Tuesday, September 30, 2008
"Unclassy"
To make-up for the dreadful, black-out loss to the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, the Washington Redskins closed out their Texas Stadium era with a big win on Sunday afternoon. Campbell is finally starting to feel comfortable (again, like his 13-0 season at Auburn) in the West Coast offense implemented by Jim Zorn. Let's see what the Skins can do in Philly this weekend. The Skins can never win there when McNabb is playing.
I'll get to the Nationals and their issues later on this week. I've discovered some articles relating to the shine coming off the Ted Lerner administration in DC. Just what the DC area needed... another hands-on, overaggressive owner who won't allow the baseball/football people to perform their job.
One last thought... I wish that MLB would wise-up and give the Cubs' ownership keys to Mark Cuban. The man is a marketing magician, who would boost revenues into Yankee territory. While outlandish and outspoken at times (he makes up for it by working at Dairy Queen!), Cuban is a rabid fan of his team. To contradict that sentiment, Hank Steinbrenner attended three games this year at Yankee Stadium. Cuban's enthusiasm and commitment to his team is unquestionable; the Cubs would shift some of that East Coast network bias to the Midwest. It would surely beat another addition to Bud's Poker Club.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The O's Won A Trade; huh?
Signing their two round 1 sections -- stud C Matt Wieters and ace-in-the-making lefty Brian Matusz -- are good moves for this moribund franchise. The massive 5 for 1 Tejada trade is too early to judge because all of the young players in the deal have yet to develop. But one deal that is looking like a steal is the Erik Bedard trade.
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Bedard numbers this year: 6-4, 3.67 ERA, 72 K's, 81 IP, 1.32 WHIP, 37 BB's.
Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the deal, isn't lighting up the league -- yet -- but he has shown promise, especially when he began heating up along with the weather in mid-May: 0.270 BA, 9 HR's, 57 RBI's.
But what about George Sherrill, the All-Star? 31 saves and 55 K's in 50 innings. Maybe MacPhail can parlay his All-Star status into a trade for another grade A or B prospect or two?
Chris Tillman? Read this Keith Law article. He's tearing up the AA-Eastern League.
What seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the season is now a legitimate question... Should the Mariners non-tender Bedard this offseason? Why would you pay $10M for a pitcher who may come back for half the season, then depart via free agency?
Chalk up a "W" for MacPhail and the Orioles on this one.
Happy 1, SP.
Turn it up! A Look at The Traveling Wilburys
- Handle with Care -- Quite possibly Roy Orbison's finest piece of work; this song propelled the supergroup into recording an entire album, not just this single.
- Dirty World -- One of the coolest endings ever... it incorporates everyone's vocals gracefully.
- Last Night -- Very groovy bass line for this radio hit.
- End of the Line -- The most popular, but not the best, song on the album.
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The other six tracks are just as creative, innovative, and fluid as these noteworthy four. I read that George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne were having lunch with Bob Dylan, and they talked about recording a song together. Harrison left his guitar at Tom Petty's house, so he was invited to collaborate on this one track project (Handle with Care). Because the song was so good, they decided that it couldn't be released as a single, so it was determined that a short album was in store. Subsequently, Volume I is the result of a polished product from five talented frontmen, who wanted to record an album together. Usually, when artists of this magnitude collaborate, their styles don't mix, and only one forgettable song is produced. This latter situation occurs when artists team up for raise awareness for an issue. You'll have 5 or 6 lead guitars because each frontman wants to bring their own lead guitarist. Volume I is a rare exception because the artists kept their egos in check, and serendipitously discovered that their own styles are not much different from each other's. The melodic grooves blend together so well... you just have to wonder what could had been if for not each member returning to their respective band. I still need to check out Volume III (yes, that was on purpose) to see how the follow-up went. For now, let me know what you think about supergroup's production.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Lost Art; Album Artwork
- U2 -- Achtung Baby -- I once met somebody who had the U and 2 rings on this cover.
- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- Into the Great Wide Open -- My parents always had this album resting on top of their stereo.
- Nirvana -- Nevermind -- A popular favorite among Bistro readers.
- Green Day -- Dookie -- One of the first albums I ever bought; the meticulous cartoon-esque setting is pretty cool with the inclusion of Dookie.
- Pink Floyd -- The Dark Side of the Moon -- One of, if not the most, recognizable album covers of all-time.
- Prince -- Purple Rain -- Popular because of the movie.
- The Go-Go's -- Beauty and the Beat -- This album cover was recommended to me by a woman.
- Nick Drake -- Pink Moon -- Off beat; yes. Original; no.
- Talking Heads -- Little Creatures -- Talking Heads always have great album covers.
- The Rolling Stones -- Sticky Fingers -- Had to include a black n' white cover.
- Duran Duran -- Rio -- Had to include an album from my YOB.
- Elton John -- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy -- The name of the album is as unusual as its cover.
- Kiss -- Creatures of the Night -- Great cover (yes, it includes facials), but it completely depicts the name tastefully.
As an addendum to this blog, check out Trivia Tim's latest entry about how an album is recorded. Maybe, as an addition to this entry, he could include how the album artwork was selected and developed. The cover of his latest album is featured in this entry.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Stadium Economics, New York Style
As the fan says at the end of the article, if ownership can't afford to finance a new stadium on their own, they shouldn't be leaving Giants Stadium. Something for DC area politicians to remember when Danny (inevitably) tries to one-up the Giants and Cowboys with a new stadium! Yes, this is coming from me, a huge proponent of stadium building. Although, I can just see it now in the year 2017 (after 20 years of playing in the "outdated" FedEx Field), Danny buys the plot of land that RFK currently resides on and builds a University of Phoenix Stadium to trump the new Cowboys Stadium.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Are You Ready for Some Football?
For once, there were no splashy free agent signings or top, lottery picks to showcase in Ashburn this year. Sure, there was the boffo trade for (former) sack machine Jason Taylor, but this current time frame of the Snyder reign is preaching continuity. It’s all fine and dandy when Greg Blache picks up the torch from “Double G” Williams, using the same defensive schemes. But what about the cornerback depth? Shawn Springs isn’t getting any younger, Carlos Rogers is coming off knee surgery, and Fred Smoot doesn’t cover the 70% of land that he proclaimed on draft day 2001.
Jason Campbell is expected to thrive in Zorn’s West Coast offense. As SI’s Peter King notes, expect big things from Campbell soon. WR depth was built through the draft. Clinton Portis is finally poised to carry the workload again and appears in good condition following his shoulder injury from 2006. But saying that Campbell will blossom and the D will continue to improve its top 10 finish from last year is like saying (in 2002) that the defensive with Marvin Lewis will be solid and The Ol’ Ball Coach will entrench an explosive offense equating to a double digit, playoff season. I have no idea what to expect from Zorn this year. I have no idea who the guy is, other than the people from Seattle love him. The team’s DNA under Gibbs was run the ball and play solid D. Now, short drop back passes are inked all over the playbook.
Tonight’s game is tough to predict. Sometimes the Redskins play very well in the Meadowlands. Sometimes they lay eggs. Coming off an exuberant Super Bowl victory, playing on national TV, and opening up the final season of Giants Stadium translates to an extremely ballyhooed crowd. This type of crowd could parallel the October 2005 game when Giants owner Wellington Mara passed, and the Giants used this emotion to propel them to a blowout victory. I love the Redskins, but for tonight, I’ll say:
Giants 24, Redskins 13
Hail to the Redskins!