Starting Five
Beltran: “You want me on that wall! You NEED me on that–OUCH!”
1. World Series Game 1: Muck These Cards
I’ll just say it: World Series of Poker, thus far, featuring better Cards than the World Series of Baseball.
–The Boston Red Sox now have a nine-game World Series win streak. The Yankees won 14 consecutive Fall Classic contests beginning in 1996, then 1998, 1999 and 2000. Eat it, Beantown.
–Bottom of the first inning of the World Series, and the second base umpire misses a call that every T-ball umpire could have made from behind home plate? Really? And then the crew, which includes Jim Joyce, reverses that call? Right outcome, wrong process. And somewhere Armando Galarraga, the pitcher from whom Joyce robbed a perfect game a few years back, says, “Oh. So you CAN overturn horrible calls. Thanks. Thanks a lot.”
–And I was thinking, Peter Kozma’s error just loaded the bases with nobody out. Lucky for St. Louis that the Sawx have done nothing at Fenway with the bases juiced this October.
Nobody saw that, right?
–After Adam Wainwright’s brain fart, Cecil Hurt tweeted that “Buttermaker is going to have them do extra work on infield pop-ups.” Don’t feel bad, Adam, your error (oh, it’s a single because no fielder touched it? Okay.) only allowed the Sawx an extra batter who lined a shot to right field that may or may not have taken your best player out of the Series.
–Quickly, the St. Louis Cardinals won their first World Series in 1926, a seven-game affair against the Damned Yankees. Who made the final out and how (pipe down, Olbermann!) (answer at bottom of this item)?
–Fox’s Tim McCarver devoted a decent portion of one half inning, at a stage of the game in which the Sawx led 5-0, informing us that there is both a Texarkana, Arkansas, and a Texarkana, Texas. This is what I like to call “Texarkana arcana.”
(these lines sound fresher if you don’t follow me on Twitter, by the way)
–So Fenway Park, erected in 1912, has a Jumbotron. Notre Dame Stadium, erected in 1930, does not. By the way, the Irish have actually played a football game at Fenway (a 64-0 rout of Dartmouth on October 14, 1944; afterward Mike Lupica blamed Lou Holtz, who was then eight years old, for running up the score) . The Sox have not and will not play a game at Notre Dame Stadium.
Hornsby: “I got you, Babe.”
–Answer: Babe Ruth. The Bambino was caught stealing second base with two outs and the Yankees trailing 3-2 in Game 7. That’s fellow Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby applying the tag.
2. Grab Your Things/I’ve Come To Take You Home
Gabriel on stage in London, with the same musicians he’s played with for a quarter century.
Wistfully, I’m searching Orbitz for flights to Manchester, UK, because tomorrow marks the final night of Peter Gabriel’s current tour. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of “So”, Gabriel plays the entire album plus a few other gems (Update: Gabriel will actually play four dates in Germany next April and May; who’s with me?). Check out this set list as well as this review, from a show at the O2 Arena in London on Tuesday night.
Granted, Gabriel is 63 years old. The time to have seen the former Genesis member, the one with mischief in his eyes (and lyrics) live was 20 years ago, during the Secret World Live tour, back when he was literally bouncing with energy while performing Solsbury Hill or In Your Eyes, back when Paula Cole was singing back-up. (those two videos are worth your time).
Gabriel belongs in the same class with Tom Petty and John Mellencamp for me. Solo artists who are not QUITE Bruce Springsteen or Prince or Bob Dylan, but at the very closest rung below. Self-indulgent moment here: I’ve been lucky enough to see just about every artist I could’ve wanted to live: Springsteen, U2, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Queen, The Who, The Rolling Stones, REM, Petty, Van Halen with Diamond Dave, the Osmond Brothers (damn straight), Joe Jackson (spectacular)… but Gabriel is my white whale. I’m sure you have one, too.
It should be noted that Gabriel was one of 16 artists nominated last week for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame –to be eligible this year, one had to have recorded an album before 1988, or 25 years ago. He should be a shoo-in, as should Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt, KISS and Cat Stevens (how is the guy who gave us Teaser and the Firecat not already enshrined? Really, Jann Wenner? Really?). I know that Chuck Klostermann will lobby for KISS, his favorite band. Hall and Oates were also nominated. I can’t go for that. No can do. But Jeff Pearlman can, as he argues in an essay in the Wall Street Journal.
As for the R&R HoF, last year voting was opened to the general public. And, not surprisingly, last year Rush, a fan-fave band that had been eligible for induction since 1999, was voted in immediately. Rush’s Alex Lifeson let music snob Wenner and his RS cronies know just what he thought of them in this hilarious acceptance speech.
Let’s assume five acts are inducted this year. Who’s in?
Kurt needs another posthumous accolade like he needs a hole in–Nevermind.
1) Nirvana…No brainer
2) NWA….See “Nirvana”
3) Peter Gabriel….commercially successful, critically acclaimed. Already in as a member of Genesis.
4) Cat Stevens…for me, one of the premier singer-songwriters, if not the very best one, from an age that was defined by singer-songwriters.
5) ???? …. The Replacements have that indie, underground, never-sold-out cred that RS editors swoon over. They’re no Stillwater. And yet, how do you ignore the impact that KISS, or Yes, had on the future of rock-and-roll? Or do you play it safe and go with Deep Purple? “Smoke on the Water” is maybe the first song that every could who got an electric guitar and an amp for Christmas in the Seventies learned. I’m going to go with The Replacements. Gabriel cancels out Yes and Wenner wants to see Gene Simmons beg, or at least suffer, a little. Hall and Oates recorded some timeless pop songs (“Sara Smile”, “She’s Gone”, “She’s A Rich Girl” and “Kiss On My List”) but oh, that hair! And “Maneater” and “Private Eyes.”
3. Democratic Party? Republican Party? No, UNDERAGE PARTY!
I bet he’s a former lacrosse player (looks it up). He is! He is a former lacrosse player (Yale). Don’t tell me I don’t know my white stereotypes.
I never saw this on The Wire. Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler stops by a house party last June at a beach in Delaware to speak with his teenage son. The scene is straight out of “Jersey Shore” but Gansler, who is running for governor, is no buzzkill. He talks to his son briefly and then leaves, doing nothing to break up the party.
“Dude, your dad’s so chill. I wish my dad was like that.”
Gansler is taking heat in the media for his (most likely well-honed) ability to look the other way, but on the bright side, he has secured the 18-and-under vote. Wait, what’s that you say?
This was a beach party in Delaware in June. Frankly, I’m surprised I don’t see Scott Van Pelt in this photo.
–Thanks to @okerland for the heads up on this.
4. Trojan War of Attrition
Three days after knocking Tommy Rees out of a game, Dawson is lost for the season.
Southern California middle linebacker Lamar Dawson, a junior, was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in practice on Tuesday. Dawson, who wears the coveted No. 55 that is only assigned to a Trojan linebacker deemed worthy of it (former wearers include Junior Seau, Willie McGinest, Chris Claiborne and Keith Rivers, knocked Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees in Saturday night’s game, which was akin to capturing your opponent’s queen in chess. The Irish did not even come close to scoring, and in fact recorded just one first down, after Rees left with 9:31 to play.
Dawson is one of a slew of players that USC, whose roster is already depleted of scholarship players due to the NCAA not treating them as if they were Miami, lost for the season this week. Freshman tailback Justin Davis underwent surgery after injuring his ankle versus the Irish, while offensive guard Jordan Simmons injured his knee. Safety Gerald Bowman and tailback D.J. Morgan are also out for the season.
Oh, and wideouts Nelson Agholor and Marqise Lee, two of USC’s top three players (we see you, Hayes Pullard) sat out practice yesterday. USC still has a visit to Oregon State, plus home games versus Stanford and UCLA, on the schedule. And Saturday’s contest versus Utah, which beat the Cardinal, is no walkover. USC, now 4-3, must play over its heads just to get to 7-6 (Hawaii visit allows them a 13th game) this season.
5. The Daily Show is The Newsroom with a Shorter Time Lag
Does The Daily Show deserve a Pulitzer for journalism? Why not?
I can’t post Jon Stewart’s monologue every night, but sometimes I think I should. Here’s Stewart lambasting CNBC —Maria Bartiromo, who was feted on-air, shamelessly, last week for 25 years on the network, although it has been years since either 1) she’s mattered or 2) she’s appeared objective, should be particularly embarrassed– for its kid gloves strategy with J.P. Morgan Chase poobah Jamie Dimon.
Stewart: “Only at CNBC is ‘Breaking Bad’ the story of how one man, through hard work and smart business practices, slowly insulates himself from criticism.”
I’m sure she doesn’t care, but I am embarrassed for Bartiromo after seeing this. It may be time for CNBC to gently tell her to just linger a little longer at lunch with the social X-rays at Fred’s on Madison Ave.
Two things: One, The Daily Show is afforded time to look back on current events and then twist a knife into the backs of the crooks and hypocrites who hijack justice. Isn’t Aaron Sorkin doing the same thing, albeit not as comically and with more lag time?
Second, you have to credit Stewart and his staff for never losing their fury. Stewart is a very wealthy man now, and he is part of the establishment. He gets invited to, hell, he headlines some of the very fundraisers that the potentates whom he excoriates attend and are behind. Kudos to him for never forgetting how he got where he is. Something Bartiromo certainly has.
Reserves
Notre Dame will petition the NCAA to allow McDaniel to play helmet-free the remainder of the season.
With the help of astute Twitter follower Nick Chapa (@chappysnacks), I was able to link a photo of helmet-less Cam McDaniel on Tuesday but unable to post one as a pic itself. In the interim, everyone from Deadspin to CNN to USA Today to Lost Letterman to Dr. Saturday has joined the fray.
Which is fine, of course.
How did USC let this Servite alum get away again? Especially with that name?
Two things I’m curious about: How long until America discovers the Sorbo-esque hunkiness of a helmet-free Troy Niklas or the smoove John Legend-suaveness of T.J. Jones. I mean, sure, none of these guys are Zach Martin, but who is?
Jones: Shouldn’t he be playing piano somewhere?
Also, as I sat in the stands at the game with no Mike Mayock to assist me, I wondered why McDaniel did not have to sit out a play after losing his helmet. If memory serves correct, there was a timeout and then McDaniel returned for Notre Dame’s next offensive play. Are referees/umpires just taking October off?
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Fly, AMZN, fly! If it hits $360 tommorrow, I’ll have a 10-bagger. Whoo-freakin-hoo! Still won’t sell though. A little stock story – back in Nov 2008, after about 20 years of investing strictly in mutual funds, I decided to try my hand at investing in individual stocks. AMZN was my very 1st purchase at $36/sh. A few months later, it had jumped up to $60/sh or so & a fellow worker who had been investing in stocks for more than 10 years & considered himself a ‘market maven’, said I should sell. I said “nooooo, I will triple my money in this one day!” He laughed & laughed. All the way down the hall. Well, WHO’S LAUGHING NOW? Me, as long as I don’t look at the 3rd stock I invested in around that time – RIMM. Actually, both make me laugh – up 900% in one & down 60% in the other. Bought within 2 weeks of each other. The stock market beats Mr Toad hands down. What a ride!
Also, don’t know if you’re still in SCTY, but one of the Motley Fool services recommended SCTY today as a new Buy. They expect big things.
Here’s a hoot – AMZN briefly went over $368 today, which meant the amount I was up just today is almost the exact entire amount of my original investment ($1800, yes, only 50 shares, I am but a ‘small’ investor).
And yet, AMZN is still not my best performer. That trophy goes to ANN, bought back in March 2009 for $2.50/sh. Here’s the kicker – I bought it because I loved The Loft stores & noticed the stock had been squashed like a bug in the 9 month market freefall. Figured I would buy 450 shares & if I lost it all, the amount ($1125) wouldn’t kill me. That I barely knew what I was doing at the time and THAT stock is by far my shining star just slays me.
Good luck with Twitter. I think I’ll wait till the IPO craziness dies down. Of course, I also keep waiting for a market correction & have been since March. It’s 2009 all over again!