10:13 PM
And Prado ground out. On to the 13th, and I'm going to bed.
*****
10:10 PM
Hayward goes to third base on a wild pitch.
*****
10:05 PM
Hayward singles to open the bottom of the 12th for the Braves, and Jack Wilson bunts him over. A single should win this game for Atlanta and would send them into a one-game playoff tomorrow.
Now two out, Martin Prado at the plate.
*****
10:00 PM
Phillies do nothing in the top of the 12th inning, so the Braves can end it in the bottom of the 12th.
*****
9:57 PM
St. Louis-Houston was the last game of these four to start, and they've been done for a half-hour. Two games in extra innings, and it looks like they're finally going to get started again in Baltimore.
*****
9:54 PM
And Tampa Bay and the Yankees go to the 10th inning.
*****
9:44 PM
Phillies have runners on first and second and two outs. They're also taking out their regulars at a rapid pace -- no reason why not; this game means nothing to them, and they're better off tiring out the Braves and Cardinals anyway -- so Atlanta will have every chance to win.
And Tampa just tied the Yankees at 7.
*****
9:40 PM
Yankees don't score in the ninth inning, so going to the bottom of the ninth, they hold a slim one-run lead. They've also used nine pitchers, which may have seemed clever earlier but won't be if the game goes 14 innings or more.
*****
9:29 PM
Great catch by Michael Martinez of the Phillies in deep center off Chipper Jones. Martinez misses it, the game's over. On to the 11th inning in Atlanta, still tied 3-3.
*****
9:26 PM
I'm back. Because Tampa Bay has scored six runs in the eighth inning. Meanwhile, Michael Bourn singles to open the bottom of the tenth for Atlanta. They need him to score, because St. Louis won their game.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Live Blogging Baseball 9/28/11
9:10 PM
Extra innings.
*****
9:08 PM
Atlanta has one out in the bottom of the ninth. Yankees and St. Louis still up 7-0. If the Braves game goes to extra innings, I'll switch to television (which means no more blogging).
*****
9:02 PM
Medlen does the job in Atlanta -- Michael Martinez pops out to end the inning. But it's now 3-3 going to the bottom of the ninth inning.
*****
9:00 PM
Kris Medlen is in for the Braves, for his second game of the year. Seriously? Well, okay, Atlanta, keep your fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, Yankees still lead 7-0 over Tampa Bay, Cardinals still lead 7-0 over Houston, and it's still raining in Boston.
*****
8:59 PM
And now Hunter Pence walks. Kimbrel's out, but since Atlanta's already used O'Flaherty and Venters (the other two-thirds of their bullpen trio), this may not help.
*****
8:56 PM
Sacrifice fly by Utley. Tied at 3.
*****
8:54 PM
Rollins walks. Bases loaded, one out, Chase Utley coming to the plate. Atlanta fans are probably a wee bit nervous.
*****
8:54 PM
2-2 on Rollins. Make it 3-2. Kimbrel is going to be the Rookie of the Year, but he won't be popular in Atlanta if he punts this.
*****
8:51 PM
Ben Francisco draws a walk. Tying run is at second base, go-ahead run at first base, one out. Jimmy Rollins at bat.
*****
8:49 PM
Carlos Ruiz at the plate for the Phillies. And he strikes out. One down.
*****
8:47 PM
Placido Polanco singles to open the ninth. Philadelphia trailing, 3-2. They have a direct stake in the outcome -- if the Braves win the wild card, they get either Milwaukee or Arizona in the first round; if the Cardinals win the wild card, they get St. Louis instead.
*****
8:45 PM
Atlanta does nothing in the bottom of the eighth inning. I'll switch to that game to listen to the top of the ninth to see if Philadelphia can score.
*****
8:43 PM
No change in the scores. I'm listening to the Tampa Bay broadcast, and they're sounding a little mournful. Yankees bringing in defensive replacements, which may be offset by the fact that they've brought in A.J. Burnett to relieve.
*****
8:34 PM
And it's raining in Baltimore. Tarp's on the field.
*****
8:26 PM
Late start. Here are the scores:
Boston 3, Baltimore 2, top of the seventh inning
Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 0, bottom of the sixth inning
Atlanta 3, Philadelphia 2, top of the eighth inning
St. Louis 7, Houston 0, top of the sixth inning
So if the games ended this way, we'd have Boston winning the AL wild card outright, and a one-game playoff tomorrow between St. Louis and Atlanta.
Oh, the picture has nothing to do with tonight's game. It's the old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
Extra innings.
*****
9:08 PM
Atlanta has one out in the bottom of the ninth. Yankees and St. Louis still up 7-0. If the Braves game goes to extra innings, I'll switch to television (which means no more blogging).
*****
9:02 PM
Medlen does the job in Atlanta -- Michael Martinez pops out to end the inning. But it's now 3-3 going to the bottom of the ninth inning.
*****
9:00 PM
Kris Medlen is in for the Braves, for his second game of the year. Seriously? Well, okay, Atlanta, keep your fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, Yankees still lead 7-0 over Tampa Bay, Cardinals still lead 7-0 over Houston, and it's still raining in Boston.
*****
8:59 PM
And now Hunter Pence walks. Kimbrel's out, but since Atlanta's already used O'Flaherty and Venters (the other two-thirds of their bullpen trio), this may not help.
*****
8:56 PM
Sacrifice fly by Utley. Tied at 3.
*****
8:54 PM
Rollins walks. Bases loaded, one out, Chase Utley coming to the plate. Atlanta fans are probably a wee bit nervous.
*****
8:54 PM
2-2 on Rollins. Make it 3-2. Kimbrel is going to be the Rookie of the Year, but he won't be popular in Atlanta if he punts this.
*****
8:51 PM
Ben Francisco draws a walk. Tying run is at second base, go-ahead run at first base, one out. Jimmy Rollins at bat.
*****
8:49 PM
Carlos Ruiz at the plate for the Phillies. And he strikes out. One down.
*****
8:47 PM
Placido Polanco singles to open the ninth. Philadelphia trailing, 3-2. They have a direct stake in the outcome -- if the Braves win the wild card, they get either Milwaukee or Arizona in the first round; if the Cardinals win the wild card, they get St. Louis instead.
*****
8:45 PM
Atlanta does nothing in the bottom of the eighth inning. I'll switch to that game to listen to the top of the ninth to see if Philadelphia can score.
*****
8:43 PM
No change in the scores. I'm listening to the Tampa Bay broadcast, and they're sounding a little mournful. Yankees bringing in defensive replacements, which may be offset by the fact that they've brought in A.J. Burnett to relieve.
*****
8:34 PM
And it's raining in Baltimore. Tarp's on the field.
*****
8:26 PM
Late start. Here are the scores:
Boston 3, Baltimore 2, top of the seventh inning
Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 0, bottom of the sixth inning
Atlanta 3, Philadelphia 2, top of the eighth inning
St. Louis 7, Houston 0, top of the sixth inning
So if the games ended this way, we'd have Boston winning the AL wild card outright, and a one-game playoff tomorrow between St. Louis and Atlanta.
Oh, the picture has nothing to do with tonight's game. It's the old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
Game 162
Good news -- most of the games we'll want to see are on ESPN tonight. Boston at Baltimore on ESPN, Philadelphia at Atlanta on ESPN2, and ESPN2 will switch to the St. Louis/Houston game once the first game is complete.
St. Louis did beat Houston last night, so there is a tie for both wild-card positions going into tonight's games, the last of the regular season.
Should one or both of the wild-card spots end in a tie, the one-game playoff times are set. The games would be in Tampa Bay and Atlanta, and TBS has broadcast rights to both games, so virtually anyone in the country with cable access should be able to see them.
I'll try to live blog as much as I can -- my son has tae kwon do tonight. (Priorities!)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Live Blogging Baseball 9/27/11
9:43 PM
Jones grounds to third. Game over, and we're tied for the AL wild card going to game 162.
Meanwhile, St. Louis leads 9-6, and I'm shutting down for the night.
*****
9:42 PM
Full count, 3-2 to Adam Jones. 26 pitches for Papelbon this inning.
And one more. Foul ball. Still 3-2.
*****
9:41 PM
And a foul ball. Still 2-2.
Meanwhile, the Mets and Reds are tied in the 11th. Yeah, I know; no one cares but me.
*****
9:39 PM
1-2 on Adam Jones, and the Sox announcers think the home plate umpire should have called strike three on the last pitch. According to the MLB graph, he should have, but what are you gonna do?
Ball, outside (this one really was). 2-2 count.
*****
9:35 PM
Back in Baltimore, the Red Sox catch a break and get an out on a nubber. Now it's 8-7 (Hardy scored on the play). Tying run on second, two out. I guess they pitch to Adam Jones, but don't give him anything good to hit -- a base hit ties the game, a home run wins it.
*****
9:35 PM
Ryan Theriot just hit a triple. Cardinals lead, 8-6.
*****
9:32 PM
Vladimir Guerrero has a base hit. So runners on first and third, one out. And the O's are pinch-running for Guerrero. If the runner on first (Matt Angle) steals second, do you walk the winning run to fill the bases?
*****
9:30 PM
Five foul balls in a row on a 3-2 count. Yeah, I know there's no action in baseball. If you can't deal with it, go watch a soccer game. 95 percent more action, 93 percent of which is meaningless.
Okay, Markakis out at first, Hardy moves to second.
*****
9:27 PM
Cardinals have tied up their game on a single by Berkman and a double by Allan Craig, whoever he is. In Baltimore, J.J. Hardy singled, and Nick Markakis has worked a full count. Still nobody out. I'm surprised they haven't pinch-run for Hardy, who isn't very fast, but I guess the logic is the next guy has to be the speedy one, anyway.
*****
9:22 PM
Bottom of the ninth. Let's see if the Red Sox can hang on. Wait, J.J. Hardy has 29 home runs? When did that happen? (I've got to start following the American League more closely.)
*****
9:12 PM
I'm surprised Houston's staying in this; they have an awful, awful team. And they'll probably be awful for the next couple of years. The good news is they're in a major market (6th in population overall in the U.S.), so they should be able to dig their way out of the hole a little quicker. Nobody talks about this much, but perpetual losers like Pittsburgh and Baltimore are very small markets -- and Baltimore's right next to Washington, DC and Philadelphia, which doesn't help.
*****
9:08 PM
Side retired in the eighth inning, Boston still leads Baltimore by two, 8-6. It's nice listening to the Red Sox radio broadcast, too. I spent a lot of time listening to Mets games this summer (I got the MLB radio package over the internet, which for twenty bucks is totally worth it), but I didn't take advantage of the other teams. Quick note: if you get this during spring training, don't get frustrated -- most teams don't broadcast games over the radio in the spring. All of the regular season games for every team are available.
*****
9:04 PM
Braves have already lost their game. But St. Louis is somehow losing to Houston again. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have given up two runs in the bottom of the eighth to Baltimore.
I guess I'd prefer to see the Red Sox make the playoffs, just to avoid the endless "collapse/choke" stories. But I don't dislike the Rays, and since they've won again tonight, they aren't going away. As for the NL, I'd definitely prefer the Braves. I spent two years in North Carolina, and became sort of a Braves fan by osmosis. I know the Braves and the Mets are rivals, but the Mets had a rivalry with St. Louis in the 1980s -- and I can't stand Tony LaRussa.
*****
8:50 PM
One reason why the Yankees are so tough -- every player on their team is willing to take a walk. Three players have 75 or more. I would be willing to bet that leads the league.
*****
8:48 PM
Red Sox are finally playing a decent game, but Tampa Bay is winning as well. Atlanta is being pounded by the Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals were tied with Houston at last check. Possible to have two ties for the wild card when the season ends tomorrow?
Jones grounds to third. Game over, and we're tied for the AL wild card going to game 162.
Meanwhile, St. Louis leads 9-6, and I'm shutting down for the night.
*****
9:42 PM
Full count, 3-2 to Adam Jones. 26 pitches for Papelbon this inning.
And one more. Foul ball. Still 3-2.
*****
9:41 PM
And a foul ball. Still 2-2.
Meanwhile, the Mets and Reds are tied in the 11th. Yeah, I know; no one cares but me.
*****
9:39 PM
1-2 on Adam Jones, and the Sox announcers think the home plate umpire should have called strike three on the last pitch. According to the MLB graph, he should have, but what are you gonna do?
Ball, outside (this one really was). 2-2 count.
*****
9:35 PM
Back in Baltimore, the Red Sox catch a break and get an out on a nubber. Now it's 8-7 (Hardy scored on the play). Tying run on second, two out. I guess they pitch to Adam Jones, but don't give him anything good to hit -- a base hit ties the game, a home run wins it.
*****
9:35 PM
Ryan Theriot just hit a triple. Cardinals lead, 8-6.
*****
9:32 PM
Vladimir Guerrero has a base hit. So runners on first and third, one out. And the O's are pinch-running for Guerrero. If the runner on first (Matt Angle) steals second, do you walk the winning run to fill the bases?
*****
9:30 PM
Five foul balls in a row on a 3-2 count. Yeah, I know there's no action in baseball. If you can't deal with it, go watch a soccer game. 95 percent more action, 93 percent of which is meaningless.
Okay, Markakis out at first, Hardy moves to second.
*****
9:27 PM
Cardinals have tied up their game on a single by Berkman and a double by Allan Craig, whoever he is. In Baltimore, J.J. Hardy singled, and Nick Markakis has worked a full count. Still nobody out. I'm surprised they haven't pinch-run for Hardy, who isn't very fast, but I guess the logic is the next guy has to be the speedy one, anyway.
*****
9:22 PM
Bottom of the ninth. Let's see if the Red Sox can hang on. Wait, J.J. Hardy has 29 home runs? When did that happen? (I've got to start following the American League more closely.)
*****
9:12 PM
I'm surprised Houston's staying in this; they have an awful, awful team. And they'll probably be awful for the next couple of years. The good news is they're in a major market (6th in population overall in the U.S.), so they should be able to dig their way out of the hole a little quicker. Nobody talks about this much, but perpetual losers like Pittsburgh and Baltimore are very small markets -- and Baltimore's right next to Washington, DC and Philadelphia, which doesn't help.
*****
9:08 PM
Side retired in the eighth inning, Boston still leads Baltimore by two, 8-6. It's nice listening to the Red Sox radio broadcast, too. I spent a lot of time listening to Mets games this summer (I got the MLB radio package over the internet, which for twenty bucks is totally worth it), but I didn't take advantage of the other teams. Quick note: if you get this during spring training, don't get frustrated -- most teams don't broadcast games over the radio in the spring. All of the regular season games for every team are available.
*****
9:04 PM
Braves have already lost their game. But St. Louis is somehow losing to Houston again. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have given up two runs in the bottom of the eighth to Baltimore.
I guess I'd prefer to see the Red Sox make the playoffs, just to avoid the endless "collapse/choke" stories. But I don't dislike the Rays, and since they've won again tonight, they aren't going away. As for the NL, I'd definitely prefer the Braves. I spent two years in North Carolina, and became sort of a Braves fan by osmosis. I know the Braves and the Mets are rivals, but the Mets had a rivalry with St. Louis in the 1980s -- and I can't stand Tony LaRussa.
*****
8:50 PM
One reason why the Yankees are so tough -- every player on their team is willing to take a walk. Three players have 75 or more. I would be willing to bet that leads the league.
*****
8:48 PM
Red Sox are finally playing a decent game, but Tampa Bay is winning as well. Atlanta is being pounded by the Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals were tied with Houston at last check. Possible to have two ties for the wild card when the season ends tomorrow?
Monday, September 26, 2011
Live Blogging Baseball Tonight
8:29 PM
Yankees do nothing in the seventh inning. St. Louis has tacked on a run in the fifth inning, but they're still losing to Houston, 4-2.
*****
8:26 PM
Listening to the Red Sox radio broadcast -- they're obviously frustrated, but they're not homers, either. Which is as it should be. I'll never get used to listening to baseball broadcasts in the Midwest, where the announcers root for the home team. You never hear that on the East Coast, or the West Coast (the influence of Vin Scully and Russ Hodges when the Dodgers and Giants moved west).
*****
8:23 PM
And Robert Andino hits a three-run inside-the-park home run -- I missed part of it; it popped out of someone's glove when they hit the fence. 6-2, Orioles.
*****
8:20 PM
Baltimore takes the lead on Boston on a double by Chris Davis. Davis has two RBI on the night.
*****
8:19 PM
Philadelphia does nothing in the top of the seventh against Atlanta. I have no fear of anyone in the Phillie lineup; it's the pitching staff that would worry me. Milwaukee would appear to be the biggest obstacle for the Phillies to overcome, but I have to say I don't know the Diamondbacks very well.
*****
8:16 PM
Shall I ask why Baltimore is batting Mark Reynolds, who's hit 37 home runs, seventh in the lineup? Yeah, he's struck out over 190 times, but he's still probably one of their best hitters. There are reasons, I suppose, why Buck Showalter's managing his fourth team.
*****
8:13 PM
Houston now up on St. Louis 4-1, on a home run by Downs, who I've never heard of. It would pretty galling if St. Louis struggles to beat the only 100-loss team in the majors at the most crucial point of the season.
*****
8:07 PM
Houston pushes across two runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead over St. Louis. Meanwhile, Ozzie Guillen may be out as manager of the White Sox.
*****
8:05 PM
Red Sox go down very quickly in the top of the 6th inning. Alex Rodriguez leads off the top of the 6th for the Yankees -- only .276-16-62 this year? I know he missed a fair amount of time with injuries, but still...
*****
7:57 PM
Philadelphia takes the lead over Atlanta, 3-2, on a triple by Shane Victorino and a single by Raul Ibanez. I'd say Atlanta has a better chance of losing the wild card than Atlanta, given they're playing the Phillies (best record in the league) the last three games while St. Louis is at Houston (worst record in the league). Boston has a similar advantage; they in Baltimore while Tampa Bay hosts the Yankees.
*****
7:56 PM
I would be more impressed with MLB.com's Free Game of the Day if it weren't the LA Dodgers at Arizona -- a game with no playoff ramifications whatsoever.
*****
7:52 PM
Still two races yet to be decided.
Red Sox and Orioles tied in the bottom of the fifth inning, Tampa Bay beating the Yankees 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Red Sox hold a one-game lead.
In the National League, Philadelphia and Atlanta are tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning, while St. Louis leads Houston 1-0 in the top of the third inning. Atlanta holds a one-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Yankees do nothing in the seventh inning. St. Louis has tacked on a run in the fifth inning, but they're still losing to Houston, 4-2.
*****
8:26 PM
Listening to the Red Sox radio broadcast -- they're obviously frustrated, but they're not homers, either. Which is as it should be. I'll never get used to listening to baseball broadcasts in the Midwest, where the announcers root for the home team. You never hear that on the East Coast, or the West Coast (the influence of Vin Scully and Russ Hodges when the Dodgers and Giants moved west).
*****
8:23 PM
And Robert Andino hits a three-run inside-the-park home run -- I missed part of it; it popped out of someone's glove when they hit the fence. 6-2, Orioles.
*****
8:20 PM
Baltimore takes the lead on Boston on a double by Chris Davis. Davis has two RBI on the night.
*****
8:19 PM
Philadelphia does nothing in the top of the seventh against Atlanta. I have no fear of anyone in the Phillie lineup; it's the pitching staff that would worry me. Milwaukee would appear to be the biggest obstacle for the Phillies to overcome, but I have to say I don't know the Diamondbacks very well.
*****
8:16 PM
Shall I ask why Baltimore is batting Mark Reynolds, who's hit 37 home runs, seventh in the lineup? Yeah, he's struck out over 190 times, but he's still probably one of their best hitters. There are reasons, I suppose, why Buck Showalter's managing his fourth team.
*****
8:13 PM
Houston now up on St. Louis 4-1, on a home run by Downs, who I've never heard of. It would pretty galling if St. Louis struggles to beat the only 100-loss team in the majors at the most crucial point of the season.
*****
8:07 PM
Houston pushes across two runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead over St. Louis. Meanwhile, Ozzie Guillen may be out as manager of the White Sox.
*****
8:05 PM
Red Sox go down very quickly in the top of the 6th inning. Alex Rodriguez leads off the top of the 6th for the Yankees -- only .276-16-62 this year? I know he missed a fair amount of time with injuries, but still...
*****
7:57 PM
Philadelphia takes the lead over Atlanta, 3-2, on a triple by Shane Victorino and a single by Raul Ibanez. I'd say Atlanta has a better chance of losing the wild card than Atlanta, given they're playing the Phillies (best record in the league) the last three games while St. Louis is at Houston (worst record in the league). Boston has a similar advantage; they in Baltimore while Tampa Bay hosts the Yankees.
*****
7:56 PM
I would be more impressed with MLB.com's Free Game of the Day if it weren't the LA Dodgers at Arizona -- a game with no playoff ramifications whatsoever.
*****
7:52 PM
Still two races yet to be decided.
Red Sox and Orioles tied in the bottom of the fifth inning, Tampa Bay beating the Yankees 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Red Sox hold a one-game lead.
In the National League, Philadelphia and Atlanta are tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning, while St. Louis leads Houston 1-0 in the top of the third inning. Atlanta holds a one-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
What I Carry With Me at All Times, and Why
Well, almost all times.
- My wallet.
- My cell phone.
- Keys to the house and car.
- A backpack containing the following:
- iPod.
- A couple of magazines.
- The book I'm reading.
- An umbrella. (I have to get a new one; yesterday's wind and rain destroyed my old one.)
- A baseball cap. (Mostly to cover my head. Usually I wear Cubs, White Sox, Bears, or Northern Illinois. When in Rome...)
- Aspirin and allergy pills. (Always useful.)
- A pack of Life Savers. (Usually Five Flavors.)
- A couple of pens and a pad. Because you never know.
Let me explain the last one.
In December 1993, I had just started back as a senior production manager at St. Martin's Press (still the best job ever). I was working almost exclusively on Tor Books, a primarily science fiction house that SMP owns, but operates fairly independently. Tor had just launched a new imprint, Forge, for the books that weren't technically SF, horror, or fantasy. Still mostly fiction, but the occasional nonfiction book as well.
We were having a sales conference in Short Hills, NJ, which was launching the books that would appear in the Spring 1994 catalog. And the lead Forge title was The October Twelve, by Phil Rizzuto, former New York Yankee shortstop turned broadcaster, with Tom Horton. To promote the book, Rizzuto was appearing at the sales conference.
Oddly, the event Rizzuto was at didn't have many, if any, actual sales reps - I believe they were elsewhere at that point. No matter, however, Phil was going to promote the book. And he'd brought along a friend -- Yogi Berra. Right up front, they said they didn't really have a speech prepared; they would open the floor to questions.
Now, remember Phil and Yogi probably weren't aware of who they were talking to -- a room full of science fiction, fantasy, and horror editors and writers. If they knew the two of them at all, they knew Rizzuto from "Paradise From the Dashboard Light," and thought Yogi Berra was named after that cartoon character.
It quickly transpired that there were three people in the room who knew anything about baseball: the editor of the book (who would last another year), the president of the company, and me.
I don't remember what questions I asked, but I asked a lot of questions. And between the three of us, it went pretty well. And then they offered to sign autographs.
And I had brought nothing to write on, or with. No paper, no books, no newspaper, no nothing. The editor told me he'd get me a signed copy of the book, but I don't think that's coming at this point.
So I carry a couple of pens and a pad with me. Because you never know.
- My wallet.
- My cell phone.
- Keys to the house and car.
- A backpack containing the following:
- iPod.
- A couple of magazines.
- The book I'm reading.
- An umbrella. (I have to get a new one; yesterday's wind and rain destroyed my old one.)
- A baseball cap. (Mostly to cover my head. Usually I wear Cubs, White Sox, Bears, or Northern Illinois. When in Rome...)
- Aspirin and allergy pills. (Always useful.)
- A pack of Life Savers. (Usually Five Flavors.)
- A couple of pens and a pad. Because you never know.
Let me explain the last one.
In December 1993, I had just started back as a senior production manager at St. Martin's Press (still the best job ever). I was working almost exclusively on Tor Books, a primarily science fiction house that SMP owns, but operates fairly independently. Tor had just launched a new imprint, Forge, for the books that weren't technically SF, horror, or fantasy. Still mostly fiction, but the occasional nonfiction book as well.
We were having a sales conference in Short Hills, NJ, which was launching the books that would appear in the Spring 1994 catalog. And the lead Forge title was The October Twelve, by Phil Rizzuto, former New York Yankee shortstop turned broadcaster, with Tom Horton. To promote the book, Rizzuto was appearing at the sales conference.
Oddly, the event Rizzuto was at didn't have many, if any, actual sales reps - I believe they were elsewhere at that point. No matter, however, Phil was going to promote the book. And he'd brought along a friend -- Yogi Berra. Right up front, they said they didn't really have a speech prepared; they would open the floor to questions.
Now, remember Phil and Yogi probably weren't aware of who they were talking to -- a room full of science fiction, fantasy, and horror editors and writers. If they knew the two of them at all, they knew Rizzuto from "Paradise From the Dashboard Light," and thought Yogi Berra was named after that cartoon character.
It quickly transpired that there were three people in the room who knew anything about baseball: the editor of the book (who would last another year), the president of the company, and me.
I don't remember what questions I asked, but I asked a lot of questions. And between the three of us, it went pretty well. And then they offered to sign autographs.
And I had brought nothing to write on, or with. No paper, no books, no newspaper, no nothing. The editor told me he'd get me a signed copy of the book, but I don't think that's coming at this point.
So I carry a couple of pens and a pad with me. Because you never know.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Superhits '78, Part 3
The Bee Gees, “Staying Alive,” #1 (four weeks), February 5, 1978
And here come the Bee Gees songs. In fairness, we’re starting out with the best of the bunch, and a seminal song of the era that’s still played regularly on oldies stations to this day. Not everybody loves it, but it’s still a classic. And it just may have kept some people alive, at that: NPR reported in 2010 the song’s 103 beats per minute (which keeps it far away from the disco standard of 126, by the way) is nearly the same as the the recommended chest compression rate of 100 per minute – so CMTs have been taught to keep the song in their head when they perform emergency duties.
Queen, “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” #4, February 5, 1978
Another classic, but for entirely different reasons. Freddie Mercury wrote “We Are the Champions” with the idea of composing a song for use at football (soccer) matches, and it’s stuck. The pounding “We Will Rock You” made for a nice double A-side, with many stations simply putting the two songs back to back (at just over 5 minutes, it was a little longer than the average single song, but not ridiculously long – “Staying Alive,” for example, clocked in only about fifteen seconds shorter by itself). Cheers used “We Will Rock You” for a classic teaser shot; here's the link from writer Ken Levine (and the video as well).
Electric Light Orchestra, “Turn to Stone,” #13, February 5, 1978
First of four chart singles from the double album Out of the Blue, and arguably ELO at its peak. Easy to dance to, but still appealing to rock fans (unlike, say, “Shine a Little Love,” the lead single off the 1979 album Discovery). Although none of the singles hit the top 10 in the United States, Out of the Blue made it to #4 and went quadruple platinum. (In fairness, the RIAA counts each sale of a double album as two since there’s two LPs inside, so that skews it a bit.) Out of the Blue was my first ELO purchase in 1979 (for the astonishing price of $3.99 at Korvettes; that was quite something for a double LP that hadn’t been remaindered), later on I found out ELO sued their distributors for releasing defective copies at discount prices. For what it’s worth, my copy’s fine.
Bill Withers, “Lovely Day,” #30, February 5, 1978
The last of Bill Withers’ hits (excluding the Grover Washington Jr. song “Just the Two of Us,” for which he supplied lead vocals but didn’t get a credit on the sleeve), this song has had more covers and samples than I could possibly list – everything from a remake off The Bodyguard soundtrack to Luther Vandross to LL Cool J. But I love the original – this guy can really hold a note.
Donna Summer, “I Love You,” #37, February 5, 1978
Clever title for a song, eh? First single from her Once Upon a Time album (released just before her total chart dominance from the summer of ’78 through early spring of 1980, where there was a total of one week without a Summer song in the top 40), and not a big hit. Still a fun song to dance to (especially when paired with “Rumour Has It,” which I believe it was on a 12-inch disco disk), and a bit of an oddity lyrically: in the fourth verse, was the lyric written that way (repeating part of the third verse and not rhyming), or did Summer just blow the lyric and no one said “We have to do a retake”? This sort of stuff bothers the crap out of me. This video shows her appearing on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, by the way.
George Duke, “Reach for It, “ #54, February 5, 1978
Late ‘70s funk from a guy who’s played with everyone from Frank Zappa to Jean-Luc Ponty. Ironically, for a song that features the chant “Dance!” over and over again (the only other lyrics are a spoken-word intro and the beginning and a quasi-rap at the end – almost two years before the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” broke), this isn’t a very danceable tune.
Heart, “Crazy on You,” #62, February 5, 1978
You would have thought this was a bigger hit, given it’s been a staple of classic rock stations since the early 1980s. (And deservedly so.) The Wilson sisters’ message, born in the post-Vietnam era, was that the couple in question should just forget all their other issues for one night and boink. (Nancy Wilson added the rapid-fire guitar parts were inspired by The Moody Blues’ “Question.”) “Crazy on You” was actually the first single off their debut album with Mushroom Records in 1976, Dreamboat Annie, and reached #35 at that time (the followup, “Magic Man,” would really launch their careers. Two years later, Heart had bailed for Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic/Columbia, after Mushroom unveiled a particularly repugnant advertising campaign that would lead the unknowing to believe the Wilson sisters were lovers, and Mushroom scraped up whatever they could to make more money off their one-album wonder. First up was an album of demos and whatever else was lying around, Magazine, which the band sued to have recalled (the band then rerecorded, remixed, and re-released it a year later). The second was this song’s rerelease. Mushroom Records (also home to late ‘70s Canadian bands such as Doucette and Chilliwack, as well as ex-Fairport Convention member Ian Matthews) went out of business in 1980; the two Heart albums are still in print with Capitol Records today. The video is from the 1970s show The Midnight Special, which NBC aired on Friday nights after Johnny Carson.
Gary Wright, “Touch and Gone,” #73, February 5, 1978
Yikes. Maybe you can have too many synthesizers on one record. Third consecutive flop single from Wright, after he’d had back-to-back #2 hits in 1976 with “Dream Weaver” and “Our Love Is Alive.” (No embeddable video available.)
Earth, Wind, and Fire, “Serpentine Fire,” #13, February 12, 1978
EWF was on such a hot streak during the late ‘70s; 13 Hot 100 hits, all but one of which made the top 40, and six top 10s – nearly all of which will still make you smile when they come on the radio. “Serpentine Fire,” the lead single for All ‘n All, conked out at #13, but it’s still a good one, and it’s easily recognizable and danceable despite the slightly jittery rhythm.
Neil Diamond, “Desiree,” #16, February 12, 1978
Another “boy becomes a man” song, this time courtesy of Mr. Diamond, who you’d think would have covered this territory before. Diamond’s singles track record had been spotty after leaving Uni Records for Columbia in 1973 – only “Longfellow Serenade” made the top 10 during those five years – so this was actually one of his bigger hits before the Barbra Streisand duet later that year.
The Commodores, “Too Hot ta Trot,” #22, February 12, 1978
Knockoff of their own “Brick House” hit that had gone top 5 three months before; this is the one studio track from Commodores Live!, and it probably goosed up the sales a bit, it’s nothing special – although it does provide a break on greatest hits sets between Lionel Richie ballads.
Johnny Rivers, “Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um),” #41, February 12, 1978
30th (and, to date, last) chart single for Rivers. Geez, this guy was around forever – he first started hitting the charts around the same time as The Beatles. Most of his chart hits were covers, ranging from Chuck Berry’s “Maybelline” to Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic,” and of course this one was one as well (Major Lance did the original). Not the best arrangement ever, but still a decent song.
El Coco, “Cocomotion,” #44, February 12, 1978
Typical nearly wordless disco concoction of the era. Studio band led by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder. They had a few more Hot 100 hits under different names over the course of the year, so you’ll see them again soon, whether you want to or not.
Firefall, “So Long,” #48, February 12, 1978
They sound awfully chipper considering the relationship is ending, but that’s just the way the band is. Seventh Hot 100 hit from a group made up of remnants from such bands as The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jo Jo Gunne, and an inspiration for – well, when Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman (three-fifths of The Byrds) got back together as a trio, Firefall’s producers were brought in to helm their debut album.
And here come the Bee Gees songs. In fairness, we’re starting out with the best of the bunch, and a seminal song of the era that’s still played regularly on oldies stations to this day. Not everybody loves it, but it’s still a classic. And it just may have kept some people alive, at that: NPR reported in 2010 the song’s 103 beats per minute (which keeps it far away from the disco standard of 126, by the way) is nearly the same as the the recommended chest compression rate of 100 per minute – so CMTs have been taught to keep the song in their head when they perform emergency duties.
Queen, “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” #4, February 5, 1978
Another classic, but for entirely different reasons. Freddie Mercury wrote “We Are the Champions” with the idea of composing a song for use at football (soccer) matches, and it’s stuck. The pounding “We Will Rock You” made for a nice double A-side, with many stations simply putting the two songs back to back (at just over 5 minutes, it was a little longer than the average single song, but not ridiculously long – “Staying Alive,” for example, clocked in only about fifteen seconds shorter by itself). Cheers used “We Will Rock You” for a classic teaser shot; here's the link from writer Ken Levine (and the video as well).
Electric Light Orchestra, “Turn to Stone,” #13, February 5, 1978
First of four chart singles from the double album Out of the Blue, and arguably ELO at its peak. Easy to dance to, but still appealing to rock fans (unlike, say, “Shine a Little Love,” the lead single off the 1979 album Discovery). Although none of the singles hit the top 10 in the United States, Out of the Blue made it to #4 and went quadruple platinum. (In fairness, the RIAA counts each sale of a double album as two since there’s two LPs inside, so that skews it a bit.) Out of the Blue was my first ELO purchase in 1979 (for the astonishing price of $3.99 at Korvettes; that was quite something for a double LP that hadn’t been remaindered), later on I found out ELO sued their distributors for releasing defective copies at discount prices. For what it’s worth, my copy’s fine.
Bill Withers, “Lovely Day,” #30, February 5, 1978
The last of Bill Withers’ hits (excluding the Grover Washington Jr. song “Just the Two of Us,” for which he supplied lead vocals but didn’t get a credit on the sleeve), this song has had more covers and samples than I could possibly list – everything from a remake off The Bodyguard soundtrack to Luther Vandross to LL Cool J. But I love the original – this guy can really hold a note.
Donna Summer, “I Love You,” #37, February 5, 1978
Clever title for a song, eh? First single from her Once Upon a Time album (released just before her total chart dominance from the summer of ’78 through early spring of 1980, where there was a total of one week without a Summer song in the top 40), and not a big hit. Still a fun song to dance to (especially when paired with “Rumour Has It,” which I believe it was on a 12-inch disco disk), and a bit of an oddity lyrically: in the fourth verse, was the lyric written that way (repeating part of the third verse and not rhyming), or did Summer just blow the lyric and no one said “We have to do a retake”? This sort of stuff bothers the crap out of me. This video shows her appearing on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, by the way.
George Duke, “Reach for It, “ #54, February 5, 1978
Late ‘70s funk from a guy who’s played with everyone from Frank Zappa to Jean-Luc Ponty. Ironically, for a song that features the chant “Dance!” over and over again (the only other lyrics are a spoken-word intro and the beginning and a quasi-rap at the end – almost two years before the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” broke), this isn’t a very danceable tune.
Heart, “Crazy on You,” #62, February 5, 1978
You would have thought this was a bigger hit, given it’s been a staple of classic rock stations since the early 1980s. (And deservedly so.) The Wilson sisters’ message, born in the post-Vietnam era, was that the couple in question should just forget all their other issues for one night and boink. (Nancy Wilson added the rapid-fire guitar parts were inspired by The Moody Blues’ “Question.”) “Crazy on You” was actually the first single off their debut album with Mushroom Records in 1976, Dreamboat Annie, and reached #35 at that time (the followup, “Magic Man,” would really launch their careers. Two years later, Heart had bailed for Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic/Columbia, after Mushroom unveiled a particularly repugnant advertising campaign that would lead the unknowing to believe the Wilson sisters were lovers, and Mushroom scraped up whatever they could to make more money off their one-album wonder. First up was an album of demos and whatever else was lying around, Magazine, which the band sued to have recalled (the band then rerecorded, remixed, and re-released it a year later). The second was this song’s rerelease. Mushroom Records (also home to late ‘70s Canadian bands such as Doucette and Chilliwack, as well as ex-Fairport Convention member Ian Matthews) went out of business in 1980; the two Heart albums are still in print with Capitol Records today. The video is from the 1970s show The Midnight Special, which NBC aired on Friday nights after Johnny Carson.
Gary Wright, “Touch and Gone,” #73, February 5, 1978
Yikes. Maybe you can have too many synthesizers on one record. Third consecutive flop single from Wright, after he’d had back-to-back #2 hits in 1976 with “Dream Weaver” and “Our Love Is Alive.” (No embeddable video available.)
Earth, Wind, and Fire, “Serpentine Fire,” #13, February 12, 1978
EWF was on such a hot streak during the late ‘70s; 13 Hot 100 hits, all but one of which made the top 40, and six top 10s – nearly all of which will still make you smile when they come on the radio. “Serpentine Fire,” the lead single for All ‘n All, conked out at #13, but it’s still a good one, and it’s easily recognizable and danceable despite the slightly jittery rhythm.
Neil Diamond, “Desiree,” #16, February 12, 1978
Another “boy becomes a man” song, this time courtesy of Mr. Diamond, who you’d think would have covered this territory before. Diamond’s singles track record had been spotty after leaving Uni Records for Columbia in 1973 – only “Longfellow Serenade” made the top 10 during those five years – so this was actually one of his bigger hits before the Barbra Streisand duet later that year.
The Commodores, “Too Hot ta Trot,” #22, February 12, 1978
Knockoff of their own “Brick House” hit that had gone top 5 three months before; this is the one studio track from Commodores Live!, and it probably goosed up the sales a bit, it’s nothing special – although it does provide a break on greatest hits sets between Lionel Richie ballads.
Johnny Rivers, “Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um),” #41, February 12, 1978
30th (and, to date, last) chart single for Rivers. Geez, this guy was around forever – he first started hitting the charts around the same time as The Beatles. Most of his chart hits were covers, ranging from Chuck Berry’s “Maybelline” to Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic,” and of course this one was one as well (Major Lance did the original). Not the best arrangement ever, but still a decent song.
El Coco, “Cocomotion,” #44, February 12, 1978
Typical nearly wordless disco concoction of the era. Studio band led by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder. They had a few more Hot 100 hits under different names over the course of the year, so you’ll see them again soon, whether you want to or not.
Firefall, “So Long,” #48, February 12, 1978
They sound awfully chipper considering the relationship is ending, but that’s just the way the band is. Seventh Hot 100 hit from a group made up of remnants from such bands as The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jo Jo Gunne, and an inspiration for – well, when Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman (three-fifths of The Byrds) got back together as a trio, Firefall’s producers were brought in to helm their debut album.
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