the sticking point

"Blue, you're m'boy!"

Friday I lugged furniture. Yesterday I painted the nursery walls light blue and ceiling flat white. Used tons of painter's tape. I popped the first paint can at 7:55 and finally walked out of the room at 21:35. After spending the day going up and down the ladder, or reaching, or crouching, I woke up this morning to find that my legs aren't taking any more requests. I still have to apply a couple coats of semi-gloss white to the moldings, radiator, and window box. Motivation is zero. Another cup of coffee or a nap are equally desired.

On iTunes right now: "Any Other Day" from Slumber Party by Slumber Party

[Posted with ecto]

John Peel is Dead.

John Peel died the other day; I found out tonight. Whenever I "discovered" a great British band, I'd soon find out they'd recorded a "Peel Session" like, ten years earlier. John Peel was Rodney Bingenheimer, Vin Scelsa, and Bill Graham rolled into one entity. The fact that he was English made him seem like royalty to me. His name will always remind me of cold nights I spent in drafty, poorly heated London flats, listening to his Radio 1 show and laughing my ass off. When I wasn't laughing, I'd be writing down the songs he was playing.

On iTunes right now: "Non-Contender" from God's Lonely Men by Lurkers, The

[Posted with ecto]

Holy crap.

Oh. My. God. This guy doesn't understand that humility is false modesty when you're only famous in your head.

Jamming Econo

Saw Mike Watt at Southpaw Saturday night. Great show, he's definitely a hero. Played The Secondman's Middle Stand in its entirety, then took a breather before hitting the stage with some classics ("This Ain't No Picnic," "It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding").

Openers Bust did a nice job reminding us of Minutemen and Meat Puppets. I can't find any info about them online. (You can imagine how useless a search of "Bust" could be. "Rock band Bust" is even worse.) If you know anything about these guys, please comment and let me know. I'd like to hear a CD.

I went to Southpaw with an extra ticket in my pocket, and asked at the door if they'd buy it back from me. Door guy #1 calls door guy #2 over to confer. Number 2 took the ticket out of my hand, looked at it, and said, "Nah...throw it out." And begins walking out to the sidewalk with it.

I said, "Hey, no...that's alright. I'll take it back then." Number 2 looked at me like I was crazy. One of those if-that's-what-you-want-to-do--stupid expressions. Was I supposed to think he wasn't about to re-sell it outside and pocket the money?

Nice try, c******ker.

It's worth mentioning that no venue in NYC has kinder, more thoughtful staffers than Bowery Ballroom. They run the door smoothly: ID check, ticket check, and you're in. And those guys are so cool. They're always polite. It's the only place you can expect to hear "Thank you, folks. Enjoy the show! Watch your step going downstairs" every goddamn time. I appreciate that. After the show, those same guys hold the venue doors open, and thank you for coming as they say goodnight.

From Chokehold to Choke

I saw the worst beseball game of my life last night. I'm completely disappointed in the Yankees, and not only because they lost. They played (and behaved) like pathetic, whiney hacks. I know Joe Torre had to save face and go on the field to find out why the home run call was changed, but to go out and argue on behalf of A-Rod's Spastic Slaptastic was embarrassing. It was bush league.

That basepath belongs to the baserunner. If A-Wad had run right over Arroyo, he'd have been given first base on an obstruction call. Jeter would have probably scored. The Yankees and their fans would have gotten fired up. He might have shaken up Arroyo and further depleted the Bosox 'pen. And - exacted a bit of revenge on the corn-rowed pitcher who started Brawl II.

Barrelling into Arroyo instead of slapping him is the difference between hard-nosed and bone-headed. It's Pete Rose instead of Axl Rose.

And Torre -- again -- forgot to manage the team. The situation: two outs in the bottom of the ninth, down 4-2 with two runners on. Sierra was on first, representing the tying run. As soon as the count went full on Tony Clark, Torre should have sent Lofton or Crosby in to run for Sierra.

If Clark connects for a single, you have to bring the runner on first all the way around. Do you want the game ending with Sierra getting thrown out at the plate?

Alright, Clark whiffed. But still.

And the umpires might have overreacted by calling for the 74th Infantry to line the field in the eighth inning. Criminals hurling projectiles onto the field is bad enough - unforgivable. But instituting martial law was a step too far.

Tonight, I don't care. The Yankees need a great game to even deserve the pennant, in my view. The Red Sox look like the best team in baseball again; getting it done. If this game goes extra innings, I'll be watching from a bed in the ER.

Wait...what?!

The Yankees should have won all five of these games. Now the series comes back to NY, and the temptation is to pray for rain tonight - but don't. The Yankees still have a strong leg to stand on, while the Red Sox are running on fumes. A rainout today means Derek Lowe could pitch Game 7 on three days' rest.

Yeah. This series is going seven games. It has to. That's the way these teams play each other. Another year of this, and MLB might consider the annual NY/BOS matchup the World Championship. Let the National League play their exhibition games. Most Yankees-Red Sox series (even in mid-season) have been better played (and better matched) than any World Series this side of 1991.

I'm getting a little bit pissed off at Joe Torre now, for the first time since he got here. Why not put Bubba Crosby in to run for Jorge Posada in extra innings last night? There were two opportunities. Now, I know Crosby wouldn't have scored either, but it would have given Jorgie a few innings rest, and John Flaherty is a capable, experienced backstop with a flair for the dramatic. In an extra-inning game, on the road, when your back is NOT to the wall, you should make that move.

AND: Torre should personally visit Felix "Not Gil" Heredia's locker this afternoon and offer the pitcher a handshake, a pat on the back, and a ticket to Tampa. I don't want to see him face Ortiz ever again. Heredia should not be on the postseason roster. Karsay or Halsey should be. Even Giambi should be favored over Heredia. At least G can walk up to home plate, a threat from the dugout to the dish, and take three strikes or four balls. Then Bubba runs for him. Jason Giambi doesn't even have to swing to be more effective than Felix ("Not Gil") on the mound and working up a sweat.

A pat on the ass and a "nice job" goes to Esteban Loaiza. I didn't want to see him leave the bullpen, and then - I didn't want to see him leave the mound. He's on his way to earning the Kenny Rogers Trophy.

Il-literati

Zach Braff's Garden State blog gets about 1600 comments a day from people who write:

is that really you zack i dont beleive it but if its true than you are great!!!!! !!!!

My hunch is, yes, it's him.

Today, my wife sent me the link to this pop culture confection, the announcement from Britney Spears that she will start writing a column on her website "as often as possible."

Oh, joy of all joys. One of her worst ideas since Crossroads. Thank you, Britney.
if its true than you are great!

Game Four: Stay of Execution

8:07 PM Jesus Christ! Denis Leary is not getting any funnier. This idio-tainment piece, with him walking around the (eerily) empty streets of Beantown is as pathetic as game one's Star Wars opening was stupid.

8:11 PM In years to come, Bosox fans will remember the soundtrack to failure 2004: "Hit it! Buduh duduh duduh duduh doop." Thanks, Dodge.

With Bellhorn hitting less than his own body weight, and Derek Lowe a groundball pitcher, shouldn't Pokey Reese be playing second base?

8:15 PM FOX just aired a short package that, typically, made no sense. The music is a horrible 80s pop song ("All the people tell me so, but what do all the people know?"), and I know that somewhere out there in Yankees Nation, my old pal Yap is reminiscing about the days when he was dating Donna, and that was their song.

8:21 PM Which is more stupid?
a) Terry Francona saying, "It doesn't matter if Derek Lowe is mad at me and wins tonight because he's mad at me."
b) Tim McCarver using six seconds of TV airtime to share the above statement.

8:32 PM McCarver: "Arm strength = effectiveness." Thank you, Captain Obvious. PS: El Duque walks Manny on the very next pitch.

8:36 PM Boy, when pitcher/announcer Al Leiter describes the action on a curveball, he really makes that animated Scooter ball seem like an idiot.

8:43 PM How old is Matsui, really? He's in great condition, but his earlobes hang like my Gram's. And she's 88.

8:49 PM McCarver: "I don't get it. Curt Schilling gets hurt, and Terry Francona gets second-guessed. Why? Because Curt Schilling got hurt?" No. Because he's a manager with only a sneaking suspicion about how to win in the postseason. (See: Posada, intentional walk with two out; See also: Leskanic and Mendoza before Wakefield.) Besides, everybody knows that Schilling's injury is Babe Ruth's fault.

9:21 PM The 2-0 lead is good news, but El Duque's working slow and going to 3 balls on everybody. Not a good sign.

9:32 PM Penny Marshall is at Fenway! And she seems to be chewing her cud.

10:07 PM No one's warming in the bullpen after Cabrera's RBI single.

10:09 PM Would Torre actually consider Heredia vs. Ortiz, if El Duque doesn't get Manny? That's a recipe for a game 5.
And McCarver just said, "Baseball is a game of inch."

10:12 PM Hernandez will pitch to Ortiz. Those of us watching the game at Sticking Point HQ agree with that. To be honest, no poll was taken. Apparently, the overworked Mrs. Sticking Point is less than charmed by the annoyed face I make when she starts a story and I pause the TV broadcast to listen. And also? I'm pretty much hogging the computer. Seconds later: I'm still OK with Torre's decision, even though Big Papi just drove an RBI screamer into right-center.

10:22 PM Hideki Matsui triples. I've never seen a postseason performance like this. What's Japanese for "Mr. October"?

10:36 PM Bellhorn just booted a grounder, twice, and the Yanks scored the go-ahead run. Pokey would've had that. This offseason is going to be fun. The Red Sox braintrust will assemble at tribal counsel, and vote off another good manager on account of his postseason gaffes.

10:46 PM Here's Tanyon Sturtze to take over in the bottom of the sixth. I have been on his side ever since he ran off the bench to throw a shoulder into Gabe Kapler in that A-Rod/Varitek brawl. Kapler's a Muscle & Fitness coverboy, and Sturtze was that day's starting pitcher! That's a set of brass ones. Tonight, I hope no one reminds Tanyon Sturtze that he's...Tanyon Sturtze.

10:48 PM Oh, good. Here's the WebMD injury report graphic to show me where the human instep is. According to the graphic, it is that long limb that goes from the groin to the toes. Good to know. I've been calling it "leg" all these years.

10:55 PM I haven't heard much from McCarver (good) and Leiter (bad) in the last few innings. What's wrong, guys?

11:16 PM Yankees up, 4-3. Bellhorn digging in. Mariano stretching his right shoulder. I am on the red chair, wondering what my son is doing, 6900 miles away. It's after noon in Seoul. Is he sleeping? Crying? Smiling? Cooing?

11:19 PM Bernie just slid and snagged a catch to end the inning, further enabling Tanyon Sturtze's identity crisis. ("Tonight, I'm John Smoltz.")

11:27 PM With two outs in the top of the eighth, it doesn't feel like the Yankees are winning. I can feel a bottom of the ninth walk-off win happening tonight. I can't believe that this, Game 4, is the first to look the games we expected from this series.

11:35 PM Here's Mo. I hate to break the news to you, sunshine, but Rivera has not been the "light's out" closer that everyone still gives him credit for being. He's been hittable, and not just those little accidental two-out bloops. I'm talking about lead-off drives toward the gaps. It doesn't seem like anyone is listening. Rivera's not automatic anymore. He's still the best; and he's the only guy you want
[Alright, Manny just singled - hard - to lead off the inning. Tying run at the plate: Ortiz.]
I was saying... the only guy you want on the mound for a 9th inning in October.

11:39 PM The Yankees have an Owen Meany moment -- in reverse -- when Tony Clark uses his entire 16-foot frame to reach up and grab a high-hopper. Two out. I wonder if John Older-dude snares that. (He's tall, too.)

11:45 PM This could be it. With Jeter, A-Rod, and Sheff due up against Foulke in his third inning of work, this could be the half-inning that gets Francona canned next week. If a couple runs score here, and the Yankees win, you're certain to hear, "Timlin was well rested! Why didn't Francona use him for two innings and then use Foulke for just two?!" Then you'll hear the sound of a million aneurysms bursting in Boston, and Francona's car tires screeching all the way to his winter home.

Of course, I think this game is still a Bosox walk-off in the 9th or an extra-inning nail-biter in the making.

11:47 PM Since I'm about 16 minutes behind the live action (thanks to the DVR), I'm wondering if I should take the phone off the hook. Would anyone call me at this time? My folks, maybe. Brian Last Stop or Brother-in-Law John are possibilities, too. I hope no one calls...my wife is sleeping, and I don't want the surprise blown. (If you did call, and you are reading this, I guess now you know that my "No problem, no problem" was bogus.)

11:56 PM These are the moments I remember all winter. Those between-inning times when the team is three outs away from the win. Matsui just struck out, and Mo will try to lock it down in the ninth. Everything is in place for a Bosox miracle: the bottom of the order against Mariano Rivera. Red Sox fans would never believe a Yankee fan is sweating it out like this.

12:01 AM A lead-off walk?! Are you fucking kidding me?!

12:05 AM Goddamn it. Mueller tied it with a single up the middle. Now, the awesomely underrated Doug Mientkiewicz is up for Bellhorn. And also? Mariano hasn't gotten anyone out yet. He bunts. Wow. Couldn't Bellhorn even have gotten a bunt down?

12:08 AM Tony Clark bobbles an easy hopper and this feels like Game 7, Arizona 2001.

12:18 AM You're reading after this is all over, so I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but it is an extra-inning pain-in-the-ass for the Yankees, and a full-blown bleeding ulcer for the Sox.

12:41 AM Cairo's at bat and single in the top of the 11th was Knoblauchian. Now, I'm getting a postseason 2000 vibe. I'm begging: PLEASE score, because this is also the inning Flash Gordon gives up a run. I know it.

12:47 AM While the Sox have Embree pitch around Sheffield, the fools in the FOX booth blather about the respect the Red Sox are showing to Hideki Matsui. They are somehow convinced that Embree is "going after" Sheffield. Guys -- he threw four straight out of the strike zone.

12:52 AM This is the first time I've been optimistic in an hour and a half. The Red Sox are bringing in Curtis "The Rally Mechanic" Leskanic to pitch to Bernie with the bases loaded. Babe, Bucky, Buckner, Boone...Bernie? [Seconds later: No.]

1:08 AM If my dog wasn't sound asleep and snoring, he'd realize that he hasn't been outside to relieve himself since about 5:00.

1:16 AM Heading into the bottom of the 12th, Quantrill leads the Parade of Diminishing Returns out of the Yankee bullpen. If this game goes until dawn, you'll see Vasquez next, then Loiaza, and then -- in the bottom of the 36th -- Felix Heredia might as well get his chance.

1:23 AM Bang! Ortiz laces one to right and the Sox get to do their idiotic St. Vitus dance at the plate, jumping in unison and chanting, "Hoo! hoo! hoo!"

I hope Moose makes 'em look bad tomorrow.

Word-A-Day Calendar? ...Priceless. Tim McCarver's Game 4 Vocabulary List.
bevy
patriarch
myriad

[Posted with ecto]

Today's Inspiration, Tomorrow's Dunkin Donuts Ad

[Posted with ecto]

A Mighty Win

Fun game to watch last night. The 19-8 win brings the Yankees 75% of the way to the pennant. (Funny, because "nineteen-eight" is 75% of "nineteen eighteen," too.)

Brother-in-Law John called with a good one this morning: "What's the difference between the beer at Yankees Stadium and the beer at Fenway? Yankee Stadium beer is sold at the World Series."

El Duque will have his stuff tonight. He hasn't pitched since the beginning of the month, but I think he's one of those rare pitchers who does well on long rest.

Was that The Cowsills performing the national anthem? Or are the Red Sox selling field time to the Mighty Wind sequel in hopes of raising enough money to get Baltran?

Why was Johnny Damon clipping his toenails in the dugout? And, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he dropping the clippings into Bellhorn's helmet? Tonight, I expect a third-inning close-up of Kevin Millar applying Cruex to Trot Nixon's chafing jomblies.

Loved YES broadcaster Joe Girardi's line in the post-game show: "The Red Sox can be as loose as they want in the clubhouse, and that's fine; but you've gotta have discipline on the field." Manny's running into the third out at third was a crime punishable by trade to the D-Rays. What was that? They would have had first and second, two outs and Varitek up. Manny: no respect for his teammates, no respect for the fine points of the game. The Red Sox, down by a couple handfuls of runs, late in the game, giggling like schoolboys in their dugout? Ridiculous. When the regular season ended, I thought they were the best team in baseball. Now I think they deserve to lose for their crappy approach to the game.

The Fenway faithful, with their team rallying in the 2nd inning against Kevin Brown, began chanting "Kev-in! Kev-in!" So uncreative. So ineffective. That's... his name, by gum. They really let him have it, hammering down on him with the two-syllable insult of his own name. (It's alright, Kevin. Look at it this way: You are now the center of attention in Boston. They are all paying attention to you now, and just 5 years ago you were sitting under a palm tree with barely enough money to build a second swimming pool in Malibu.)

Dan Clark is my favorite singing cop: A state troopah with a badass uni', an 82-inch chest, and gung-ho gesticulations that say "kill kill kill!" I think all the Yankees have to fear in this series is that Trooper Dan Clark gets a ride to the Stadium to beat Ronan Tynan with his own prosthetic legs.

An old pal, a Yankee fan imprisoned inside the Boston city limits, IM'd me to say that he was up until 4AM to enjoy every minute of "Boston Live!" radio.

I can't believe how bent out of shape is the Sox Nation about Schilling's ankle. They are blaming the series deficit on a bad tendon. Schill didn't pitch game 2. He didn't pitch game 3. He's not supposed to pitch tonight. Bostonians are always looking for a fall guy, a new curse. And, if they haven't noticed, neither ankle nor tendon starts with B (Babe, Bucky, Buckner, Boone). I guess, at season's end, they'll find something wrong with Francona's performance, and vote him off the island. (But watch your back, Bellhorn!)

[Posted with ecto]