Play ball! 2019 MLB season thread

[jazztrain]

What a slippery slope.  The Boswell Sisters and Mildred Bailey (with Paul Whitman) also recorded the tune.  Do they get axed as well?  What about other songs about the south that present an idyllic or idealized view of past times?

I air a fair amount of music from the 1920s from what is sometimes referred to as "The People's Republic of Cambridge" (Massachusetts) and occasionally run into tunes with rather dated lyrics (Mississippi Mud, e.g.) from that and later eras.  I find a comment acknowledging that the lyrics reflect a different sensibility and a different time puts the recording into a different perspective.  Otherwise, a lot of good music would never be heard anymore.

[ghost of miles]

8 minutes ago, jazztrain said:

What a slippery slope.  The Boswell Sisters and Mildred Bailey (with Paul Whitman) also recorded the tune.  Do they get axed as well?  What about other songs about the south that present an idyllic or idealized view of past times?

I air a fair amount of music from the 1920s from what is sometimes referred to as "The People's Republic of Cambridge" (Massachusetts) and occasionally run into tunes with rather dated lyrics (Mississippi Mud, e.g.) from that and later eras.  I find a comment acknowledging that the lyrics reflect a different sensibility and a different time puts the recording into a different perspective.  Otherwise, a lot of good music would never be heard anymore.

Comrade!  I hail from the People's Republic of Bloomington!    (And am good friends with Commissar McGerr, as you well know.)  I am glad that Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" has been banished, but much more on the basis that Jsngry cites.  Slippery slope indeed--and what about artists who've sung misogynistic and sexist songs?  (Which still seem to get more of a pass, unfortunately.)  Recently I was listening to a 4-CD Nat King Cole box set and heard this song for the first time, a duet performed with Dean Martin:

Open up the doghouse
Open up the doghouse
Rover Rover move it over two cats are coming in

Nat you look like a man with a story I sure have
I told my wife we oughta save money
That's the way it's gotta be Oh gotta gotta be that way
She canceled all the charge accounts gave all the gold to me
Well I can't see what you did wrong
Why was your woman so upset
Well I put the money on a horse and he hasn't showed up yet

Open up the doghouse
Open up the doghouse
Rover Rover move it over two cats are coming in

Well Dean what's your problem Here it is
I gave my wife a beautiful fur coat You did
Told her it was genuine mink Rich man
I took her out to show it off
Then we stopped in for a drink Oh cocktails
We I know your wife was really thrilled
How come you two had a spat
It's easy to see it started to rain the coat got wet
And mink just don't smell like that Timber

Open up the doghouse
Open up the doghouse
Rover Rover move it over two cats are coming in

Let's hear it Nat You know what you know what though
What
There's just one way to handle a woman
Dean we just got to treat 'em rough Got to slap 'em
That's right We got to show 'em who wears the pants
Cut out that sissy sissy stuff
Now it ain't no use to take abuse
Whenever they are cranky or cross
Let's put the women in their place and we'll show them who's the boss

Open up the doghouse
Two cats are coming in

 

... a forgettable early 1950s novelty song, not even sure why it was included on that 1992 box-set, though it serves inadvertently as a testament to the kind of junk that was making the charts in that particular era.  It was startling to hear Cole sing those lines.  I don't give the song a pass, either, because the two tough-talking male protagonists are framed as to-be-mocked characters being sent to the "doghouse."  It's sexist crap that was standard fare for that age because of the prevailing social norms at the time.  But on the basis of this particular song, should we refrain from ever playing NKC's "Stardust" on the air or in a public setting?  Of course not, that's totally ridiculous.  Maybe the Kate Smith case is an exception because the song in question is a secondary sort of national anthem, but I still think it's a stretch to boot it because she sang other songs with racist content.  Boot it on aesthetic grounds entirely! 

[duaneiac]

1 hour ago, Brad said:

This is what is generally happening today, right or wrong. Companies are fearful of offending anybody at the cost of sales so they take no chances. 

Well, the Yankees apparently were not afraid of offending atheists by playing "God Bless America" in the first place.

[JSngry]

No sense in being stuck with shit just because it happened. You don't deny it, but you can't just leave it there with a halfass "oh, that's too bad...but it's staying" either.

Well, you can, but why would you? Why not play something more quintessentially, non-niche-dependent American?

 

 

[JSngry]

Here, that's not so hard, see?

Kate Smith? For me, always a Lenny Bruce punch line.

[Brad]

Mets season may have taken a u turn: deGrom is headed back to NY to have his elbow examined. He had Tommy John in 2010. 

[GA Russell]

Speaking of Lenny Bruce...

HOW TO TALK DIRTY & INFLUENCE PEOPLE - $5.95
https://www.hamiltonbook.com/how-to-talk-dirty-influence-people-an-autobiography

[JSngry]

 

[BERIGAN]

On 4/19/2019 at 0:28 PM, JSngry said:

I remember when Kate Smith was alive. She always creeped me out then but then she died and kinda went away.

Then 9/11 happened and POOF! there she was again, another trauma to the American soul attempting to be soothed by nostalgia at any cost.

And now she's gone from at least one place. Good riddance, imo. Plenty of other songs, plenty of other singers.

May have?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq0HH9d_lHk

So, if you didn't like the performer, it's aok to banish them them? Many of the headlines were stating she was a racist, not just the music she had recorded over 80 years ago. And it wasn't just "nostalgia" that got her music played at sporting events. The Philadelphia Flyers have played her renditions recorded live, off and on for decades. A good luck charm of sorts. She had a statue had 2 Flyer venues... say, how many women have statues in front of major league stadiums? Going to guess none now, that racist, uppity bitch is gone! I can rest easy tonight, that some sad sack of a  SJW had to find something, anything to be upset about to give their pathetic life meaning.

And now she's gone from at least one place. Good riddance, imo. Plenty of other songs, plenty of other singers.

yes, yes, ban everyone! I sure hope I never hear any Frank Rosolino music via Stan Kenton, or anyone else...he murdered his own son, and critically injured the other.

Or, how about Miles Davis! Better never hear that misogynistic asshole ever again , in commercials, on the radio, any streaming services, anywhere! Ah, now my life has a real purpose! Who else shall I wipe from the present and the future??? gonna do some diggin'

 

 

[BERIGAN]

Does your team need a closer? The Braves sure do, after often injured Arodys Vizcaino had season ending shoulder surgery. Gee, if only there was a closer with a long history of closing that was still only 30 or so, and even had a history with the Atlanta team....but, instead we hear nope, not likely. Oh, of course not, the Mets, Phils, and Nats all improved themselves over the winter. What did the Braves, with all these millions coming off the books from dead contracts do? Sign Josh Donaldson, for 23 million for some reason. We were told that we didn't have to hunt in the bargain aisles anymore, we could shop in any aisle now! So, other than JD, we signed Brian McCann to a ridiculously low contract (2 mil) saving on Suzuki that signed for 5 mil with the nats.  And after Nick Markakis became an all star for the first time, (14 HR's 93 RBI's, 297, .366, faded at the end played in 162 games, a mistake) in the final year of a 3 year, 33 mil contract, what happened? after not finding someone better, they re-signed him for 4 million!!! A take it or leave it offer cuz, old (they say) Then Ronald Acuna to a team friendly contract, then Ozzie Albies to a terrible (for him) contract that works out to 5 mil average a season for something like 7 seasons, with all this money saved.....nope, can't afford Kimbrel. Just keep watching the weak bullpen sap the heart of the team and fans game after game (to be fair they were good in the D.H. against Cleveland yesterday) and watching Liberty Media roll in the big bucks....

Still can't believe since it looks like Kimbrel is asking for less years, that no one has signed him, and now it's almost the end of April. Yeah, I know draft pick forfeiture. Braves would only lose 60th pick, and still act like that's part of the reason....yeah, right....

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, BERIGAN said:

So, if you didn't like the performer, it's aok to banish them them?

Yep. Life is fucked, and I alone can fix it.

That's just how it is.

 

[Patrick]

Braves appear to be having a good time Sunday night in CLE. Not sure they will need a closer this evening. 

[ghost of miles]

Yankees are facing a long West Coast road trip with what amounts to a triple-A/spring training starting lineup.  I'm guessing Aaron Judge won't be back till June... as a fan of the team since the 1970s, I can't recall a season in which so many starting players went down, especially this early in the year.  Almost all of the opening-day lineup (and the pitcher who normally would have started that game, as well as the SS) is currently on the IL:

Gary Sanchez, catcher

Greg Bird, 1B

Didi Gregorius, SS

Troy Tulowitzki, SS

Miguel Andujar, 3B

Aaron Judge, RF

Aaron Hicks, CF

Giancarlo Stanton, LF/DH

Luis Severino, starting pitcher

Dellin Betances, bullpen

 

Much appreciation to the Red Sox, btw, for sweeping the Rays in Tampa.    Looks as if Boston's finally finding its groove.

[Dan Gould]

They just got lucky.  Made no dent in their run differential and no real improvement in offense, just managed to get wins.

Of course if they hadn't managed that feat we'd be talking about next year as they'd be 10-11 games back right now.

[Scott Dolan]

21 hours ago, BERIGAN said:

Does your team need a closer?

Hell, my team needs an entire bullpen. 

6.06 collectively, and 8 blown saves already this season. 

[Brad]

If it wasn’t for Díaz, the Mets pen would be a complete disaster. 

The Flyers have also stopped using God Bless America and have covered up a statue of her.   

[ghost of miles]

Yankees with 32.8 WAR on the IL as of April 21:

The Yankees’ 2019 run of injuries is virtually unprecedented

[Matthew]

The Yankees swept the Giants without even breaking a sweat -- Giants complete outclassed in every department. Giants should trade Madison Bumgartner before his value gets lower, he's not the pitcher he was pre-accident. If I'm I right handed hitter, I do not want to face Ottavino...

[catesta]

On 4/19/2019 at 5:21 PM, JSngry said:

Here, that's not so hard, see?

Kate Smith? For me, always a Lenny Bruce punch line.

The punch line about her being a physically unattractive woman? She paid the price for that, never married and went out hard.

Why don't we go after the composers next? The whole thing is bullshit.

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, catesta said:

The punch line about her being a physically unattractive woman?

That (physically unattractive) was not exactly the punchline...compared to Lena Horne, most everybody was. I know I still am. And if you don't start taking better care of yourself, you will be too!

As for never marrying, is it possible that she was not hetero?

No matter, if you gotta go to the mat for anything with Kate Smith's singing...let me get out of your way, you can have ALL of that mat. There were better options then, there are better options now.

[JSngry]

Bumpy, yeah. But nobody falls up.

[Brad]

1 hour ago, Matthew said:

I found it interesting that the Phillies got all holier-than-thou over a 1931 recording— as if Ben Chapman and his treatment of Jackie Robinson never happened; as if not having an African-American player until 1957 never happened. That high road can get pretty bumpy at times. 

Wrong team and sport.  Not the Phillies, but the Flyers. 

[Matthew]

35 minutes ago, Brad said:

Wrong team and sport.  Not the Phillies, but the Flyers. 

Gosh, you're right, I'm stupid. I'll delete and hide my head in shame!

[Brad]

9 minutes ago, Matthew said:

Gosh, you're right, I'm stupid. I'll delete and hide my head in shame!

No biggie! 

[catesta]

4 hours ago, JSngry said:

That (physically unattractive) was not exactly the punchline...compared to Lena Horne, most everybody was. I know I still am. And if you don't start taking better care of yourself, you will be too!

As for never marrying, is it possible that she was not hetero?

No matter, if you gotta go to the mat for anything with Kate Smith's singing...let me get out of your way, you can have ALL of that mat. There were better options then, there are better options now.

Yeah, if it was about her singing voice, but it's not.