Chrome

Anyone else do the "see games in as many ballparks as you can" thing? I've attended MLB games at: Tiger Stadium Comerica Park Wrigley Field Old Comiskey New Comiskey (or whatever it's called now) County stadium (saw McWire hit a homer there on his way to 70) Memorial Stadium (saw the 1979 playoffs and World Series) Cinergy Field Tropicana Field PNC Park I'm aiming to add the Jake to the list this summer.

Not the biggest idol fan, but I watch it w/my 11-year-old daughter, and this was the first thing that came to my mind when they showed the band, too. Also, I just do not get that George Huff guy ... he seems so stiff and soulless up there.

I can't help wondering ... related to Big John?

Does anyone have this Lou Donaldson release? It got a pretty listless review at AMG, but the lineup looks first rate. I'd be interested in hearing some other opinions. Blue Mitchell - Trumpet Jimmy Ponder - Guitar Lou Donaldson - Sax (Alto) Idris Muhammad - Drums Leo Morris - Drums Dr. Lonnie Smith - Organ

Hey, just the fact that he contributed half of the genes to Ione Skye scores him points in my book.

Thanks, Brownie.

I suppose everyone could see this coming, but ...

When I started getting into baseball back in the early 1970s, I discovered that Charlie Gehringer still made his home in the Detroit area ... I wrote him a short letter asking for an autograph and he kindly sent me one.

I was spinning "Happy Frame of Mind" last night and it got me wondering ... does anyone know what Horace Parlan is up to nowadays?

When it comes to her, it's not the seeing I mind so much ...

The Politics of Glory ... a "must read" for all baseball fans!

How 'bout this one: "He counts embattled pop star Michael Jackson, who is facing trial over child molestation charges, as a personal friend." Obviously, a vital part of the whole story.

The Ford Ka's are sold in Europe ... I believe they're competition for the DCX Smart vehicles, if anyone's familiar with those ... probably too small to appeal to U.S. drivers. Regarding the ad, I'm with Rockefeller. And for all we know, it WAS authorized by Ford ... there have been a number of these "outrageous" ads for different companies that generate a lot of brand awareness and then the company tries to distance themselves from them in this way ... it's almost getting to be routine. Has anyone seen the Puma oral sex ad?

Okay, not even going into the Geller nonsense, I can't believe people will be competing to adopt a baby. Well, I can, but ... Uri Geller protests ABC adoption show Psychic claims network stole idea from unpublished book Thursday, April 29, 2004 Posted: 10:49 AM EDT (1449 GMT) LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Celebrity psychic Uri Geller said Thursday he would try to take legal action to stop U.S. television station ABC going ahead with a "reality" show in which five couples compete to adopt a baby. Geller claims the ABC "20/20" show is an exact rip-off of his yet-to-be published novel "Nobody's Child" which follows a reality TV game show where five couples compete to win a baby. "I'm outraged and angry. I can't believe that such a show will go on," he told Reuters. The Israeli-born spoon bender, who now lives in Britain, began his book in 2001, publishing chapters weekly on a subscription Internet Web site. It has not yet been printed. At the same time, he ordered lawyers in the United States to take out a worldwide copyright ban to prevent any show being made in which people competed to win babies. He has a patent application pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "I was afraid that an unscrupulous producer in TV reality land would steal the idea," he told Reuters. "I will speak to my patent attorney -- I own the idea." The ABC "20/20" show, titled "Be My Baby," which is due to be broadcast Friday night, follows pregnant 16-year-old Jessica as she goes through the adoption process, whittling down prospective candidates to five couples. The program shows Jessica interviewing all five as they try to convince her they would make the best parents for her unborn son. Geller said he was friends with the show's host Barbara Walters and was puzzled why she had decided to do it. Walters admitted on the program's Web site that the show's publicity might have given people the wrong impression. "Some of that may be due to overly zealous promotion on our part; frankly, some of our initial on-air promos went a little over the top," she said. "For the record, we should say that '20/20' simply reports what happened: we did not choose the participants nor exert any influence on what they did. This is not one of those scripted 'reality shows' -- it IS reality!" Geller shot to fame in the 1970s with his apparently science-defying psychic powers and maintains a high profile in Britain with television appearances and a newspaper column. He counts embattled pop star Michael Jackson, who is facing trial over child molestation charges, as a personal friend.

Without the power numbers, Vizquel's going to be a much much longer shot than Alomar or Sandberg. It's not necessarily fair, but people still don't seem to give the same respect to fielding as they do to hitting (Ozzie Smith excepted). I was lucky enough to live in Chicago during most of Sandberg's career, and he was fantastic. It's too bad about the way things ended for him ... there was a rumor going around that he had caught a teammate (Rafael Palmiero?) with his (Sandberg's) wife, and that that was what caused his sudden drop off in productivity.

Holy Mission Impossible! This has already been causing much trouble for Ford. Ford Disavows Cat Decapitation Ad DEARBORN, Mich., April 18, 2004 “The action in the video clip was totally computer-generated, and we would like to assure you that no animal was harmed in its making.” statement by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (AP) Ford Motor Co. is upset by the release of an Internet commercial that depicts a computer generated cat being decapitated, saying it didn't authorize the proposed ad or its release. The ad for the Sportka, a hatchback sold in Europe, shows the realistic-looking orange cat climbing on top of the car and curiously poking its head into the open moonroof, The Detroit News reported Sunday. The moonroof slides closed and the cat struggles briefly to escape before its headless body slides to the ground. Ford says the clip was conceived without its approval by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather as part of a viral marketing campaign for the Sportka. A type of e-mail marketing, viral marketing is the electronic version of word of mouth — usually inviting the recipients to forward an e-mail to others. “We find this unauthorized ad totally unacceptable and reprehensible and deplore the fact that it has been unofficially issued,” Ford spokesman Oscar Suris said. In a statement, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide said the unapproved and unofficial video clip was leaked April 1 and transmitted by e-mail around the world. The company said the ad wasn't sanctioned by Ogilvy or Ford. “Both companies find this unofficial advertisement totally unacceptable and reprehensible,” the statement said. “The action in the video clip was totally computer-generated, and we would like to assure you that no animal was harmed in its making.”

Who is John Galt?

Anyone read the recent article on SI.com about whether Roberto Alomar should go into the Hall of Fame? Interesting stuff ... a good case can certainly be made based on his numbers, but a number of people have brought up the "spitting" incident ... is that really enough to keep him out of the Hall?

Thanks for the tip on that book ... Regarding Kramer's letter: I wonder what it is about mixing music and business that so rarely seems to work out ... I mean, it's amazing that musicians (and other artists) still seem to be getting ripped off as much today as they were decades ago.

It snowed here for about 20 minutes this morning ... ah, "spring" in Detroit.

I can't help but notice Cassandra Wilson is missing ... not jazzy enough? She's certainly quite creative.

Many are the days that I feel EXACTLY like the woman in the first photo ...

It makes me sad that she seems unwilling to let others think for themselves.

FWIW, the Pistons split with the Lakers, Spurs and Mavs this year ...

Love that Reuters ... Half-Naked Couple Cause Stir Up a Tree Fri Apr 23, 2004 11:27 AM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two gay lovers took off most of their clothes, climbed up a tree in New York's Central Park and spent four hours engaging in sex acts and yelling abuse at police and firefighters. Police said officers talked the men out of the three story high tree on Thursday night after the parks department had sent two cherry-pickers and firefighters had deployed an inflatable rescue mattress. The couple, described by officials as a 32-year-old transsexual with female breasts wearing a purple thong and a 17-year-old boy in white boxer shorts, were admitted to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation. At one point during the standoff in the larch tree -- an evergreen with pine-like needles -- the 32-year-old rejected a police officer's offer of a can of soda. "This is a Coke. I wanted vanilla Diet Pepsi," he was quoted as saying in newspaper reports. On Friday, police charged William Rund, 32, and Christopher Montero, 17, both of New York, with reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, public lewdness and disorderly conduct.