Oil Can Boyd

Something that might get overlooked in the whole MVP discussion: He is the third Canadian-born athlete to win an MVP in a major pro league this year, following Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash and San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton.

I was just scrolling through the thread to make sure someone made that point.

I know there is some hypocrisy in it but I spend a lot of time following the Red Sox and I don't hear the local pundits saying that the Sox are underdogs across the whole league. They mainly point out that the Yankees are able to do things that other teams can't afford to do. If you look at the salaries (from USA Today) the Red Sox are consistently a distant second (or more) to the Yankees (and have been for years). 1999 Yankees 24% more than Boston 2000 Yankees 14% 2001 Yankees 3% 2002 Yankees 16% 2003 Yankees 54% 2004 Yankees 45% 2005 Yankees 69% 2006 Yankees 63% And yes, I am sure y

Before the $51.1 million offer I could have made an effort, but now I can't. As some wag once said, being second in payroll to the Yankees is like being the second richest guy in the room behind Bill Gates.

Probably my autographed copy of the original pressing of the Feelies Crazy Rhythms or my autographed (by Paul, Chris, and Tommy) copy of the Replacements Let it Be.

I saw that; it is weird. Do you think he was trying to be funny and outrageous (a la Borat or Andy Kaufman) or do you think he just lost it?

"I think the money isn't that important to me. I'm not looking for the money." Why do people who are going to be making $136 million say things like that?

And Alex Gonzalez signs with the Reds (3 years/$14 million). I am sorry to see him go from the Red Sox. I know he couldn't hit a whole lot but he sure was smooth in the field.

And Nomar stays in LA for two more years ...

I would say Slanted is my favorite but I think I would put Brighten the Corners second. I love that album.

I know I am a little late to the party but I just got back from this and really liked it.

That's true and he is far from signed. But the new market issue is an interesting one. Last night on one of the local news channels here in Boston they were talking with an "expert" on Japanese baseball. This guy said that as soon as the Red Sox fee was accepted, there was a noticeable (to him) increase in Red Sox merchandise being advertised on websites about Japanese baseball.

That may be my favorite Sufjan.

You and me both. I saw him play for the Single A Lowell Spinners. The game I saw he didn't do anything spectacular but he looked like a major league player surrounded by college players.

I agree - and would argue that the Sox are as pitching starved as the Yankees. If only Oil Can Boyd would come out of retirement again ...

It was great how Hester sort of hesitated, waiting for the Giants to start leaving the field before he took off. Youtube link: Devin Hester

And don't forget the finale: Patti Smith and Ramblin

Didn't see any - but I wasn't looking very hard. The sound in the place was great, and the crowd was very quiet, so I would bet a recording would sound great. Bradley's Almanac (a great blog) often has recordings from the MFA shows so I'll keep an eye out on his site.

Saw a strange - but great - double bill of Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Califone last night at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Califone played first and they were great. I am not that familiar with them (having only seen them open for Wilco) but I really enjoyed it. They made a number of comments about how they are used to playing in loud bars rather than really quiet auditoriums and how they were a little unnerved and our being able to hear everything they said to each other onstage. Some of the folkies were not sure what to make of the more dissonant stuff Califone played. Then Rambl

Pretty fun - or depressing - site where people talk about songs that have been ruined for them. For me it is CSN's Helplessly Hoping (and I won't go into the details). Ruined Music

From wikipedia: Alternative names Hell's Kitchen has stuck as the name even though real estate developers have offered alternatives of Clinton and Midtown West or even the Mid-West. The Clinton name originated in 1959 in an attempt to link the name to the DeWitt Clinton Park at 52nd and 11th Avenue. Clinton was a former New York governor. Hell's Kitchen Several different explanations exist for the original name. An early use of the phrase appears in a comment Davy Crockett made about another notorious Irish slum in Manhattan, Five Points. According to the Irish Cultural Society of the Ga

I recorded it and watched the Sufjan portion this morning. I thought it was pretty good (although the wings were a little distracting). The strings and horns are a nice addition. He dedicates "Oh Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head" to Jack White and himself.

Me too!

That totally sucks. I'm not a huge Twins fan but Liriano was fun to watch.

True, and both Uribe and Michael Young seem to have better numebrs than Jeets.