Monthly Archives: November 2011

Keeping Track

Solar Sox Summary

Brian Dozier walked and scored on a double by Junior Lake (Cubs) in the bottom of the ninth to give Mesa an 8-7 victory over Phoenix.

The double was Lake's third hit of the game, as he also singled and tripled.  Tyler Saladino (White Sox) and Jarek Cunningham (Pittsburgh) each singled and doubled.  Dozier was 0-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Aaron Hicks was 1-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in three.  Cole DeVries started and went three hitless innings, walking two and striking out two.  Brett Jacobson retired all five batters he faced, striking out two.  Jeff Inman (Pittsburgh) got the win despite allowing two runs on a hit and a walk in one inning.

Adeiny Hechavarria (Toronto) hit a home run for the Desert Dogs.  Preston Claiborne (Yankees) allowed the winning run in his second inning of work to take the loss.

Mesa hosts Salt River this afternoon.

Friday Music Day

FMD: Deer Opener (11-4-11)

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I've been pretty absent here the past few weeks, I've been very busy at work. My absence will continue over the weekend: I'm driving up to Swanville, MN to hunt deer. At my great-uncle-in-law's. Both my father and father-in-law are in the hunting party. Which I quite enjoy.
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As I mentioned earlier, my week's soundtrack has been pretty much 70% Beyoncé (with 20% Merle, and 10% Random). When I put together my end-of-the-year lists, her new album 4 is going to be hard to file: an 8-song album might challenge* Colin Stetson, but those other five or so songs are still there on the album, and she might not get listed at all. At the same time, there's too many good songs for me to pick just one for my singles list (which is where I put songs not on listed albums: otherwise both lists would pretty much be copies of each other.

*Or maybe it's just a brief infatuation with the record and I'll be sick of it by December 1.

I like Kanye West's work, but I hope he never again shows up on a Beyoncé album. Three seconds into "Party", and three seconds of his voice, and I'm hitting the "next track" button.

So anyways, share your list.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–November 4

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Bobby Wallace (1873)
Tommy Leach (1877)
Skeeter Webb (1909)
Carl Sawatski (1927)
Dick Groat (1930)
Tito Francona (1933)
Dick Selma (1943)
Doug Corbett (1952)
Jon Shave (1967)
Eric Karros (1967)
Carlos Baerga (1968)
Kevin Frederick (1976)
Carmen Cali (1978)

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to davidwatts, kalarson, and eschapp (formerly yickit).

Continue reading Happy Birthday–November 4 →

WGOM Videos

Peter Bjorn and John – Paris 2004

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last time i was in vegas, i kept running into these 3 swedish kids at the blackjack table, whom i kept calling peter, bjorn, and john (not sure if i ever caught their actual names). we had lots of fun together. they kept recommending american bands for me to listen to, and i kept recommending swedish bands they should listen to. good times.


2006

2 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 102 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10 (2 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10)
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Keeping Track

Venezuelan View

Zulia 4, Aragua 3 in Zulia.  The Aguilas scored three in the fourth to overcome a 3-1 Tigres lead.  Darin Mastroianni (Toronto) had three hits to lead Zulia, while Freddy Galvis (Philadelphia) drove in three.  Moises Melendez retired both men he faced to get the win and Arcenio Leon (Houston) gave up just a walk in the ninth to get the save.  Lastings Milledge doubled and singled to lead Aragua.  Joe Benson was 0-for-3.  Victor Moreno took the loss, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

In games not involving Twins players, Magallanes defeated Lara 4-1, La Guaira edged Caracas 7-6, and Margarita easily beat Anzoategui 11-3.

In other Twins news, we note that Rene Rivera has been playing for Licey in the Dominican League.  He is currently 5-for-12 (.417).

In the Venezuelan League tonight, La Guaira is at Lara, Caracas is at Aragua, and Margarita travels to Magallanes.

Uncategorized

Classic Album Reviews: Lucinda Williams — Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)

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After spending the previous decade releasing spare country and folk albums, Lucinda Williams spent most of the 1990’s recording and re-recording one of the greatest country albums released by a female artist. Gone was the lone voice and guitar of her previous albums and in its place was a lush mixture of guitar, mandolin, accordion, dobro, piano, and electric guitar. The album is a showcase of Williams’ fine song-writing skills and emotive voice that can go from a growl to a purr in the blink of a song. It is an album that takes its sensibility not only from Nashville (country), but also from New Orleans (Zydeco), Chicago (Blues), and Los Angeles (Rock and Roll).

The album covers your typical country fare of love gained, hearts broken, and a  life that is not smooth like a highway but instead bumpy and worn down like a gravel road. From the album’s first line - "Not a day goes by I don’t think about you" - we are introduced to Williams’ reminisces about love lost. Highlights for me include the opening song, Right in Time, which is about a woman who literally aches carnally for her man; Drunken Angel, a song about/for Gram Parsons; Lake Charles, (love lost); Greenville (saying goodbye to a lover who is a drunken lout); and Jackson (thinking about a lover as she drives across the south).

I Lost It standouts as a country-rocker about falling in love but worried about getting ones heart broke. The second verse is classic:

I just wanna live the life I please
I don't want no enemies
I don't want nuthin' if I have to fake it.
Never take nuthin' don't belong to me
Everything's paid for nothing’s free
If I give you my heart
Will you promise not to break it?

Sweet.  If we could all have standards like that.

This album is southern, but Williams isn’t getting her Lynyrd Skynyrd on. It’s the south of cotton picking, humid nights, rutted roads, and beer guzzlin’ good ol’ boys who done their woman wrong. Lucinda Williams imbibes these songs with her voice, making them real -- your heart literally goes out to her and you curse the men who have burned her in the past. Top to bottom there isn’t a fill-in song or throw away line on the entire album and Car Wheels on a Gravel Road should be considered a classic alongside your Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Jayhawks collections.

Keeping Track

Solar Sox Summary

For the second straight day, Mesa lost a game late, as the Desert Dogs scored four in the eighth to defeat the Solar Sox 11-8 in Phoenix.

Grant Green (Oakland) doubled, tripled, and homered, driving in three to lead the Desert Dogs.  Chad Huffman (Cleveland) singled, doubled, and hit a grand slam in the eighth, driving in five.  Brodie Greene (Cincinnati) had three hits.  Cory Burns (Cleveland) pitched a scoreless eighth to get the win, and Brad Boxberger (Cincinnati) worked a scoreless ninth for the save

For the Solar Sox, Brian Dozier, Brandon Short (White Sox), and Josh Vitters (Cubs) each singled and doubled.  For the game, Dozier was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Xavier Avery (Baltimore) also had two hits.  Chris Herrmann pinch-hit and was 0-for-1,  Bruce Pugh allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 1.1 innings.  The loss went to Brandon Kloess (White Sox), who surrendered the eighth-inning grand slam, giving up three hits and a walk.

Mesa hosts Phoenix this afternoon.