Matthew

I have to wonder just "how in control" Steinbrenner is at this point. All reports are that he's in very bad shape, and supposedly in even worse condition then we've been let on to believe.

Heaven help me, I bought this today, and I've never seen an episode all the way through in my life. Arrived a couple of days ago, and I'm still on season one. I must admit that I'm really enjoying the series so far. Very relaxing just to watch an episode or two a day. The first seasons were good, however as the show moved on, then it got a little cheesy and had way too much sentimentality that i could handle plus the fact that i could not stand any of the main characters anymore made me give up on it Up to season eight now, enjoyable series, nothing too heavy, so it's nice to put the mind on hold and watch. I agree that the first five seasons are the best, once Chandler moved out, and forced the roommate alignment to be broken up, the series never had the same feel, it lost a lot the chemistry that made it so fun. Kind of like Mike and Gloria moving out on All In the Family? Just finished the last episode (The Last One) of Friends this evening, and I enjoyed the series much more than I thought I would. Season seven was the pits, really awful, but other than that one, the rest were very enjoyable. It did change its feel once Chandler & Monica married, but I thought seasons 8,9 & 10 were good none the less. Friends and Scrubs are now Official Matthew Stress Busters™

PS: I forget, thanks for the tip David.

What the heck... I just ordered it.

great personality + great sense of humor = Matthew!

In a week Dan, you'll be acknowledging the greatness of my baseball insight regarding JD. In fact, it's ok to admit that now.

Love Bill Simmons take on JD Drew: We knew about the "no emotion" thing, as well as the "penchant for taking called third strikes to kill late-inning rallies" thing and the "he may not have any actual blood in his body" thing, but everyone's main concern about Drew was that he couldn't stay on the field. Well, he stayed on the field. In fact, most of us wanted him off the field so Jacoby Ellsbury could play. We couldn't get this guy off the field. Then he started hitting in September (.342 BA, 1.072 OPS, 4 HRs, 18 RBIs) and you could totally see how these scouts and GMs get sucked in by the J.D. Drew Experience -- he has five tools, he uses them all, and he has the world's most perfect swing. Now I don't know what to think. Is he getting hot at the right time? Is he suckering us in for the ultimate screw job? Am I going to be peeing blood in two weeks because of him? There's no way to know. I hate this. I hate not knowing. Ha!!! I just knew the Red Sox Nation would fall for this! I stand by my prediction:

Heaven help me, I bought this today, and I've never seen an episode all the way through in my life. Arrived a couple of days ago, and I'm still on season one. I must admit that I'm really enjoying the series so far. Very relaxing just to watch an episode or two a day. The first seasons were good, however as the show moved on, then it got a little cheesy and had way too much sentimentality that i could handle plus the fact that i could not stand any of the main characters anymore made me give up on it Up to season eight now, enjoyable series, nothing too heavy, so it's nice to put the mind on hold and watch. I agree that the first five seasons are the best, once Chandler moved out, and forced the roommate alignment to be broken up, the series never had the same feel, it lost a lot the chemistry that made it so fun.

Porcupine Tree: Nil Recurring. Just don't like it. Might be time for Steve Wilson to rethink what he's doing with PT, he seems to be at a dead end now. He did a major push for Fear of a Blank Planet to make PT a popular band, emphasizing cd sales, playing the entire cd during the concert tour, and it didn't work. Might be time to close shop and move on, the metal thing isn't working.

I mean: you don't deserve the win. Believe or not, there are some rumblings that Seattle might be interested in Bonds for DH next year. Oh, that'll be fun.

It looks like Isiah/Knicks are going down hard in this trial. Again, how can Thomas keep his job after this juvenile BS! NEW YORK -- A jury indicated Monday that it believes New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden committed sexual harassment against a former team executive. There was no official verdict, but the wording of a note to the judge by jurors makes it clear they have reached decisions on the key points of the $10 million lawsuit that has turned into a public relations disaster for the franchise. Jurors reached a decision on eight of nine questions on the jury form. They were deadlocked on the one question, which asks whether Thomas should pay punitive damages. That question only becomes relevant if the jury of four women and three men first determines Thomas and Madison Square Garden committed harassment against Anucha Browne Sanders. The judge sent the jury home for the day, asking the panel to deliberate Tuesday on the deadlocked question. Lawyers for both sides declined to comment on the development, which came on the second full day of deliberations. Browne Sanders, fired from her $260,000 a year job in 2006, has accused Thomas and Madison Square Garden of sexual harassment and said MSG fired her for complaining about the treatment. Sheridan: What's next? Isiah Thomas appears headed for a fall, courtesy of a New York jury. Here's what might happen next for the Knicks, Chris Sheridan writes. Story Her case presented the Garden as "Animal House" in sneakers, a place where nepotism, sexism, crude remarks and crass language were part of the culture. Browne Sanders, a married mother of three, spent four days on the witness stand laying out her case against the Garden and Thomas, who is married with two children. A former Northwestern college basketball star, Browne Sanders characterized Thomas as a foul-mouthed lout who initially berated her as a "bitch" and a "ho" before his anger gave way to ardor, with Thomas making unwanted advances and encouraging her to visit him "off site." Thomas, hired in December 2003, followed her to the stand and denied the allegations. Attorneys for Thomas and the Garden portrayed Browne Sanders as incompetent and unable to adapt once Thomas arrived as the Knicks' president. "That's not about sexual harassment," MSG attorney Ronald Green said in his closing argument. "That's about team politics." Thomas acknowledged trying to kiss Browne Sanders in December 2005, asking her "No love today?" when she recoiled. MSG president Steve Mills said he spoke with Thomas about the single incident, and the former point guard said it wouldn't happen again. In her closing argument, Browne Sanders' attorney Anne Vladeck made note of Thomas' charismatic style and incandescent grin. "There is no question Mr. Thomas can be charming and flash an engaging smile," she told the jury. "That does not give him the right to treat Browne Sanders like she is his woman." Browne Sanders filed her lawsuit after she was fired in January 2006. MSG chairman Jim Dolan, who testified before Thomas, said he dismissed the team's vice president for marketing and business operations after learning she was pressuring Garden subordinates to bolster her complaint. The case, from its inception, proved a public relations nightmare for the Knicks and the Garden, with coverage of the three-week trial focusing on its tawdriest aspects -- star guard Stephon Marbury having sex with an intern outside a strip club, raunchy come-ons from a Marbury cousin to his Garden co-workers, Thomas' videotaped remarks about the racial dynamics of calling a woman "a bitch." "The World's Most Heinous Arena," read one New York Post headline about the case. The trial did steer attention from the Knicks' on-court woes as the team geared up for its second season with Thomas as head coach. The Knicks finished 33-49 last year and have yet to win a playoff game during the Thomas regime. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

This might be off topic a bit but one of the reasons that smooth jazz is so popular is that it does cover these great songs from the 1961 to present era. I listen to the local smooth jazz station while driving (I can't really listen when driving so I use music as background) and you hear Motown, R & B, Rock and jazz classics being covered, as well as contemporary "pop" songs. Say what you will about the whole smooth jazz thing, but that is one positive thing that it does, it attracts a lot of people by covering these songs that "legit jazz" ignores.

That one will linger for the Padres for a long while. Then again, if you can't hold a two run lead going into the last inning, you deserve the win. What a way for Hoffman to go out, I don't see him coming back after this one.

Leon Russell's This Masquerade has to considered a jazz standard by now, there's been a million recorded versions.

Good, when people unload their old 20-bit copies that I don't have, I'll pick them up cheap. To my ears, they sound great.

I really would like the Padres to win today, just for old times sake.

Forgot The Shadow of Your Smile.

Seem to me that Time After Time has become a standard.

Ictus Records is putting out a cd in honor of Rutherford, it sounds like an interesting one. Flights of Fancy Suite in 5 movements in memory of Paul Rutherford (1940-2007) Guido Mazzon Sextet featuring Paul Rutherford ICTUS 145 (2007) Tracks: 1. Flights of Fancy - Movement #1 2. Flights of Fancy - Movement #2 3. Flights of Fancy - Movement #3 4. Flights of Fancy - Movement #4 5. Flights of Fancy - Movement #5 Performed by: Guido Mazzon - trumpet, conductor Paul Rutherford - trombone Renato Germaia - saxophones Rudy Migliardi - tuba Umberto Petrin - piano Tiziano Tononi - drums Recorded: Noci, Italy, June 25, 1993 About: For more then 35 years, Guido Mazzon has been one of the leading voices of the new jazz in Italy. His musical endeavors crossed from contemporary jazz compositions, improvised music and songs, to interaction between music and poetry, literary prose, dance and video art. His artistic collaborations include some of the greatest European and American improvisers from Evan Parker to Anthony Braxton; at this album he is joined by legendary British trombone player Paul Rutherford. To compose or to play is like writing on a "tabula rasa" (clean slate) where I draw sounds, emotions and create intimate relationships with my partners. To play music together is to live common experience; to express emotions is not necessarily to utter high concepts but simply to tell the stories. (Guido Mazzon)

How's that Kool Aid tasting?

In the 1960s, when I started listening to jazz, I passed over a lot of hard bop records because of their formulaic quality. Later on - late 70s to the present - I was able to get past the formulas and hear the musicians and the music. I missed out on some great music back then, but I'm lucky enough to be able to hear it now - and can hear it differently than I could have back then. I don't find Leeway a boring date at all. Three of the tunes are taken at similar medium tempos, there's no ballad, and only one uptempo tune. Perhaps that's what Big Al is tuning into. Some fine solos throughout, and good tunes - a good record, to my ears. I think I'm going in the opposite direction, when I started, I listened to nothing but hard bop, especially Blue Note, now I'm flat burned out on it. I put Leeway in the cd player last night and I pulled it after ten minutes. I agree with Big Al -- boring... sorry guys.

Guido Mazzon / Andrea Centazzo: Double. Disk one.

It's going to be very strange watching the Giants without Bonds, in fact, it's going to be weird when Bonds does leave the game, I've been watching this guy since he was in college and I went to the Cal games in Berkeley. Even then, you knew he would be a great player. Everything aside, steroids, personality, the self-aggrandizement, he was a great player to watch and was never dull.

Disk two. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record on this box set, but it is very good. Disk three.

The Angels are a very good team and I think Boston will have a hard time winning the series (you guys on the East Coast always think we're lightweights out here ). I don't take their current play too seriously sine they clinched a while ago; they have good pitching, hitting, and I think Matthews will be O.K. for the playoffs. If Boston is smart, they'd just walk Vlad every time he comes up and make someone else beat him. I would love to see Cleveland take the Yankees in straight games, I just think the Yankee pitching is too weak to beat good teams in any series.