Matthew

I don't know this part of the history as well as I'd like, but was Larry Doby going to roll out with the Indians no matter what happened with Robinson, or was there a "wait and see" thing going on there? No, it was going through regardless. Bill Veck was the owner of the Indians at the time, and he was committed to breaking the color barrier. In some ways, I wished it was him, it would have made a great story, and Doby was no slouch either as a player or person. With Branch, there is more than a touch of the charlatan involved, but that touch is what probably made him so great.

Horace Tapscott: The Dark Tree. Played this about three times in a row. Wonderful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04zbFueiBMI

I was so thinking about it, but I already bought the ELO set this week, and I couldn't justify to myself buying so soon afterwards. Besides, I have TPF DVDs! Come on, everybody get happy!

The Partridge Family: The Complete First Season. Danny Bonaduce & Dave Madden have to be one of the funniest tandems ever. This would get me kicked off the Hoffman site, but I like the Partridge Family more than the Monkees. PS: WTH??? Music by Benny Golson? I never realized...

A whole 6 games? This kind of stressin' leads to heart attacks. A-Rod goes yard in his first AB against the Angels today. Guess I'll just ignore that pain in my left arm and the shortness of breath. Can't say I've been too impressed with the Angles, or Pujols, so far. Maybe it's just that they're one of those teams that bore me to death, along with Atlanta (sorry Berigan!), Oakland, Toronto, and Miami. Snooze Ctiy when these teams are involved.

The Dodgers actually look like the have the makings of a decent team this year. Nice game by Billingsley last night; Javy Guerra gets his fourth save; Ethier is looking healthy and interested in playing some baseball. Kemp, of course, seems to be pissed-off that he didn't win the Triple Crown & MVP last year, so he's going to try to do both this year -- talk about a player putting all the pieces together, he really is the best player in baseball right now. There are some people actually showing up for the games now, so it might be a good year for The Blue. The NL West seems to be very competitive this year, with the DBacks, Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies vying for the lead. The Giants though, wow, Lincicum didn't even last three innings last night, he really looked bad, he now has a ERA of 12.91. I loved how the Giants announcers declared that Lincicum "has is stuff tonight" after just two pitches! The dangers of being a homer I guess. 17 runs, that's pretty bad, even if it is in Denver.

The Rangers have another very good team and they're going to be tough to beat. That would be something, to have both Wild Card teams come out of the AL West, but it could very well happen. I guess you're talking about the Rangers & Angels, but if both WC teams come out of the West, who actually wins the division? Oakland or Seattle? Neffie's debut as a starter got severely underplayed in the media, thanks to the twin-hype overkills of Yu Darvish the night before & Ozzie Guillen the day of, but - some of us were worried about his mental toughness, especially after Game 6 last year. would there be any hangover, etc, but no, this cat was DEALING. Walked two in the first, but after that, nothing. No sweat, total poise, incredible command of his off-speed and breaking stuff, and, when needed, that fastball. Seven innings, four hits, hands it over to Adams & NAthan, BOOM, game over. Not even 2:30 long, if my wall clock can be trusted. There's only been something like, four or five 1-0 Ranger wins in Arlington, ever. And last night was one of them. FELIZ!!!! I'm an old man of fifty-three, I forget details.... a lot. My mind hasn't turned to 2012 yet.

The Rangers have another very good team and they're going to be tough to beat. That would be something, to have both Wild Card teams come out of the AL West, but it could very well happen.

Amazon Deal of the Day: The Complete Dick Van Dyke Show $66.99 One of my all-time favorite shows.

Yes, with Shane Victorino hitting cleanup, I'd definitely say so. But the pitching can keep you in the hunt, just ask the 2010 SF Giants.

Happy Birthday

Ozzie suspended for five games. I've been wondering from the very start of this story whether the Venezuela/Cuba connection is being overlooked. I mean, the politics of Venezuela, where Ozzie is from, is quite different from the Miami brand. Nobody would lift an eyebrow about Ozzie's comments in his home country....

Yeah, I bought the box set this morning.

I still love all the crap I loved growing up. For awhile, I tried to deny that fact, but about five years ago I decided to like what I like, and not worry about appearing hip or cool. I even have the satellite station 70s on 7 preset on my car radio and home system.

My response:

I noticed on PopMarket that the Electric Light Orchestra Complete Album set is for $49.99. That's eleven cds for the price. I'm really thinking of pulling the trigger on this one.

Yeah, Lamar can only breath in L.A. or New York, but Texas???? No way that was going to work....

Was able to watch some of the Rangers game last night, and they look tough to beat, just a solid club that can win any kind of game. Oh, they suck! No way they're going to the series again! (some reverse jinxing for JS). I was driving from the Napa Valley to where I live in SoCal, and I was listening to the Giants' game. Wouldn't you know it, I hit the Grapevine with the Giants ahead 6-5, when I get through the mountains, they lost 7-6! I don't think that is something that's happened the past two seasons, having the staff lose a 6-0 lead. Don't know about the Giants this year (and btw Goodspeak, I love the Giants), but they don't seem to have that swagger about them right now, and the D'Backs don't look like they're going away.

Dang, season been going since Wednesday and I've only seen one game, bummer. Los Doyers might be worth watching this year, especially if the Parking Lot Attendant is truly gone.

Yes!!! Truly, He is risen! Happy Easter to everyone.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The first show of the series. My favorite line, by Lou Grant: "You know what? You got spunk... I hate spunk!" Hilarious

Oh, oh -- possible trouble with the Dodger sale. One thing I never liked about this deal, well two things: No auction, and McCourt STILL hanging around the Blue -- that stinks big time.

No problem here, and I just bought a MacBook Air about a six weeks ago for travel, and I LOVE it.

I do not pay attention to bs by BS!

Season started tonight in the new Miami stadium (it really should start in Cincinnati, but that's another story), and it was sad to see Muhammad Ali in such a state. I think the crowd went into shock after they realized the physical toll that the Parkinson's disease had taken. Can't say I was too impressed with the "new look" Marlins, but St. Louis looked okay.