2HR
March 7th, 2011 at 1:04 pmPeter Gammons? I thought that was Jamie Moyer.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:13 pm“Freddi, would you say my man boobs are more Paul Johnson or Steve Spurrier?”
March 7th, 2011 at 1:15 pmA Braves fan sends a message to Mets fans at Spring Training, courtesy of Mr. Tiger Blood himself, Charlie Sheen:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Spring-Swing-Braves-fan-uses-Charlie-Sheen-meme?urn=mlb-330696&utm_source=bleacherreport.com&utm_medium=referral
March 7th, 2011 at 1:18 pm@33 – we have a winner!
March 7th, 2011 at 1:20 pmLemke sounds drunk on the radio broadcast. Reminds me of Joe Namath.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:24 pmNo, really, life after ESPN has been good. I’m considering a few endorsement deals -multivitamins, fiber supplements, Spanx for Men…
March 7th, 2011 at 1:34 pmJudging from his voice, Mark Lemke is behind this movie series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfBhi6qqFLA&playnext=1&list=PL56E3EB1DFD4B64A2
March 7th, 2011 at 1:50 pmMcLouth 1-2, HR…now .467
March 7th, 2011 at 2:09 pmFreeman 2-2 .435
I’ve been really critical of Louth this offseason. Count me as silenced as far as spring training goes.
March 7th, 2011 at 2:19 pm@26,
That is funny!
March 7th, 2011 at 2:21 pmDoesn’t count as a caption, but this was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture.
March 7th, 2011 at 2:45 pmNot-That-It’s-Keeping-Me-Up-Nights Dept.
After running the bases yesterday, Carlos Beltran can’t even DH right now.
March 7th, 2011 at 3:33 pmUnfortunately, that’s a pretty big deal, fantasy-wise, to me.
March 7th, 2011 at 4:09 pm@45
Classic example of “Drafting Division Rivals Dilemma.”
March 7th, 2011 at 5:06 pmI’ll trade you this green jacket i won in the 1892 Masters for a ball signed by Heyward…. What ta ya say?ehh
March 7th, 2011 at 5:35 pmYeah. It’s extremely tough to avoid that dilemma in an NL-only league.
March 7th, 2011 at 5:49 pmFredi, you got to try Depends. I’m peeing right now!
March 7th, 2011 at 5:53 pm“Can I start a Jeff Francoeur rumor?”
March 7th, 2011 at 7:41 pmBethany gets a mention by Rob Neyer.
Full interview here.
March 7th, 2011 at 8:20 pmBethany is famous.
March 7th, 2011 at 8:37 pm“Sure, put me down for 2 boxes.”
March 7th, 2011 at 8:49 pm“Nobody really listens to me anymore. I mean, they still let me go on TV, but…it’s not the same.”
“I know, Peter. Everything’s gonna be all right.”
March 7th, 2011 at 8:58 pmAw, thanks for mentioning that, Mac. I don’t think I would have pursued any of this if not for Bravesjournal. Finding a great group of people who know so much more than I do about baseball really helped me fall in love with it again. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, it doesn’t seem real.
March 7th, 2011 at 9:03 pm677 backers already is an incredible number, Bethany. Kickstarter is awesome (as is the Eephus League).
March 7th, 2011 at 9:53 pmKudos and well done. Most impressive campaign.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:11 pmCongrats on a project well deserving, Bethany!
March 7th, 2011 at 10:34 pmGood for you Bethany, very impressive stuff.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:35 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyd6CZEV6Sg&NR=1
March 8th, 2011 at 3:28 amAlice Cooper is in the Rock’n'Roll HOF now, but am I to understand Rush isn’t?
March 8th, 2011 at 7:30 amDo we let Canadians into the HoF? Doesn’t seem right. Neil Young notwithstanding, of course.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:40 am@61, that’s the group that sings about spaceships and fighting trees, right?
March 8th, 2011 at 7:41 amWatch the documentary “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage” and you will wonder how they are not in the HoF.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:55 amListen to “By-Tor And The Snow Dog” and you won’t.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:05 amThey’d have to put Yes in first, wouldn’t they?
March 8th, 2011 at 8:10 amGeez, that’s a bit harsh… a song written early in their career and before Pert started doing lyrics is enough to keep them out of the HoF? If that keeps them out then I wonder what qualifies one for entry into the HoF?
March 8th, 2011 at 8:16 amYou know, all fun aside, this is not a bad list at all –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame_inductees
Seems like it’s a bit small, but that beats being too large imho, and really not much to quarrel with about those selected. It’s not like Kiss is in there or anything. For a commercial enterprise, I’d say this is a really good effort.
@67, I was just teasing. But they really did have a hilarious 4 album start to their career.
But let’s put the shoe on the other foot – make the case that they should be in there, besides selling an enormous amount of records.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:20 amScratch “Yes” and insert “King Crimson” into my previous post.
Sooner or later they’ll get around to more prog inductees, but too many people have too little use for the genre. Right now it’s Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Traffic — and I doubt the more “proggy” entries of the latter two were the reason for their inductions.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:24 amBesides having the best drummer of all time?
March 8th, 2011 at 8:33 amI’m not really very good at creating convincing arguments (I guess that’s why I referenced the documentary because I think it does a good job) but I would say this:
March 8th, 2011 at 8:39 am1. They were and have been a very unique sound in the world of rock and roll.
2. They continue to tour to this day and sell out large venues which means a lot of people are fans of their stuff.
3. They have influenced other artists over the span of their career.
4. For a three man band they create some good music that is not so easy to play.
5. Neil Peart
6. They do have a pretty extensive catalog and they are still making new music.
7. They probably have some good counting stats (like platinum albums or some such).
8. When I go to concerts I see people from “that younger generation” which tells me they are still drawing new fans to their stuff instead of it just being a bunch of “old farts” like myself.
@70, Like my good pal Mark twain said, “Be not simply good, be good for something.” You want to put Neil Peart in the Drummer’s Hall of Fame? Be my guest (although I wonder what exactly you are basing “best” on, aside from constant repetition – I’ll take Al Jackson). Tell me what Rush has done to warrant induction.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:41 amGeddy Lee is a big baseball fan. That must count for something.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:48 amThey’re just really, really good musicians. No, I’m not going from reputation about Neal Peart. Limelight has probably the best drum entrance you’ll hear. Also, everyone talks about Tom Sawyer but their best songs are probably YYZ and 2112. Plus, a lot of their “spaceship” music does stand for things that I won’t go into in observance of the no politics rule. And like Hap said, their stuff transcends their generation. (I’m only 20)
Lastly, they’re promoted in I Love You, Man, which has to count for something, right?
March 8th, 2011 at 8:53 am@71 –
Seems like this boils down to two arguments -
A; They were/are very commercially successful for a long time (2,6,7,8)
B: Their music is complicated (1,4,5 – ha! unintentional blues joke!)
I am not sure about 3 – I mean I agree, I guess, but it doesn’t seem particularly broad or deep.
I just can’t think of anything particularly memorable they have done. They made half a dozen comic-con records, then went down some crazy pop psychology/technology trail, and then three albums about Peart’s personal tragedy. It’s a great career obviously, but for me the RR HoF in my mind skews much more to peak than career.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:59 am“Plus, a lot of their “spaceship” music does stand for things that I won’t go into in observance of the no politics rule.”
Thank goodness. But there was a hilarious anecdote recently about them sending a cease and desist order to a certain politician for using their music – the namesake of the self-stated inspiration for 2112 in fact. Delicious, delicious irony.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:03 amThe Hall of Fame seems to be more about lasting influence than anything else. Velvet Underground, for example, was never particularly commercially successful, and they didn’t have a long career, but they were highly influential in rock music.
I think sansho1 has the right idea. King Crimson should probably be there. I’d probably put Yes in before Rush, though I’m not sure either really fit.
Although King Crimson is a pretty glaring omission, The Pixies seem like the most obvious band presently excluded. Well, maybe MC5. spike’s right, though. It’s a pretty good list.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:13 amspike, is there prog you find some worth in? Pink Floyd excluded.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:15 amHow about prog metal? Mastodon is from the A-T-L.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:22 amAny Hall of Fame that doesn’t include Yes or Rush will not be visited by me.
At their respective peaks, their live musicianship alone should sway you.
You can argue that their early lyrics were pretentious and foolishly Utopian (or Luddite) but a lot of us were that way and, like them, grew out of it.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:25 am@79, Tool’s pretty influential. You could make a good argument for them.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:26 am@78, have I mentioned Pink Floyd is one of my guilty pleasures here before? Gilmour’s love affair with the blues and really cool vintage instruments wins me over. But to answer your question, obviously I owned many Rush albums once upon a time, and for the record, I agree with the idea of King Crimson in the HoF. I don’t mind when a prog song comes on the radio, and definitely spent many hours learning how to play “Roundabout” back in the day.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:46 am“I used to look like you…until I met Scott Boras.”
March 8th, 2011 at 10:04 amStu
meshuggah is MUCH better than Mastodon (and I really dig me some Mastodon)
March 8th, 2011 at 10:06 am@81, Dead Kennedys/Black Flag, Motorhead, Scott Walker, T-Rex would work for me on that front.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:12 amNeither Tool nor Mastodon is eligible, obviously. (I prefer both to Meshuggah, though Chris may want to destroy erase improve my opinion.)
I saw the Rush doc and it actually substantially raised my opinion of them. I think the real question is whether they’re more like the Harold Baines of hard rock or the Eddie Murray of hard rock.
(The Will Clark of hard rock, IMO, is Queensryche: they’re basically the American Rush, having progressed from early high-pitched yowling metal to latter-period midrange vocals. But their 2-CD greatest hits is terrific, and I even liked their most recent album, Tribe. Similarly, Rush’s latest two, Vapour Trails and Snakes & Arrows, are two of the most palatable and easiest entry points in their career.)
Say what you want about the Tolkien and Ayn Rand influences on Peart’s lyrics, Moving Pictures is a pretty great album.
I’d vote for Rush.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:22 am@Bethany
March 8th, 2011 at 10:24 amA) I just signed up this morning (Kickstarter is like Etsy… pure evil I love so much and can’t resist)
B) I love, love, love, love the “There is but one game, and that game is Baseball” poster… I may have just printed a copy of the image out to hang in my office for opening day (since the poster is going to the house).
Speaking of bands that probably shouldn’t be eligible for something called the “Rock & Roll” Hall of Fame, do you guys think Fairport Convention should be in?
March 8th, 2011 at 10:25 am@85, my reflexive internal response to your comment is, “Wait, Black Flag isn’t in the Hall of Fame?” That’s a pretty big omission. I don’t have enough of an encyclopedic memory to play this game.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:27 amYeah, I wasn’t talking about HoF induction with Mastodon, just asking if spike had any interest.
I’m tempted to find a way to make fun of Meshuggah and UNC in the same joke, but I don’t have the energy for chris, today.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:28 amOnce you’ve inducted Jackson Browne, it’s hard to leave anyone out for not being Rock & Roll enough.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:29 am@88, I am reminded of Duke Ellington’s famous quote “the jazz word simply means “freedom of expression”, as far as I’m concerned. We stopped using it, I mean, in 1943.” You could easily substitute Rock and Roll and 1958. But wrt to Fairport, obviously a hugely influential group but I know so little about them – I couldn’t say.
@89 now that the Stooges (and Ramones for some time) are in, I suspect one of the late 70′s american hardcore bands will go in soon
March 8th, 2011 at 10:41 amBlack Flag’s further down my list of the bands I really want to see inducted. I’d rather see the Dictators, the New York Dolls, and Television get in first. (The Hall of Fame just ain’t the same without Handsome Dick Manitoba.)
Stu, if you’re ever looking to make a joke about Meshuggah, may I suggest the track listing of Fredrik Thordendal’s solo album as a good place to start?
March 8th, 2011 at 10:43 am@90 – I like Mastodon just fine, thanks, although not a connoisseur of the genre. They are good guys too. I can’t go see them play anymore, as I get mildly agoraphobic in packed clubs now in my dotage, but I enjoyed their live performances at the Earl and such a few years back very much indeed.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:45 am93—”I, Galactus” would be so much better as “Aye, Galactus”.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:45 amRush vs. Yes vs. … the regular season can’t get here soon enough.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:59 amchipper done with the old school look. he says low-tops never felt right.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:25 amPeter Gammons regrets using Tara Reid’s plastic surgeon
March 8th, 2011 at 11:42 amthe more i see, the more i think ed lucas is going to make this team. dob has an individual piece up on him.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:05 pm@93, they already have Patti Smith and the Talking Heads, which covers the two most influential artists from that scene. The fact that they have Blondie isn’t really a reason to include, say, Television. You’re pretty familiar with the failing of the “X is more qualified than Y, and Y is in Hall” argument. (Note: I am not specifically referring to the actual band X, even if X is more qualified than Blondie, and Blondie is in the Hall.)
Black Flag was hugely influential in rock music, and their influence isn’t really reflected elsewhere in the hall.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:10 pmjurrjens having control issues and has walked the first 2 batters. ross just gunned down gardner at 3rd to help jj out. jj strikes out granderson.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:15 pmJoey, I’m not trying to induct other artists from the scene. I just love the Dics and Television more than most other bands, including Black Flag.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:24 pmI’ve been to the RRHOF, the fact that it is in Cleveland and not somewere like Memphis is reason enough to know it is fake.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:30 pmBethany;
March 8th, 2011 at 12:33 pmYou ROCK!
jj really not looking good. i wouldnt be worried if he looked good last year, but he looked pretty bad last year.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:46 pmFrom Disney:
JJ was not missing by much. Righted ship. Helped by fortuitous call on Gardner @ 3rd.
Bunt single should have been throwing error on Bowman.
Schafer should have made the play in center.
Montero up now. DP. Inning over. 3-0 Yanks.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:47 pmJust got a bare hand on a foul ball and it hurt.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:04 pmGreetings from Miami Beach…
Congrats, Bethany.
Critics hate prog-rockers, generally, and being hated by the people who vote for the Rock Hall doesn’t help. (And I confess to seeing them 4 times back in the day.) I saw that doc, too, but it did a good job of showing why some folks just HATE Rush.
Black Flag’s influence on indie rock is monumental, especially on the DIY touring end of it. There was a time when they were the bravest, hardest-working rock band in America. They took punk rock to middle America by driving there, setting up & playing. And their shows were amazing spectacles.
It never occurred to me, but Black Flag should probably be in.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:11 pmRan down to Buford Hwy for some Indian food, and just happened to have the greatest achievement of the greatest American composer in the CD player. It’s an unfair comparison, I know – the expression “an All-Star at every position” should have a photo of the group for a definition. Talk about some perspective, though – put whoever you like in the RR HoF.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:12 pm@107, Gregg Ginn once bitterly complained to me at the old Metroplex that the thing that held them back the most was players constantly quitting the band as there was no money in it at all.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:17 pmLooks like Sherrill likes beer…a lot.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:26 pmSherrill is the lefty Kolb.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:28 pmI think Rush has a better case than many are giving them credit for. They have arguably the best drummer and bassist of all time, they have an incredible length of quality career, and the breadth of their influence on Rock’n'Roll is incredible.
The last point is what does it for me. I think their influence is greater than that of Alice Cooper, or Genesis, or Yes.
On another subject, we got Sherrill to get lefties out. Well, he isn’t.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:40 pmParish – you’re at a Braves Spring Training game. You’ll get no sympathy from us.
——————
I forget who said it, but my favorite definition of the blues is “a good man feeling bad”.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:40 pmand it looks like linebrink is on the brink of being horrible. did we really need to trade for linebrink and sign sherrill? sigh…
March 8th, 2011 at 1:45 pmThe Yanks have been running at will on D. Ross. He finally got someone out. I am not counting the call on Gardner in the 1st.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:46 pmSpeaking of blues music, I’ve only recently gotten into Brothers, the Black Keys’ 2010 record — wow, am I ever enjoying it.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:54 pmOkay, the drummer thing I have let slide because lets face it, they are drummers, but the best bassist? Really? Obviously, anyone is “arguably” the best anything when it comes to purely subjective subjects, but that seems like a stretch – much in the same way that “Neil Peart is the greatest drummer” is. What are these statements based on? “Flashiest”, or “uses the most crap onstage”, I can buy, but “greatest’ sounds an awful lot like “It’s my favorite band, so QED they are the best musicians”.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:05 pm@87 I’m glad you like the poster, BFedRec! I’ll see about getting you an extra poster for your office, let me know which kickstarter account is yours.
@104 Thanks Kevin ^_^
I don’t know any of these bands but I always enjoyed watching everyone argue over the rock and roll HOF.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:10 pmOkay, 118 came out sounding more combative than I meant to sound. Mea culpa. But it seems to me that the Neil Pearts and Geddy Lees of the world spend a lot more time playing “lead drums” and “lead bass” instead of, you know, rhythmically propelling a song. The next time either of them can sit still for 5 minutes and just do that will be the first time, from what I know of their style.
This is to me, what “the greatest rock and roll drummer” should sound like – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfWPDGWP568
March 8th, 2011 at 2:21 pmspike, you should go easy picking fights with drummers. There’s strong, and there’s drummer strong. ( http://bit.ly/gDzizg )
March 8th, 2011 at 2:21 pmI don’t think technical musicianship should really be the be-all end-all of a rock band — the most technically demanding songs are rarely the best.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:22 pmFWIW, my vote for BEST DRUMMER EVA goes to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinnie_Colaiuta
March 8th, 2011 at 2:25 pmShe may not be the BEST DRUMMER EVA, but Elaine Hoffman-Watts kicks serious ass.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:27 pmForthcoming SI article on Calipari. (No, Stu, you’re not going to like it.)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1182972/1/index.htm
March 8th, 2011 at 2:30 pmThankfully, I’m also not going to read it.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:31 pmJoe Mather’s body type makes me think more of Ted Danson than Jason Werth.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:36 pmAnd George Sherrill’s makes me think of George Wendt.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:38 pmSpike @109
Well said. Love that box set.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:42 pmBrandon Hicks walked!
March 8th, 2011 at 2:45 pmnice outing by Kimbrel there.
and I just noticed that we have a catcher named Sucre, which is great because I loved him in Prison Break.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:49 pmBases loaded, none out for Braves in 9th.
Unfortunately Bowman’s up and he hits like a Canadian.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:49 pmi seriously love me some matt young. he puts a perfectly executed sac bunt down, but reaches on an errant throw. bases juiced with no out.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:49 pmThe only way that could have worked out worse for Costanza would have been for the catcher to drop that one.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:52 pmCo-stan-za!
March 8th, 2011 at 2:59 pm#110
Ginn coulda probably kept some of them if he hadn’t made them practice 10 hours a day, every day. And their tours were ridiculous.
This was back in the days of all-ages shows, so 2 gigs in one venue was pretty normal. They would do tours with, like, 60 shows in 50 days.
FWIW, I prefer Charlie Watts to Neal Peart, although I’ve heard some turntablists do amazing routines to “Tom Sawyer” (aka “The World’s Greatest Arena Breakbeat.”)
When DJs bite your beats & cut em up, you’re doing something right. Props to The Peart.
March 8th, 2011 at 3:00 pm@129, if Main Stem comes on, I just about have to pull the car over. It’s so rhythmically compelling, it is difficult to pay full-time attention. Now THAT’S how to play bass and drums.
March 8th, 2011 at 3:04 pmMac
@128,
Does that mean we can nickname him “Norm”?
March 8th, 2011 at 3:13 pmBunting with 2 outs in the 9th down 1 run isnt the best way for Costanza to try and make this team. He isnt Otis Nixon.
March 8th, 2011 at 3:17 pmRyan C, are you still in this traffic?
Getting away from the Ted is much easier than getting away from the Mickey.
Surveying my friends that play the drums, Peart is considered the best drummer by far. The same could be said of my friends that play bass and Geddy Lee. Granted, my friends will show a bias towards liking the same music I do, but that really does span across several generations.
I hear your point about “lead drums” and “lead bass” but that sounds more like an issue of taste. I am actually quite amazed at how well these complicated musical elements come together. Think of the harmonics and the playful bass line of Red Barchetta or the combination of all three in Limelight.
We disagree about how well we like their songs, but their technical skill is hard to argue, especially when you see it live. Neither is the point. I still think if you look at the breadth of their influence and how long it has endured, they belong in the RnR HOF.
March 8th, 2011 at 3:47 pmTiki Barber coming out of retirement, probably a bad decision for a 36yr old RB
March 8th, 2011 at 3:54 pmAnd then there’s the elephant-in-the-room issue of Geddy Lee’s voice.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:07 pmThis reminds me of a question I posed to a friend a while back. Which will happen first: Sonic Youth getting inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame or Bill James getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:25 pmIf Tom Waits can “sing”, anybody can.
@122
Which is why I, personally, can never get into most metal. Especially modern metal. I can appreciate technical ability, but when you’re eschewing any form of soul for the sake of showcasing how technically proficient you are, it’s just not something I want to listen to.
It may “sound good”, but I just get no enjoyment out of listening to it like I do, say, Ray Charles.
Edit: I feel like I should clarify that I’m not trying to demean Tom Waits in any way, just that if people can enjoy his voice then there’s really not much room to complain about anyone else.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:37 pmTiki’s broadcasting career has been downwardly mobile for a while.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:42 pmI think it’s gotta be Sonic Youth, because the critical establishment has long adored them. Some day soon a lot of those ’80s bands are going to start going in like ’30s guys on Veterans Committee ballots. There were a lot of Chuck Kleins on the AM dials back then.
Tom Waits might be best described as a vocalist rather than a singer. You may not like his voice, but he sounds that way on purpose: he’s using his voice as an instrument. Mike Patton’s a great example of another person who might be better categorized as a “vocalist.” Though he can actually sing when he puts his mind to it, as on his album Mondo Cane, a collection of Italian standards he sings in perfect Italian, backed by an orchestra.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:42 pmWhat about the voice of Geddy Lee? How did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy….
And on topic: I’m officially on board the Matt Young bandwagon.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:52 pm@140
March 8th, 2011 at 4:56 pmwasnt at the game. just no work and had it on the mlb package.
LOL…Zack Greinke fractured a rib playing basketball. Gonna miss at least his first two-three starts of the regular season.
http://twitter.com/SI_JonHeyman/status/45257530343030784
March 8th, 2011 at 5:00 pmGeddy sounds like a normal Canadian guy.
March 8th, 2011 at 5:09 pmI don’t know how I feel about the Calipari article. It’s certainly not flattering, but the reporting was even. The whole ‘I’ll burn your village’ quote was a little strange.
March 8th, 2011 at 5:31 pm@147, props for the Pavement reference, another seminal band that will only get into the Hall of Fame if they buy a ticket.
March 8th, 2011 at 5:38 pmI figured I could come up with ten American cities that were obviously better choices for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but actually I could come up with only eight. In roughly order of population, highest to lowest:
New York
LA
Philly
San Francisco
Seattle
Detroit
Memphis
Athens
Who am I missing? I’m leaving out cities like Tupelo associated with just one artist, and also Nashville since it’s really a country town — though inarguably more important in rock history than Cleveland.
March 8th, 2011 at 5:45 pmCleveland’s argument was that they were the home of the Alan Freed show, and they had 65M dollars to pony up.
March 8th, 2011 at 5:57 pmToo bad Paul Allen wasn’t throwing money around yet, Seattle would have been a much better choice.
March 8th, 2011 at 6:07 pmSeattle has the Experience Music Project, funded by Allen, which opened in 2000. It has more of a Northwest music scene concentration, which seems to suit people there fine.
It looks like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_EMPSFM.jpg
March 8th, 2011 at 6:20 pmTressel suspended for only two games? That isnt going to cut it, NCAA has really become a joke.
March 8th, 2011 at 6:59 pm@157,
I hope to see all the Bruce Pearl haters give him the same treatment. What say you Dick Vitale?
March 8th, 2011 at 7:01 pm157 – Nobody cares, however. The system is a joke, the rules are a joke, the enforcement is a joke. But people keep going to games and watching on television and all the while the NCAA makes piles of money, so nothing changes.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:08 pmTressel will miss the Akron and Toledo matchups.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:13 pmI am sure the Big Ten commish will add two game for him to make it up.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:16 pmGood thing he won’t miss St. Mary’s School of the Blind.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:18 pmi enjoyed this…
March 8th, 2011 at 7:38 pmhttp://tinyurl.com/4h6mu9s
First I’d heard about his Twins signing and release.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:53 pmWait a minute, when did Pink Floyd become a guilty pleasure? Neil Diamond is a guilty pleasure. Burt Bacharach is a guilty pleasure.
Geddy Lee looks like Ozzy Osbourne’s corpse.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:42 pmWow, I have to say Tennessee handled the PR side way better than OSU. I think Tressel is gone.
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/documents-read-the-actual-jim-tressel-emails-29547
March 8th, 2011 at 9:07 pmWhy, because some players sold stuff that was in their legal possession and he knew about it? It makes me sick that what those kids did is even considered a violation.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:45 pmHe covered it up to keep the players eligible. That is a big deal.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:54 pmI don’t see why he did. It’s not like the NCAA did anything.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:58 pmPlus, he might have impeded a criminal investigation.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:58 pmI suppose that in the self-sealing world of the NCAA it is. But really, what he covered up here is the least offensive violation I can imagine.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:05 pmThe at bat featuring 6 foot 11 Andrew Brackman pitching to 5 foot 6 former New Mexico Lobo Matt Young was one of the more amusing sights I’ve seen in awhile.
On the YES broadcast Michael Kay asked Girardi about Uggla’s defense when Girardi was his manager and he spoke very highly of him as a player in general, and said that he was ‘pretty happy’ with his defense, FWIW.
Also amused that Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Brain is played before a Wilkin Ramirez at bat at a park owned by Disney. Nothing says family friendly quite like Cypress Hill.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:03 pmThat was Brackman?
He’s the only guy we really hit.
March 9th, 2011 at 7:26 am@171, considering the heck that Cam Newton went through this season because his dad asked for money, it’s reasonable to think that there is a large segment of college football fans who think players should not be paid. If you think players shouldn’t be paid, there is little difference between giving a kid $200 and giving him a trophy that he then sells for $200. I don’t see a big difference between what Tressel did and a coach finding out that a booster or agent is making cash payments to a player and not reporting it.
If you really think players shouldn’t be paid, I don’t see how you can avoid coming down hard.
March 9th, 2011 at 8:21 amPhillies have announced that the cortisone shot in Ace Chutley’s knee did not work.
March 9th, 2011 at 8:30 amChutley may need a new knee then
March 9th, 2011 at 8:39 amIf Chutley Dutley is out, the division gets a lot more interesting. Brown, The Rainbow Warrior, Rollins and Ibanez would really have to step up.
Maybe Cliff Lee can come in and play second base and hit 25 home runs for them.
March 9th, 2011 at 8:46 amChutley Dutley sounds like he’s becoming Chudley Dudley.
March 9th, 2011 at 8:58 amThere’s a gigantic gulf of a difference to me between arranging pay-for-play with boosters and a kid selling a legal possession.
March 9th, 2011 at 9:22 am@177, brown fractured a hamate – an injury
March 9th, 2011 at 9:26 amKLawKeith Law (ugh I HATE that) claims takes 12-16 months to fully recover strength from. The Phils will be scrambling a bit for runs for the first 6-8 weeks of the season.Hey, let’s start a rumor!
March 9th, 2011 at 9:43 am180—It definitely sapped Pedro Alvarez’ power for a long stretch, when he was at Vanderbilt.
March 9th, 2011 at 9:54 amPicture this:
Philly fans crying about the loss of Brown and Chutley Dutley only to hear the Braves have packaged Freeman, Delgatto and (some other prospect) for Puljos who has agreed to sign an extension (and Liberty Media has okayed a $30 million/year for 9 year deal)
March 9th, 2011 at 9:57 amAnybody taken the Wonderlic Personnel Test (or CCA Test) that’s used at the football combine?
My buddy’s just applied for an engineering position and took it as part of the interview.
Is it tough?
March 9th, 2011 at 10:08 amIs there any word on what exactly is wrong with Utley’s knee? He might not be out that long, I thought.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:25 amWell, the Phillies signed no significant position players after putting all of their money in the Lee basket.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:33 am@186, it’s the Howard basket that is/will be killing them.
@185 – here you go –
Phillies team physician Michael Ciccotti issued the following statement regarding Chase Utley’s health status:
“Chase has had mild patellar tendinitis and chondromalacia in the past that have previously resolved quickly. His symptoms returned during his off-season workouts, and he developed some anterior knee pain consistent with his prior history. When he reported to spring training this year, his knee was treated as it had been in the past, however his symptoms continued. An MRI was obtained that demonstrated his prior tendinitis, chondromalacia, and bone inflammation. His chondromalacia symptoms persisted in spite of focused non-operative care, including a cortisone injection. A subsequent cartilage-specific MRI was obtained confirming the initial diagnosis. Continued non-operative treatment is being carried out and additional opinions will be obtained.”
And now they aren’t ruling out surgery – http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/Phillies_still_examining_options_dont_rule_out_surgery_for_Utley.html
March 9th, 2011 at 10:44 amThis seems very similar to last year when the Phillies had injury issues in Spring that affected the first half of the season (95 games in, we had a 7 game lead in the division). Let’s hope that Chipper and the and the Melky-less Braves can stay healthy so the Braves can continue to cash in on the Phillies misfortunes.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:45 amAs much as I loathe Utley for killing us, I never want to root for a guy like that to be injured, and I wouldn’t want to have to predicate my division hopes on injuries to the Phillies. I hope they take a good long while to rehab him, but I hope he comes back healthy.
I just hope the injury bug that hit the Cardinals and Phillies stays the hell away from us.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:02 amIt’s okay, I specifically engineered this injury bug to only affect the Cardinals and the Phillies. I also have one ready for the Nationals and Marlins, should they prove to be a problem within the division.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:06 amI’ve also enjoyed your past work with the Mets.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:12 amThe Mets are capable of self destruction of laughable proportions without my help.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:15 amI think our involvement with Mike Hampton has made us immune to the injury bug.
Have any of the gamers here played MLB 2K11 yet? I’m thinking about trading some games in and picking it up.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:21 amSpeaking of the Mets, apparently, Oliver Perez won’t be in the Mets rotation this year. Rats.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:33 amI’m still torn between 2k11 and The Show ’11. I’ll probably wait and see which one has the first price drop and just pick that one up.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:34 amdo any of you guys think the braves have any real intentions of actually giving rodrigo lopez a real look for the 5th spot? i sure hope not.
and schafer strikes out again. that’s 7 in 30 plate appearances. on the other hand, matt young has 1 in 17 plate appearances.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:11 pm@No. Lopez will be AAA filler. It’s Mike Minor’s job to lose.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:18 pmanybody else holding their breath right now?
March 9th, 2011 at 12:26 pmIt was Luis Salazar, A+-Lynchburg manager. Drilled in the head by a McCann foul liner.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:27 pmI think there is no chance that Schafer makes this team as a 4th OF’r. He needs AB’s and Young seems like the perfect bench player. Meanwhile, Mather looks awful too.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:28 pmhopefully he’s ok, sounded pretty scary the way it was being described.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:30 pmLuis was airlifted to the Hospital. Hopefully he’ll be ok, but no update yet.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:47 pmI had chondromalacia in my right knee 20 years ago. I had to walk down steps sideways. I had gotten up to 260# on leg extensions. I had the bright idea of lifting 70% of my usual left ( 180#) with two legs and lowering it with one. Rest helped in about a month and have never tried to do it again. Complete rest and come back by all star break.
March 9th, 2011 at 12:58 pmDid Lemke just compare minor league Dominican players in spring training to Crips and Bloods?
March 9th, 2011 at 1:45 pmI’m kind of hoping that we don’t have to open the year with something called “Yohan Flande” in the bullpen.
March 9th, 2011 at 1:46 pmis that worse than “Scott Proctor”
March 9th, 2011 at 1:51 pmIt’s Portuguese for “Scott Proctor”.
March 9th, 2011 at 1:55 pmI hope Salazar is okay. If I were hit in the face by a line drive, I think the last thing I’d want to do is spend 20 minutes in a helicopter. Sounds miserable.
March 9th, 2011 at 2:37 pmSaw Scott Diamond pitch today for the Twins. He was easily the best guy they had on the mound today and that includes Liriano.
I am not sure the Twins will let us have him back.
On another note, Adam Jones is awesome.
March 9th, 2011 at 4:17 pm@195
If you have a PS3, I would definitely go with The Show. It’s very good this year.
March 9th, 2011 at 4:49 pmNew post.
March 9th, 2011 at 5:16 pmYep. I work at Taco Bell on the side. Can I have my Jacket back now?
March 14th, 2011 at 6:26 pm