Phantastic

Greensboro, NC -- As I watched the Phillies celebrate winning the National League pennant on Wednesday night, the notion popped into my head that yet another team has made it to the Big Show, while the Orioles (often picked on here in this web space) go home with another losing record this year. I've been to three Phillies' games in Philaldelphia in my lifetime, and the last trip was completely different than my first two visits.

My first two visits in 1999 and 2003 were to Veterans Stadium, which played host to some low budget, awful teams. At the time, and since their previous trip to the World Series, the Phillies win total beginning in 1994 was 54, 69, 67, 68, 75, 77, 65 (1994-2000). What made me question Boston's "desperate" hire of Terry Francona in 2004 was that Francona managed a bulk of the Phillies' teams in the late 90's. Their modest payrolls in the $40M range didn't help either. My question was always related to payroll and city population size -- why couldn't this New York-wannabe city be the upper tier of player payroll? Were the owners just cheap?

Since the move to the sparkling Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004, the Phillies wins' have been 86, 88, 85, 89, 92. But their secret cheese whiz hasn't been the ballpark; it's been the hiring of Pat Gillick. Gillick's trademark teams don't feature players who absorb a significant portion of payroll (goodbye Jim Thome). They also feature strong bullpens and a solid bench. Gillick's Blue Jays teams won two World Series and his Orioles teams could have won two if it weren't for Jeffrey Maier and an Armando Benitez gopher ball to the Indians' Tony Fernandez. Coupled with Gillick, the Phillies payroll rose in 2003 from $70M to $93M with the move to the new park. Since that time, their payroll has eclipsed the $88M mark in all four seasons, which is more in line with a midmarket to big market team. The owners have not changed since 1981.

One of Angelos's biggest blunders, and there's been plenty, was to let Gillick go following the 1998 season. The Orioles haven't had a winning season since. Whoever is able to capitalize on Gillick's knowledge and expertise next year -- possibly the Mariners -- is wise. Until then, there's a World Series to decide. Like last year's Rockies, I don't like the long layoff, so I'm going to take the Rays, assuming that they can win one more game at the Trop tomorrow or Sunday.

A Question for you NFL Experts

Greensboro, NC -- In the wake of the New England Patriots fall from grace this season, one legitimate question needs to be asked, "Why is the losing team of the previous Super Bowl awful every year?" This observation has been brought to NFL fans before, but I haven't heard any talk about it yet, maybe since the Patriots are still above 0.500 for the year. Take a look at the following teams' record following their loss in the previous season's Super Bowl:

• New England Patriots, 2008, 3-2
• Chicago Bears, 2007, 7-9
• Seattle Seahawks, 2006, 9-7
• Philadelphia Eagles, 2005, 6-10
• Carolina Panthers, 2004, 7-9
• Oakland Raiders, 2003, 4-12
• St. Louis Rams, 2002, 7-9
• New York Giants, 2001, 7-9

With the exception of the Seahawks in 2002 -- playing in the very weak NFC West -- what else is new with that division -- all of the Super Bowl losers have finished with a losing record. What are the causes of the "Super Bowl hangover?"

Does the losing team believe that they're very close to winning a championship and don't feel the neel to retool?

Is the losing team a victim of bad luck, such as injuries to key players like Tom Brady this season, and Donovan McNabb in 2005?

Is the quarterback the problem? Grossman for the Bears last year was awful. Gannon's arm nearly fell off from all of those side arm slings for the Raiders in 2003. It was the beginning of the demise for Kurt Warner in St. Louis (since his resurgence this year). Ditto Kerry Collins for the G-Men.

Were fans' expectations too high the next year? The mentality of "they were o-so-close this year, we'll win it next year!" doesn't work. Seattle, home of the 12th man; Philly, and their obnoxious fans; ditto the Giants.

My question is, why aren't teams who won the Super Bowl faltering at this pace? If David Tyree doesn't haul in that unbelievable catch during last year's Super Bowl, and the Patriots hang on for the win, we wouldn't be having this blog discussion.

"Unclassy"

Winston-Salem, NC -- We're in midseason in the City of Greensboro Fall Kickball League 2008. With the addition of four new teams, the league has blossomed into a boffo "after work" program. Half of the new teams are pretty darn good; one of those two good teams beat us in a solid, crisp, defense-dominated 7-2 game last week. A couple of recent UNCG grads anchor the team. However, the other two new teams are just plain awful. In a 17-4 rout last week, our team was called "unclassy" for running up the score. It was a high schooler versus elementary schooler match-up where we were trying to get out after the first inning. As the team pastor said, "The first person to claim that someone doesn't have 'class' usually doesn't have any." Our record is 2-2 with an archrival match-up against "Crush" tonight.

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.

The O's Won A Trade; huh?

Greensboro, NC -- Since the apex of Peter Angelos' reign as owner, the Orioles have been the devil dogs of Major League Baseball. Since the brilliant GM Pat Gillick was shown the door following the mediocre 1998 season, the Orioles have had a milquetoast in the GM's chair. But one can't help but notice when Angelos hired Andy MacPhail in the middle of last summer to usurp all GM duties from the bland Mike Flanagan as President of Baseball Operations that the O's misfortunes have turned a little bit.

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.

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.

The lesson learned from this trade is that 3 for 1 or 5 for 1 trades never work. The Orioles haven't been on the "1" side since they were burned in that lopsided Glenn Davis trade in 1991. What's striking for the Mariners was the fact that while Bedard has always shown promise, he had only one, solid year under his belt. He has a chilly personality that the Orioles didn't need in their youth movement, which the Mariners are seeing now. He has one more year left before he's eligible for free agency. On top of all of this, he's out for 9 months with shoulder surgery. Those injuries take time, so don't expect him back when he's eligible to come off the DL.

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

Greensboro, NC -- This past summer has been like no other, in that, I had the very fortunate ability to attend three future/current Rock N' Roll Hall-of-Fame artist's shows -- Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., and Tom Petty. Try to beat that in one summer! If I had more time, I would have tried to slide Rush in there too. By seeing these three artists, I rediscovered my fondness and appreciation for solid, fundamental 80's and 90's music. Tom Petty played the last of the three shows, and he mentioned to the crowd before playing his 10th song or so, "Here's an old Traveling Wilburys' hit..." My first reaction was, "Oh, that's easy... 'End of the Line'." The very first MTV video that I ever saw was indeed "End of the Line" with the Traveling Wilburys singing the tune in a moving train's boxcar. The ensuing chords took me back, needless to say.

Wanting to beef up my already impressive iTunes' library, I plucked the Traveling Wilburys' Volume I out of my parents' collection this past weekend. Along the drive from Ashton to Greensboro, I discovered another "lost art:" the art of playing an album from beginning to end with every song being radio worthy. This CD has one of the best track listings that I've heard in years! Like practically every U2 album (c'mon, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can't Leave Behind, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb are just that!), you can sing along to every song...

• 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.

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.

A Lost Art; Album Artwork

Greensboro, NC -- When I downloaded the latest version of iTunes last night, I felt as though I finally caught up with the times. I had been using version 6.9 or something like that because I couldn't figure out how to turn off this overprotected popup blocker on my computer. If you have iTunes version 8.0, you'll notice that the program organizes your music by album, and not by song anymore. The albums are identified by the front cover, or if you want to be fancy, the "inset sleeve." One can surely determine that some artists take a considerable amount of time in planning their album cover. I've noticed over time that album covers have become a lost art. Nowadays, you'll only see a frontal photo of the band or singer. I miss the days of some colorful and tasteful artwork on the covers. So, let me unveil my all-time favorite album covers. You can click on the name of the album below to see what I'm referring to. And, while you're at it, please add your own favorites so that I can check them out. I only want albums which exemplify nifty 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.

Stadium Economics, New York Style

Winston-Salem, NC -- Here's a link to a recent New York Times article about season ticket price woes for New York area fans. In summary, it's an awful way to treat your fans. If you paid thousands for a "seat license," you are stuck with (1) a lifetime of buying tix at any price set by the team, (2) abandoning your "investment" in the license or (3) trying to sell your license. I think the "value" for seating licenses is a bubble that will cave just like dot-com stocks in 2000 and Florida real estate in 2007.

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.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Greensboro, NC – After a jam-packed weekend of Murphy Nation festivities and zigzagging back and forth on the Tappan Zee Bridge, the vociferous conversation centered around such items as “How many points are the Giants favored by?,” “What? You’re a Skins fan?,” and “Be sure to catch the Super Bowl champs next week roll over your Skins.” A classy fan never boasts about his team. Plus, what should we expect out of the Jim Zorn Administration?

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!

Seeing Red

Winston-Salem, NC -- I'm sure many of you are eager for me to plunge the baseball blogs and move forward with my latest rumblings in the football world. Those posts will arrive shortly, but there's plenty of news to still muse over in the baseball world.

The Dodgers have had back-to-back nationally televised games on ESPN this week. For a "large market" team, they don't receive as much publicity as the East Coast teams. However, they've made plenty asplash this season with the hiring of Joe Torre, their reluctance to trade rookies, and their botched free agent signings. Frank McCourt, their over-aggressive team owner was an avid Red Sox fan before buying the Dodgers in 2004. Watching the Dodgers on TV is like watching a Red Sox reunion team. I can't believe how many ex-Soxers have worn a Dodgers' jersey since McCourt has taken over control of this team:

• Manny Ramirez, LF
• Derek Lowe, SP
• Nomar Garciaparra, IF
• Shea Hillenbrand, IF
• Grady Little, Mgr.
• David Wells, SP
• Bill Mueller, 3B
• Hideo Nomo, SP

2006, 2005 and earlier

Note: J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo both fled the Dodgers during the 2006-2007 offseason for the Red Sox. McCourt didn't mind.

The Dodgers are a prime case of why teams should only be sold to local ownership. It doesn't augment the situation either that McCourt is a "hands on" owner, constantly meddling in contract negotiations and trades (nixing a proposed deal for CC Sabathia). His dumbfounded move of firing Paul DePodesta (the unheralded star of the book, Moneyball) after his 2-year stint, and subsequently replacing him with the incompentent, former Giants rival, Asst. GM Ned Coletti, ranks as one of the stupidest moves in the 21st century. It's shown its repercussions already in the free agent world -- Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra, etc. McCourt, please don't ruin this storied franchise with your meddlesome ways. If you have to, sell the team and become a minority owner of the Red Sox. Word out of Boston is that Larry Lucchino will be departing (to San Diego?) at season's end because he cannot coexist with GM Theo Epstein. The spot vacated could be yours, Frankie.

Maryland Bound

Winston-Salem, NC -- I'll be taking a few days off from blogging and such to return to "one of my homes" this weekend -- Maryland! Hopefully, I'll be able to hit up the Nats' game tomorrow night against the Rockies. I know that the Nats suck, but it's baseball, and it's a new ballpark. I read today that one MLB scout noted that half of the Nationals' roster shouldn't be in the major leagues right now. We all thought that last year's team was supposed to be this bad. The ground beneath Bowden must be getting warmer by the day. If you're around this weekend, feel free to ping me.

A crab feast on the Chesapeake Bay will ensue on Saturday. Hope to see all of you Maryland readers/fans at some point during the next three days.

In the meantime, answer this:

B's Bistro asks...

What's the best thing that you've ever gotten out of a gum ball machine?
a) Superball
b) Jewelry
c) Puffy Sticker
d) Joy Buzzer

Keeping Score

FROM Thurs., 8.7.2008, Greensboro, NC – Littered behind home plate of Newbridge Bank Ballpark in Greensboro tonight were packs of scouts from different baseball teams clocking and charting the two starting pitchers and subsequent relievers of the Grasshoppers-Sand Gnats game. The scene is nothing new to minor league parks, but sitting next to a rookie baseball fan, Kaylin Murphy, it shed some new light. Not to overwhelm a rookie fan with the metrics that scouts chart and why, I started with the basics; scorekeeping. IMO, I believe that there are standard ways of scoring a game, a la a grounder to short should read “6-3” in the book. But everyone has their own method of scoring beyond the standard 5-4-3 double play.

I’ve seen fans use highlighters, draw diagonal lines, use colored pens, and their own lettering system for recording outs. Some of my personal favorites include a grounder to first, “3U,” as my dad showed me that one two years ago. My other personal favorite is the “backwards K” for a strikeout looking. While working for the Frederick Keys during two summers, the scoreboard operator, Stan the Man, always had the sharpest pencils. But, he wrote the lineup card as such: right-handed batters would be in blue; left-handed batters would be in red. I record a flyout to right as “F9.” Others may write, “FO-9” or “F/9.” Do you distinguish between a lineout and a flyout to the outfield like me? “L7” vs. “F7.”

To the readers: do you have a personal method of scorekeeping or do you do one quirky thing out of the ordinary in your scorekeeping? I’d be interested to find out some new methods.

Sports Talk from last week

FROM 8.5.2008, Greensboro, NC – I had to take a rain check for this past weekend’s NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony and game. I’ve been on the road for the past several weeks and I’ll be in the Delmarva area next weekend, then up to New York/New Jersey for Labor Day weekend. A 7 hour drive to Canton in the span of 24 hours would not have been a good economic choice.

I caught Art Monk’s homily to the Lord, er… Hall of Fame speech. I missed Darrell Green’s words though. Can any of the readers – I’m looking at you closet reader Monty – fill me in on some Canton tidbits that we would not have obtained from reading Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback?

Speaking of Peter King, in his recent postcard from Redskins’ camp, he mentioned that Jason Campbell has looked very sharp in this West Coast offense. He showed just that in the Hall of Fame game by tossing a fluid TD pass to Randle El in the first quarter. King’s prediction for the Redskins… he has no idea; they could finish anywhere from 1st to 4th in the four team division.

Quick thoughts on the baseball trading deadline. Manny Ramirez is a loser. Whoever pays this clown $12M/year this offseason for 2-3 years is a fool. You’re bound to receive one good year out of him at best. Yes, the Sox had to surrender 2 prospects to obtain Jason Bay, but it’s a great move for them. Bay can rake when he’s healthy. Something else that nobody picked up on… the Rays didn’t make a move at the deadline. But, they have ex-Vandy star LHP David Price who’s dominating Double A and former All-Star OF Rocco Baldelli coming off the DL. Now that’s two huge boosts for the team that currently mans 1st place in the tough AL East. I was glad to see the Braves get something (Casey Kotchman and a future relief pitcher) for Tex. You just never know with draft picks these days.

I’ve started Is This A Great Game, Or What? by Bethesda, MD native Tim Kurkjian. It’s been tough to put the book down at night… review to follow soon.

The Chefs Fight Back

Greensboro, NC – I would apologize for the lack of blogs recently, but there’s nothing that I can really do about it. I’ve taken a new position within my company, following our downsize, that requires me to pick up the slack of two other people. Coupled with Kaylin’s parents being out of town, there’s been no time to hit up B’s Bistro.

I did see this hilarious clip last week on You Tube where the visitor chef on some boring talk show actually fights back! Sam The Cooking Guy was a guest on The Today Show and he was demonstrating how to make some gourmet dish. Well, after incessantly peppering chef with worthless questions (no pun intended), Mrs. Regis received a vociferous mouthful from the chef (again, no pun intended). Take a look at this clip and decide for yourself.

Ok, Kathy, if you’re going to interject and be obnoxious, at least be funny. Bringing a chef or some type of cook onto a show, whether it be a talk show, the morning news, or The Food Network is “the new thing” because everyone is trying to eat healthy nowadays. David Letterman even brought food preparers on his show and he would purposely mess up the ingredients and instructions. It’s funny when Letterman does it, but not when you have Kathy dispensing useless fodder while Sam The Cooking Guy is attempting to explain his gourmet dish. I bet all of the television chefs around America stood up and applauded when they saw this clip.

Bravo! Now Show's Over.

Greensboro, NC -- The trading season "madness" has reached its apex this week with the trading deadline set to expire at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 31st. For the past couple of weeks, teams have been gaging whether they're "buyers" or "sellers." While my favorite team, the Braves, have trotted along at 0.500 for the first couple of months this season and now they're 49-56 following tonight's game, they should be considered "sellers." However, Manager Bobby Cox, nearing the end of his coaching career, has alternative motives; he believes that the Braves should be buyers. And apparently, GM Frank Wren (former O's GM (1999)) is listening. A purported trade of 4 prospects would have been sent to the Pirates for OF Jason Bay.

Look, there is a copious amount of teams lined up for the Wild Card. Further, if the injuries to ace pitcher Tim Hudson, All-Star catcher Brian McCann, and All-Star 3B Chipper Jones this weekend aren't enough, how do you "mash" your way to the playoffs when the starting pitching is so thin?

Wren should do the following:

• Package Texeira in a deal that yields 3 prospects with 1 being a star, a la the C.C. Sabathia deal. Texeira will sign with the Orioles this offseason, so obtain some developed talent over the 2 compensatory draft picks.
• Trade lefty reliever Will Ohman for a young outfielder.
• With Hampton coming off the books this offseason, sign a outfielder to replace Texeira's production. Manny? Nahhhh. Dunn? Too many K's. Trade for Holliday? A possibility. Revisit the Bay talks? An outfield comprised of Matt Diaz, Mark Kotsay, and Frenchy just isn't very productive.

It's not the Braves' year, again. It's time to re-tool for next year, quite possibly Cox's last.

Analyzing the Washington Trades

Greensboro, NC -- Two Washington professional ballclubs made a trade this week with the Redskins acquiring star defensive end and "Dancing with the Star" Jason Taylor from the Dolphins for a 2nd and a 5th round picks. The Nationals traded their closer Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks for 2B prospect Emilio Bonifacio. My thoughts...

• Throughout the sports talk history of this blog, I've preached that maintaining consistency and limiting roster turnover is the key to a team's long term success. Yes, the Skins changed coaching staff this offseason with Gibbs retiring. I was a bit displeased that Zorn was hired over Double G because the offense must learn an entire new playbook just when they were able to grapple Al Saunders' 700 page encyclopedia. But, I do like how the Skins used the draft this year, albeit heavy on picking WR's. They were also not a player in the free agent market for once. Trades and free agency should only be used to add the "final piece." And, if the Skins maintained the coaching staff, I believe that Taylor would have been that missing piece. During the past decade, the Skins have desperately needed a pass rusher, almost as much as a coveted franchise QB. I like this move because they didn't give up a 1st round pick and they addressed a dire need of concern on the defensive line. Two question marks that plague me...

1. What type of coach will Jim Zorn be? Can we rely on Greg Blache to be an effective defensive coordinator? Zorn and Blache have never been coordinators before.
2. Taylor is 34, which is getting up there in NFL years. He's also being moved to the right side of the line, not the left side where he played in Miami. He won't be rushing the QB from the QB's blind side, which could make a difference because the TE and RB are usually lined up on the right side as well.

• After commanding a steep price for Rauch and Chad Cordero during last season's trading deadline, the Nats settled for speed utility man Emilio Bonifacio. The ever-optimist GM Jim Bowden has already penciled Bonifacio in as the starter next season. Was this the guy who is supposed to replace Orlando Hudson on the DBacks when he leaves via free agency this offseason? I agree with ESPN's Keith Law's take on the deal:

For Washington, getting just Emilio Bonifacio for Rauch has to be seen as a letdown, although it's better than their trade-deadline results from 2007. The Nationals chose not to make any moves at that deadline, re-signing Dmitri Young and Ronnie Belliard to bizarre contract extensions while asking for so much for Rauch and Chad Cordero that teams were unwilling to even negotiate the prices down. One year later, Cordero's value has evaporated, Young and Belliard have both performed worse since signing their deals (with Young missing time on the DL due to back problems and issues with his weight, both not shocking developments at all), and now Rauch has fetched a utility infielder. Bonifacio can run and has a quick, slashing stroke, but his baseball instincts are poor and he's far too aggressive at the plate. He doesn't project to hit for enough power to play second base every day on a contending club. He's athletic enough to move around the diamond and serve as a pinch-runner, but it's a stretch to see him as a regular.

Meanwhile, learning nothing from the Young/Belliard mistakes, the Nationals re-upped Cristian Guzman for two years and $16 million. Guzman was a cipher in the first year of his four-year deal, then missed 2005 and most of '06 due to injury. His hot start in 2008 has masked the evaporation of his power (he's slugging .360 since June 1), and he has never had a lick of plate discipline. Like Young and Belliard before him, he was a candidate to be moved, not to be re-signed. Bad teams should not be locking up their mediocrities to long-term deals, but rather should be looking to convert them all into any kind of young players.

Could not agree more with that last sentence. Guzman possesses no power. He's the only player in the Nats lineup hitting over .250. I can't see Bowden last until the end of Guzman's new contract with these awful contracts -- Young, Belliard, and now Guzman. Place Bonifacio as Guzman's double play partner and you may have the weakest infield lineup in the majors for the next two seasons. What happened to "The Plan?"

Tom Petty Review

Winston-Salem, NC -- I don't have much time to post an in-depth concert review of the Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers show from last Saturday. I've seen some "ol' timer" bands in my day -- Stevie Nicks, The Allman Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, and U2 (of course) -- but I have never seen an ol' timer play as many of their greatest hits than Tom Petty. Usually, these oldies are trying to promote a new album and they'll mix in some classic tunes into the set list. Anyway, here is the (short) 18-song set list from Saturday night's show in Raleigh:

• You Wreck Me
• Listen to Her Heart
• I Won't Back Down
• Even the Losers
• Free Fallin'
• Mary Jane
• Sweet William
• End of the Line
• Breakdown
• Saving Grace
• Honey Bee
• You Don't Know How It Feels
• Learning to Fly
• Don't Come Around Here No More
• Refugee
• Runnin' Down A Dream*
• Mystic Eyes*
• American Girl*

* = Encore.

As you can see, these are pretty recognizable songs, even for the casual fan. The only ones that I wasn't familiar with were Sweet William and Mystic Eyes. Mystic Eyes, featuring some "talk-singing" (what is the technical name of that?) was unimpressive. Learning to Fly was done acoustically. Don't Come Around Here No More had the signature opening drum beat, which was cool. My favorite song was I Won't Back Down. I'm a big fan of drums and bass together in live acts, and you get just that in this hit. Petty paid a tribute to his Traveling Wilbury days with a cool rendition of End of the Line. And finally, Saving Grace, a neat hit from his most recent album in 2006, was expanded into a 7-minute piece. Great song if you've never heard of it.

My mom mentioned to me that when she saw him two years ago, Petty would leave the stage for several minutes during solo acts to puff on the ol' tobacco. I didn't spot any such sightings on Saturday night. Perhaps he gave it up... on Tobacco Road?

All in all, a fantastic show -- check him out the next time he comes around here.

Friday Fill-in's

Winston-Salem, NC -- Random musings for you to comment on...

• I remember when DC was awarded the Montreal Expos team, they promised to build a $611M ballpark as part of the luring package. DC fulfilled that promise pending some unfinished features around the park that the Lerners are complaining about. However, the park promised to offer "breathtaking views" of the Capitol. Check this out.
• Trivia Tim became the latest member of the blogging world. His new blog, "Useless Things Need Love Too" has some interesting tidbits in it. Double Bonus: you can link back to B's Bistro from his site.
• Viewed the first part of Kissology last night, which takes a hard look at Kiss's early tours from 1974-1976. I didn't realize that drummer Peter Criss was that talented because he doesn't come through on the albums. Kiss has some nice hits; however, I'm not sure if their "costumes" or alter-egos fit their music melodies.
• Enjoyed my 4th of July weekend in the quaint little town of Blacksburg, VA. One of the locals mentioned to me that they don't even lock their doors at night or when they go to the grocery store. I didn't know that towns like that still exist in America. Anyways, we saw the Hokies' football stadium, the 4/16/07 VA Tech Massacre Memorial, and toured the hall where the shootings took place.
• I'll be in Raleigh tomorrow to see the third and final of my summar concert giants: Tom Petty. Review will be out on Monday.
• Couldn't agree any more with Rosie on the Dodgers' front office... Frank McCourt, the Dodgers owner, is trickling into Peter Angelos territory.
• One word: absurd. Brand, not only a traitor to the poor Clippers, is getting paid $82M to play basketball for 5 years. What a joke.
• One more thing... Michael Beasley, 2nd pick in this year's NBA Draft, and college standout at KS State this year is from the DC area. He represents it well here with his new ink on the right sleeve (courtesy of Mr. Irrelevant):

B's Bistro asks...

Winston-Salem, NC -- B's Bistro asks...

Who's the best cereal mascot?

a) Sonny from Coco Puffs.
b) Tony the Tiger.
c) Captain Crunch.
d) Frankenberry.
e) Sugar Bear.

American Music

Winston-Salem, NC -- I was unable to formulate my list of American music in time before departure on Thursday afternoon. I had to be on the road to Blacksburg, VA -- more on that crazy sports town later on this week -- before 6:00 p.m. in order to make an 8:30 dinner reservation. To commemorate Independence Day, here is a list of American bands with "America" or "U.S.A." in their titles. Feel free to add your own.

• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- American Girl
• Dave Mathews Band -- American Baby
• Green Day -- American Idiot
• John Cougar Melloncamp -- R.O.C.K. in the USA
• Kim Wilde -- Kids in America
• Lenny Kravitz -- American Woman
• Bruce Springsteen -- Born in the USA
• David Bowie -- Young Americans
• The Steve Miller Band -- Livin' in the USA
• U2 -- 4th of July

Oh Canada...!

Winston-Salem, NC -- I'm a few days behind, but July 1st was not only Kaylin's birthday, it was "Canada Day." I remember back in middle school, and maybe some of this talk spilled into high school, that we should have taken over Canada back in the day. But what for? Coal and timber? Naaaaahhhhh...

Canada helped us in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, so I cannot disrespect them. They didn't run like the French. So to commemorate Canada Day, I tried to come up with a list of great Canadian bands; however, I need your help to lengthen this list:

• Rush -- My favorite Canadian band. After 34 years of great music, the only question is "why aren't these guys in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame?"
• Our Lady Peace -- One of my favorite bands growing up... they played one October at WHFS's "Blocktober Fest" on the streets of DC, displaying a memorable performance worthy of future radio play.
• Alanis Morissette -- She has some catchy songs, but I never got into her because she doesn't write her own lyrics.
• Joni Mitchell -- Western Canada's finest... this artsy fartsy guitar player ruled the folk rock music scene in SoCal in the 1960's.
• Celine Dion -- Best known for that awful song in Titanic, she sings out of the side of her mouth.
• Cowboy Junkies -- A group of siblings... like Hanson! (best siblings group = The Corrs).
• The Band -- This band has been around for awhile, but never really got popular on mainstream radio.
• Bare Naked Ladies -- The craziest of the Canucks... these guys know how to rock.
• Neil Young -- One of Q Magazine's "50 Bands to see before you die."

Who am I forgetting? If I run out of time today, I'll post some American music on Monday.

Great First Licks

Winston-Salem, NC -- Nothing beats a great song other than its opening lick. There are certain songs that when you hear the first chord struck, you immediately crank up the volume on your stereo or radio. Hundreds of rock songs could foot this bill; however, here's my stab at "love at first lick:"

• Collective Soul - "Shine" - This hit could rival its fellow album song, "December."
• Eric Clapton - "Layla" - This song is the epitome of "classic rock."
• The Rolling Stones - "Can't you hear me knocking?" - Not one of the Stones' prominent tunes.
• Goo Goo Dolls - "Slide" - This song hit its peak right at the Milennium.
• Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy" - That rhythm guitar rocks.
• Violent Femmes - "Blister in the Sun" - A classic acoustic guitar with a double snare drum beat.
• My Morning Jacket - "I'm Amazed" - Listen to this song on itunes if you've never heard of it.
• The Scorpions - "Rock you like a Hurricane" - Germany's best band; however, the song is a bunch of cheese.
• Prince & The Revolution - "When doves cry" - My favorite Prince song.
• The Black Crowes - "Twice As Hard" - ATL's finest.
• Led Zeppelin - "Good Times Bad Times" - There are so many Zeppelin songs to choose from for this blog.
• U2 - "Mysterious Ways" - You know that I couldn't leave my favorite band off of a music list.

Feel free to add your own favorites...

The 90 Day Club

Winston-Salem, NC -- The 90 Day Club is now complete! Yes, I went to Finnigan's Wake Pub & Kitchen in Winston-Salem for 90 consecutive days with a few exceptions when I was in DC (4 days). Here are the final numbers:



If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that image loading on this blog is from the Dark Ages. In summary, I've blown $869.67 on alcohol, food, desserts, and cheap thrills for the past three months at this place. I know that it's ridiculous, but it's all for the price of glory -- my very own, all-inclusive Finnigan's Wake party on Opie (the owner), a Finnigan's Wake 3/4 sleeve softball jersey with my name and number embroidered on the back. And finally, probably the ultimate perk of them all: my name will be forever etched on the wall of Finnigan's Wake is silver (with the evergreen backdrop). Just another award added to my personal cupboard of lifetime achievements. Now not so fast -- here are some notable events that occurred along this arduous journey:

• Sean was present for day 1 and day 90.
• Broke my right pinkie finger on April 8th (Day 15).
• Went to DC for the weekend on April 12th. Had to find an Irish bar that evening.
• Had surgery and took a leave-of-absence on April 15th (Day 22).
• Friends were let go from the job in early May.
• Spent Memorial Day weekend in DC and Baltimore (Days 61-63).
• Made it to Finnigan's at 11:57 p.m. on Day 68.

These events don't account for the number of weekend days where I had to drive solely to Winston-Salem for a sweet tea. I had 50 sweet teas in all, 77 Guinness's, and a handful of other alcoholic beverages. That's a ton of calories in addition to cash and time. People have asked me if I would do another 90 days, and the answer is "yes." However, I rather pocket the $869, save some calories, gasoline, and time, and bask in the glory of my name on the wall when I do return to "The Fins" on occassion. I'll leave the all-time record to Trivia Tim, who is currently in pursuit of a full year (and perhaps decade) of attendance. At the time of this writing, Trivia Tim sits at 296 consecutive days. I'll take the 90, the jersey, and the wall. Fun times.

Friday Meltdown

Winston-Salem, NC -- I'm enduring a slow Friday afternoon, so I'll touch on a couple of points in no particular order.

• Going to check out the Charlotte Knights' park with Schnooks tomorrow night. One thing, the ballpark isn't located in Charlotte; it's in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
• I'll be back here in Winston to attend Sunday afternoon's Warthogs game against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Nothing like watching a Carolina League game (after working 2 years for Carolina's Frederick Keys).
• Spoke to a representative of the Warthogs' ownership group last night and asked him about the new team name -- The Winston-Salem Warthogs are moving to a brand new ballpark downtown next spring. Check out the progress here. The front runner for the new team name is "The Dash."
• I'm a big fan of J.C. Bradbury's blog, "Sabernomics." After all, it combines the thinking of economics and baseball; my two favorite conversation topics. Bradbury, a fellow Braves' fan, is a huge opponent of Jeff Francoeur, often inferring to Frenchy's three month window of brilliance in the summer of 2005. He hasn't been good ever since, and here are his numbers this season to date: 0.253 BA, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 0 SB, 0.312 OBP, 0.411 SLG. Not good. I placed the stolen bases in there because Frenchy vowed to run a little more this year.
• This offseason could mark the exit of some legendary pitchers: Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux, and now Schilling.
• Andy MacPhail has been on the job as Orioles President of Operations for exactly one year now. The Sun's Rick Maese has his performance review here. I like how Maese examined everything from trades (exceeds expectations) to usher behavior (below expectations). I know Kevin's incident in 2005 (?) has something to do with that uproar.
• The Nats have the worst run differential in MLB; -90. This team can't hit.

The Jack of All Trades

Winston-Salem, NC -- While running on the ol' treadmill on Monday night, I saw Mike Jacobs' (1B, Florida) stats from the last 7 days scroll across ESPN's Bottomline. I can't remember the stats verbatim, but I recalled that the Marlins obtained Jacobs from the Mets in the Carlos Delgado deal. This trade had me thinking just how many lopsided deals that Marlins GM Larry Beinfest has made during his regime. Here are the deals off the top of my head made by Beinfest that directly affect this year's surprising team (37-33 with a $21M payroll -- lowest in the majors):

• Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin.
• Carlos Delgado for Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit.
• Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell for Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez.
• Juan Pierre for Ricky Nolasco, Renyel Pinto, and Sergio Mitre.
• Plucked Dan Uggla from the D-Backs in the Rule V draft.

I would have to say that Beinfest absolutely fleeced the opposition in all of these deals except the trade with the Red Sox, which worked out for both sides. The Cabrera and Willis dealing to the Tigers looks like a colossal mistake by Detroit because both players have been ineffective (though Cabrera is heating up, but Willis is pitching in Class A) and both were handed large contracts before the season began. Miller is a work in progress and Maybin has been mashing in the minors. Carlos Delgado apparently can't play anymore and is now being platooned at 1B in New York. Beckett and Lowell both carried the Red Sox in the postseason last year, but Ramirez has been a stud in Florida and Sanchez pitched a no-hitter two years ago. He's currently rehabbing his right shoulder. Nolasco and Mitre have been durable starters, while Pierre left Chicago as a free agent and is currently enduring career lows in all offensive categories. Uggla should start this year's All-Star game at 2B. A masterful job by Beinfest to receive loads of talent in return for giving away aging (and declining) veterans. I'll give him my "Jack of All Trades" award for now. As for "GM of the Year," I don't know about his free agent signings because the Marlins don't spend any money.

R.E.M. Review

Winston-Salem, NC -- Here is the set list of last Tuesday night's show that I attended in Raleigh. As Michael Stipe put it, "Welcome to the R.E.M. weigh loss program" -- the outdoor amphitheatre was a steam bath. The heat didn't slow down R.E.M.'s set, whcih featured a heavy dose of songs from the new album, "Accelerate."

• Harborcoat
• Living Well is the Best Revenge
• Bad Day
• What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
• 1,000,000
• Man-Sized Wreath
• Welcome to the Occupation
• Accelerate
• 7 Chinese Bros.
• Hollow Man
• Imitation of Life
• Houston
• Electrolite
• Walk Unafraid
• The One I Love
• Final Straw
• Find the River
• Let Me In
• Horse to Water
• Auctioneer
• Orange Crush
• I’m Gonna DJ
• Supernatural Superserious
• Losing My Religion
• Pretty Persuasion
• Fall on Me
• Sitting Still
• Man on the Moon

I was hoping for a few more hits from the 80's and 90's... Superman, Don't Go Back To Rockville, Drive, Crushed with Eyeliner, Driver 8, The Great Beyond, etc. Michael Stipe didn't shed one piece of the black suit that he was sporting. Mike Mills performed his trademark aaaahhhh harmonizing. Peter Buck was fantastic on lead guitar. Mitch Easter, who I met playing at Winston-Salem's The Garage back in October, produced the first two R.E.M. albums. He played during the encore's "Sitting Still." How many people can say, "I've met the person on stage" at a rock concert of 10,000+ fans?

One tidbit before I close, the three spotlights above the stage were aimed at Stipe, Mills, and Buck. The drummer and third guitarist played in the dark and were barely cheered for. When the band took a bow after the closing song, "Man on the Moon," it was only the main three. After learning that Bill Berry would retire from R.E.M. following their 1997 tour, Stipe replied, "I guess a dog is still a dog if you removed one of its four legs."