Matthew

What are some good baseball websites that people here use? ESPN/Fox/SI have really gone downhill in their baseball coverage, so a good baseball site would be welcome.

It's all Hegelean: thesis---->antithesis---->synthesis! I always knew that B.A. in philosophy would come in handy one day.

Well it is your opinion, be it ever so humble. But its not going to be a matter of Francona working him into the ground, its how Dice adopts from pitching once a week with 140+ pitches and also working extremely hard in between starts to going every five days on a shorter pitch count (I'm guessing 110-120) and figuring out what kind of work is needed in between to stay both strong and maintain command. You know, the interesting thing is that so many "old time" American pitchers have been saying that the problem is coddling pitchers today, that back in the day, to have good arm strength, you threw. In Japan, that is what they do - they throw and they throw. A big deal is made about all of the pitches Dice has thrown, starting with the 250 pitch complete game in that high school tournament. Yet according to that article in SI that Quincy mentioned, when the Sox got the results on the MRI of his arm, it was "clean as a whistle". Is he just unique or is it a function of the training methods? I tell you what, if Dice dominates the league, throwing complete game shutouts, etc., etc., I have to wonder whether there might be some changes coming to the way pitchers are dealt with. Admittedly, its going to be tough to break such an entrenched mind-set. I think when American baseball freaked-out over innings was when Billy Martin had his A's pitchers go for a ton of innings. He went with that four man rotation, and stayed with it all year, and they were never the same after that. I agree that pitchers are coddled nowadays. Warning: Old Geezer Talk. Back in the day, it wasn't that uncommon for a pitcher to go 300 innings in a year, with a lot of complete games. Now it's a "quality start" if someone makes it into the seventh. I tell ya whippersnappers, baseball was a mans game when I was younger.

I know they stretch out, but 105 is still a lot for exhibition baseball, (IMHO, of course ). Sounds like the "conventional wisdom" is for Dice K to tear things up the first time around the league. Probably will have 12-15 wins by the All-Star break. It'll be interesting to see how Terry Francona handles Matsuzaka, I just have a funny feeling he's going to work Dice-K into the ground.

All autographed pre-orders are now sold out (both the regular cd edition and the CD+DVD-V). Yea for me! Got a single cd just under the wire. PS: And my signed Blackfield II shipped yesterday. Steve Wilson now joins Andy Partridge & Colin Moulding in my signed cd pantheon.

What's up with DiceK throwing 105 pitches in a stupid exhibition game! Whose the manager of the Red Sox now? Tommy Lasorda? Sheesh....

I think they were 25-30 dollar range. I bought a VIP ticket through PT's website, so I could get a T-shirt & signed poster , so I had to pay over the regular price.

Anyone going to see Porcupine Tree on this tour? I've already got my tickets for Seattle.

I've been drinking Obsidian Stout lately, and it's very good. Nice dark taste, a good late night listen to jazz beer. It's heavy though, I only drink one at a time. Made out of Oregon. Kudos.

I know I'm way late on this, but you can buy off Ebay the Ictus 30th Anniversary box set through the "Best Offer" option now. I got it for $95.00; you might be able to go lower. It's worth it.

I blame Chaney for this, since he gave me a copy of the one disk introduction to this set about a year ago: Ictus Records' 30th Anniversary Collection Box Set.

Carson & Hope & Martin. Hard to believe that you could see this kind of stuff all the time. March 1969. Part II. Part III

Johnny's last television appearance. Boy, do I miss Carson.

Ed Ames and a Tomahawk...

Karnak

Interview and drum solo by Buddy Rich.

I spent a lot of time in airports and meetings this week so I bought Bill Simmons Now I Can Die In Peace, his account of the Red Sox and the Championship season of 2004. I'm not that big of a fan of Simmons, but it wasn't too bad, a nice way to gear up for the season. One outcome though: I think I hate the Red Sox now -- sorry Dan.

This looks like one of the best sets in a long time, one that I'm actually excited about right from the start. Like Mr. Sangrey, as soon as $$$ allows, I'm all over this one.

Disk one this morning. Great music for a Sunday morning.

Disk four. Very nice set with good sound quality. I like.

Thinking is that it would give an unfair advantage to "name" colleges who have big name alumni. Though I would think most recruits would prefer to meet the USC cheerleaders.

That is great news about Moonloop & Recordings, I've been holding off on those two under the principle that everything will come around eventually. Been delaying on SW side projects under another principle: you can't stop at one. I know once I start down that path, much money will disappear from my wallet.

Yeah ARod, that's why you signed with the Rangers, all those World Championships you'd be winning....

Here's an article about this: A-Rod not thinking about opting out of deal now Associated Press NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez sidestepped whether he plans to opt out of his record contract with the New York Yankees and become a free agent following this season. J.D. Drew, like A-Rod a client of agent Scott Boras, used an opt-out clause to leave the Los Angeles Dodgers for a $70 million, five-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. During a promotional appearance Tuesday, Rodriguez was asked what he thought about Drew's decision. "I didn't follow the J.D. Drew situation," Rodriguez said. "My situation and my only goal is to win a world championship, and I'm going to take it day to day. And that's about it." Rodriguez is owed a $23 million salary this year, including $1 million deferred without interest until June 30, 2011, and then is due $24 million in each of the final three seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year contract. Texas, which traded A-Rod to the Yankees after the 2003 season, is partially funding the deal, paying the Yankees $7.1 million this year, $8.1 million in 2008, $7.1 million in 2009 and $6.1 million in 2010. "I think when you put things like that in the contract seven years ago, the intent was that it would give the player a choice, knowing full well the player may not use the provision, and also understanding, too, it gives him an option to consider," Boras said in a telephone interview. "At this point in time, Alex has certainly reflected to me he's very happy in New York. We have not talked about anything like that and probably will not until the season is completed." dio's Mike and Mike in the Morning, ESPN's Steve Phillips said he feels if A-Rod leaves the Yankees, it will be because of his overall feeling of the situation in New York and nothing more. A-Rod will send some negative vibes to fans if he opts out. Listen Insider Boras left the impression that Rodriguez could get more than the $72 million he is owed in the final three seasons of his deal. "There's a class of player that has not been fitted into this new market," Boras said. "Obviously when Alex's contract was done, the revenues of the game were around $3 billion. Now they are around $6 billion. The elite position player has not been really graded in this new revenue stream we've seen." Rodriguez has gone through turbulent times with the Yankees. While he won the AL MVP award for the second time in 2005, he is 4-for-41 (.098) without an RBI in his last 12 postseason games dating to 2004. He was dropped to eighth in the batting order for the first time in a decade as the Yankees were eliminated in Game 4 of the first round against Detroit last season. Rodriguez doesn't see a need to speak to manager Joe Torre about being dropped that low. "I'm an employee. If Joe says take out the garbage, I take out the garbage," he said. "There's no attitude. That's just the bottom line. I've very old school when it comes to that. And I've never been a person that ever questions my authority. ... The first thing I've got to look at in the mirror is me." Rodriguez is pleased with the offseason moves made by general manager Brian Cashman. "I'm excited to play with Andy Pettitte and I'm also excited about what Brian Cashman has done, kind of gotten us a little bit younger, a little bit more athletic," Rodriguez said. "I'm also excited to see some of these young pitchers. We haven't had this type of spring, where we're actually curious about what these young pitchers are going to be all about." He cited the example of the Tigers, who won the AL pennant behind hard-throwing pitchers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya. "Without those two guys, they obviously don't get into the postseason and almost win a World Series," Rodriguez said. As he prepares for the start of spring training this month, his goal is to get a World Series ring for the first time. "My burden has always been the same since I was 18," he said. "The only reason I play the game is to win a world championship. That hasn't changed. From year to year it hasn't changed." Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Really like the Cohn/Newman/Green select idea, that should have some great music. I too, haven't been overwhelmed by what Mosaic has to offer lately, though the Duke Ellington one is the first Mosaic in a long time that I am excited about buying.