boywiththorninside

I just watched this:

Life is a state of mind.

Motown beatdown for my Yankees. 16-0 in the 8th inning. Yikes. Hopefully this will get Mussina out of the rotation.

I Love To Boogie - T. Rex

Tonite - Jarvis Cocker

Three Girl Rhumba - Wire

Care of Cell 44 - The Zombies

I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar - Jonathan Richman

Bat Macumba - Gilberto Gil

Hollywood Bassplayer - Josh Rouse

Into Eternity - Jens Lekman

Some Girls are Bigger than Others - The Smiths

Satisfaction - Otis Redding

spotted Robert Di Niro at the Dylan show last night

Elvis: That's the Way It Is

 

The show in that film is pretty kicking - may be somewhat slick, but still - full of energy.

I just watched that yesterday. The best part is "Love Me Tender" when he walks into the crowd. He must have kissed about 25 different women during the song. I hope no one had a cold.

Dying was Elvis' best career move. He was totally washed up when he died, a joke at best. Most of us didn't even care about him at that point; I will even admit to not even being interested in him at that point either; now I am. Most people even on this board would not have been interested in him in 77, since there were far more interesting things happening at that point. As with many musicians, dying helps.

 

LouieB

I'm with Sir Stewart on this one. Would Dylan (or his audience) have been better off with him dying in the mid-80's when he was making slick sounding crap that no one really cared about? I'd like to think Elvis could have possibly cleaned himself up and had a late career resurgence like Dylan had. Or like Johnny Cash had. Rick Rubin could have picked some tunes for Elvis to cover and some magic could have happened. As messed up as he was physically, Elvis' voice was never diminished. I think he could have pulled another comeback off. 1968 (when his crap movies had once before rendered him a joke) all over again.

Baby, Let's Play House

Baby, What You Want Me To Do

Peace in the Valley

Little Sister/Get Back

On August 16, some blue-eyed soul:

Bonus: another great "in Memphis" album

Again, memories are flooding back...

This should have been included in my earlier list of great/favorite 93 - 97 albums:

Hell yes. These guys were criminally overlooked

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Yzzn5uBzU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5-g5vZHqKY

This thread is crazy. It is really bringing bringing back some memories of when I was a punk baggy jean and Tommy Hilfiger wearing, Old E drinking teenager.

I agree, particularly about Pete Rock. I always thought he put together (I never thought I would type these words) some of the best beats ever. I loved "The Main Ingredient," and was ridiculed for it. For whatever reason, these guys lacked street cred. I think maybe CL rapped too much about love and relationships. With the exception of that Method Man and Mary J. Blige duet, the hip hop kids never embraced this as a subject matter.

He may have not been among the very best players of his time, but he was as good as any of the broadcasters who've made it, so it's OK with me.

Right on. You've got to look at Scooter's induction as a sort of lifetime achievement award that encompassed both careers - player and broadcaster. And even if you find that objectionable, he still has some credentials as a player. An MVP award. 7 rings. Plus, although it does not show up in the numbers, I think the extent to which his peers respected his play should count for something. I mean, if Ted Williams thought he belonged in the Hall, then I'm not going to object based on statistics. After all, everything that happens on the field that affects the outcome of the game does not show up in the box score. I think if we unfroze Ted and asked him about Phil, he would say that very thing. The Scooter belongs.

Now that I'm off my soap box, I'd like to ask for opinions about a player I believe should be in the Hall (sorry, another Yankee): "Goose" Gossage.

I know many of his peers agree with me. Is this why he hasn't been inducted?

NSFW - Gossage Tirade

I like Beats, Rhymes and Life. Man, I'm starting to feel lonely.

I'm with you. BR and L isn't as good as its predecessors, but it's solid.

Manny struck out.

I can't tell you which is the best era, but 93 - 97 was my favorite.

Buhloone Mind State - De La Soul

Midnight Marauders - ATCQ

Illmatic - Nas

The Infamous - Mobb Deep

Hard to Earn - Gang Starr

The Sun Rises in the East - Jeru the Damaja

Ready to Die - B.I.G

Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z

These were the albums I loved that were released during that time.

EDIT: I don't know how I forgot them, but I must add all the Wu-Tang related albums from the 93 - 97 era, specifically:

36 Chambers - Wu Tang

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Raekwon

Return to the 36 Chambers - Ol' Dirty

Ironman - Ghostface

Liquid Swords - Genius

as a kid I loved listening to, "Scooter", call Yankees' games on channel 11. WPIX also had those great Crazy Eddie commercials.

...also Phil's Money Store commercials.

RIP, Scooter.

Deadspin posted this.

Hanley Ramirez

Profile: Hanley Ramirez

I've decided to start a new feature here at Vegas Watch, where I completely arbitrarily select a player that doesn't get as much attention as he probably deserves. Although that player will then continue to fly under the radar, I'll feel better about the situation. If you have a suggestion for a profile, please e-mail me at VegasWatch@gmail.com.

I doubt there are many people who would have guessed that Hanley Ramirez leads all of baseball in VORP. Personally, I probably would have guessed A-Rod, Magglio, Miguel Cabrera, or Prince Fielder. In reality, Hanley Ramirez is first, with a VORP of 67.2 through Saturday's games.

There are three reasons for this- Hanley Ramirez is an absurdly talented hitter, he plays shortstop, and VORP ignores how well you play your position, only adjusting for what position you play. Here's a closer look at the Marlins' shorstop.

Minors (Boston Red Sox, 2001-2005)

16-year old Hanley Ramirez was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Boston Red Sox on July 20, 2000.

Hanley made his professional baseball debut at the age of 17 in 2001 with the DSL Red Sox (Rookie) in 2001. In 197 ABs he hit .345 with 5 HRs, 18 2Bs and 13 SB. He also showed good plate discipline (especially consideirng his age), with 15 BB and 22 K. He was named the 2001 DSL Red Sox Player of the Year

Starting the season with the GCL Red Sox (Rookie) in 2002, he hit .341/.402/.555 in 164 ABs. He exhibited even better plate discipline, with more BB (16) than K (15). This earned him a promotion to Lowell (low A), where he continued to rake, with a line of .371/.400/.536. This earned him the honor of Lowell Spinners Player of the Year, despite the fact he played only 22 games for the team (which doesn't make much sense, but good for him). Although thriving at the plate, Hanley struggled in the field, making a total of 27 errors in 62 games at SS.

Hanley was very much on the prospect radar after his breakout 2002 season, as Baseball America had him listed as Boston's #1 prospect for 2003. They also ranked him as the 19th best prospect in all of baseball.

2003 was a rough year for Hanley, as he hit only .275/.327/.403 in 422 ABs with August (A). He also continued to struggle in the field, making 36 errors in 102 games. He did begin to showcase his excellent speed, swiping 36 bases in 49 attempts. Despite his struggles he was still Boston's #1 prospect entering 2004, although he dropped to 39th in Baseball America's overall rankings.

Ramirez rebounded with Sarasota (high A) in 2004, hitting .310/.364/.389 in 239 ABs, making the FSL All-Star team, and evenually being named Sarasota's Player of the Year. This earned him a promotion to Portland (AA), where his power returned, hitting .310/.360/.512 in 129 ABs- a pretty impressive line, considering he was just 20 years old. Hanley also broke his wrist in 2004, missing seven weeks of action. When healthy, it was a good year for Hanley all around, as he made 19 errors in 93 games with Sarasota and Portland.

Not surprisingly, Hanley's overall Baseball America ranking was back up to 10th going into the 2005 season, and he remained Boston's top prospect. But Hanley struggled with Portland (AA), hitting .271/.335/.385. It seemed like the power he displayed with Portland after his 2004 callup may have been a fluke, as his SLG went right back to the level it was in Sarasota. There were some bright spots for Ramirez in 2004, as he continued to steal bases (26 in 39 attempts), was named to the Futures Game, and again cut down on his errors, albeit only slightly (19 in 115 games).

But the notable aspect of 2005 for Hanley did not come on the field. On November 24 he was traded to the Florida Marlins, as part of a package that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston.

After his 2005 struggles, he had dropped down to 30th in Baseball America's top 100. These struggles, however, did not seem to phase the Marlins, as he began the year with the big club as their starting shorstop. This move was met by some skepticism, which can be found in the 2006 edition of Baseball Prospectus: "There`s no indication that he is ready for the major leagues, but the Marlins are apparently going to let him a try."

Majors (Florida Marlins, 2006-Present)

Batting

Well, the Marlins were right on this one. He didn't get off to a great start, hitting .268/.334/.410 before the All-Star break, although he was successful in 26 of 31 SB attempts over that period. This is probably about what BP had in mind for him (maybe a little better actually), and with good reason- adjusting to major league pitching as a 22-year old who had never even played in AAA before is a tough task.

But after the break, Hanley decided he no longer cared about logic, or reasonable expectations, he was just going to rake. We know this, because he put together a line of .319/.373/.558, vaulting to the NL Rookie of the Year award. He also doubled his home run rate, from one every 61 PAs to one ever 30. At this point, it became very clear that the sky was the limit.

Hanley's BP Most Comparable Players gave us a pretty good idea of what we are dealing with here, as numbers 2, 3, and 4 were Ryne Sandberg, Paul Molitor, and Barry Larkin, respectively (#1 was Mariano Duncan). Here is what BP expected of him for 2007 (90% is their 90th percentile projection):Amazingly, he has improved even on his 2006 post-ASB numbers, with his current line of .342/.395/.572. He has done this mostly by increasing his HR rate, and decreasing his strikeout rate. The circumstances of these changes are very interesting.

He has gone from homering in 2.4% of his plate appearances in 2006 to 4.1% this year. Most of this has come against righties, as his HR% vs RHP has jumped from 2.1% to 3.9%. It would make sense that he is maturing a little later against righties, as he used to be a switch hitter.

But his improvement has not only come against RHP. Overall, his K% has decreased from 18.3% to 14.2%. Against lefties, however, the decrease has been even more dramatic, going from 16.0% to just 9.4%.

A third area where he has improved in 2007 is after falling behind in the count. In 2006, he hit .258/.290/.430 after falling behind 0-1. But this year he has improved that to .330/.356/.575, amazingly hitting a HR in 4.0% of those plate appearances.

Fielding

Unfortunately, Hanley has yet to see improvement in his fielding. By any metric, he is one if the worst fielding SS in baseball. In 2006, according to UZR, he cost the Marlins 19 runs in the field. He was also last among NL SS in THT's RZR.

In 2007 it's been more of the same. John Dewan, author of The Fielding Bible, had him as the worst defender in all of baseball through mid-July. UZR had him as 14 runs below average through July 9, behind only Jeff Kent and Jhonny Peralta. And he is once again last in THT's RZR.

Although fielding is obviously a weakness for Hanley, he doesn't turn 24 until two days before Christmas, and can continue to improve. And despite his fielding issues, he is tied for the NL lead in Win Shares. As for his hitting, he could improve his walk rate, and even more power may develop. But if he continued with a 156 OPS+ for the next five years, I don't think the Marlins would complain. And his baserunning? Well, he's stolen 88 since the beginning of 2006, while being caught only 25 times.

Hanley Ramirez is already, at the age of 23, one of the premier players in baseball, and it's too bad it will probably take him leaving South Florida for most people to notice

That Jenks streak is impressive. However, I fully expect Joba Chamberlain to break this and every other pitching record by the time he retires. Based on his two relief appearances, I can say without hesitation and without hyperbole that Cy Young's 511 wins and Nolan Ryan's strikeout mark are within his reach. I've seen the future of pitching, and it's name is Joba Chamberlain.

I read in the NY Daily News this morning that the lead singer of Relatively Clean Rivers is the father of Adam Gadahn, the American Al Qaeda guy who has been in the news for threatening NYC with dirty bombs.

There you go, a Wilco-Al Qaeda connection.

Tweedy might be on a "watch list" for citing this album as an influence on SBS.

I have to mention my absolute favorite jazz guitarist, Kenny Burrell. I discovered him through his sessions with 'Trane (he was actually the only guitarist Coltrane ever recorded with). A master of tasteful jazz guitar, he never over- or under-plays, he's just hitting all the perfect notes at the right times. I'd recommend, for starters, the Jimmy Smith record Softly as a Summer Breeze for a great introduction to Kenny Burrell.

 

There's not much I can say about 'Trane that anyone else hasn't said. I will say that I'm not so much into his more acclaimed recordings as Giant Steps or My Favorite Things as I am into this record:

 

 

Not one you hear too much about, but it is my favorite Coltrane. It features his first foray into soprano sax on the beautiful ballad "Central Park West." I think I like this record as much for Trane's playing as I do for McCoy Tyner's piano playing, which is the best I've ever heard from him.

The Coltrane and Burrell album is one of my favorites as well. Their version of "Why Was I Born?" is amazing. That, "Naima," "Everytime We Say Goodbye," and, as you observed, "Central Park West" are probably Coltrane's most beautiful moments on record. I sometimes feel like a fraud because that is the Coltrane I listen to most. The ballad player. I respect the free jazz Coltrane, but it is the ballads I return to most often. Anyway, nice job highlighting some overlooked gems.

Uncut article with tracklist

Columbia Records have today (August 10) revealed the 51 song tracklisting that will make up Bob Dylan's long-awaited retrospective box set 'DYLAN.'

The three disc set, due out in October, spans 45 years from the great man and ends many months of speculative debate about what was to be chosen for inclusion.

It also features the new Mark Ronson remix of ''Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine).'

'DYLAN' will come in three versions, one as a single disc 18 track retrospective.

The three CD set will come in a limited edition deluxe box covered in red cloth, the discs themselves designed to look like replica vinyl in their own sleeves.

The box will also include a 40 page booklet with extended liner notes and rare photos, as well 10 limited edition postcard prints.

Also in October comes the first Dylan live at Newport Folk Festival DVD release. 'The Other Side Of The Mirror' captures Dylan playing at the event in 1963 - the DVD boasts 80 minutes of previously unreleased material.

So, anyway back to the tracklisting, with a drum roll... Here is the definitive tracklisting:

Disc One:

Song To Woody

Blowin' In The Wind

Masters Of War

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

The Times They Are A-Changin'

All I Really Want To Do

My Back Pages

It Ain't Me Babe

Subterranean Homesick Blues

Mr. Tambourine Man

Maggie's Farm

Like A Rolling Stone

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Positively 4th Street

Rainy Day #12 & 35

Just Like A Woman

Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)

All Along The Watchtower

Disc Two:

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Lay, Lady, Lay

If Not For You

I Shall Be Released

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

On A Night Like This

Forever Young

Tangled Up In Blue

Simple Twist Of Fate

Hurricane

Changing Of The Guards

Gotta Serve Somebody

Precious Angel

The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar

Jokeman

Dark Eyes

Disc Three:

Blind Willie McTell

Brownsville Girl

Silvio

Ring Them Bells

Dignity

Everything Is Broken

Under The Red Sky

You're Gonna Quit Me

Blood In My Eyes

Not Dark Yet

Things Have Changed

Make You Feel My Love

High Water

Po' Boy

Someday Baby

When The Deal Goes Down

Oh yeah! I taped a program on PBS a looong time ago about Rollins called 'Saxophonus Collossus'. The first thing on it was a live version of G-Man that was 15 solid minutes of some of the most mind blowing soloing I've ever heard. I mean he never stopped!

I have this on DVD. The G-Man solo is amazing, but my favorite part is where Rollins is playing at some outdoor rock quarry venue. While soloing he decides to jump down from some of the rocks and, unfortunately, breaks his foot upon landing. However, he never stops playing. He just keeps going, lying on his back. Great stuff.

We have some songs/bands in common.

My "Running" playlist:

Fa-Fa-Fa

You Got Yr Cherry Bomb - Spoon

#1 Hit Song - Minutemen

She's a Rainbow - Rolling Stones

Sudden Ray of Hope - Mercury Rev

Box Full of Letters - Wilco

Pablo Picasso - Modern Lovers

With a Song in my Heart - Chet Baker

Words You Used to Say - Dean and Britta

That Summer, At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy - The Twilight Sad

Copper Kettle - Bob Dylan