March 16, 2014 – Pirates 5, Phillies 0 – Clearwater FL

Hit batsmen, gulls, and runless wonders 

Weather: 79 degrees, sunny.

Wind: 24 mph, R to L.

T: 2:40.

Att: 10,544 [another sellout at Bright House Field]

Umpires: HP: Tom Hallion. 1B: Phil Cuzzi. 3B: Vic Carapazza.

Section 102, Row 10, Seat 2 (further down the RF line than Thursday) 

Question – why in Clearwater do they drag the infield after the second and fifth innings, rather than the typical third and sixth?

My request for better seventh-inning stretch music was not exactly honored – they did “Y.M.C.A.” instead of “Cotton-Eyed Joe”. They did redeem themselves by putting on Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” at the end of the seventh.

A flock of seagulls (15 or so – the real thing rather than the musical variety) landed in shallow center field just before the seventh inning, and basically hung around for most of the game. Presumably all of the sitting room on the berm was occupied by humans.   ;-)

Given the impotence of the Phils offense, the gulls ranked as one of the highlights of the afternoon. There were also 5 hit batters, leading to a warning to both benches in the top of the seventh. Will be interesting to see whether any ill feelings carry over – the teams still play each other once more in Florida, plus two more exhibition games in Philly right before the start of the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Bucs scored runs of each of the 3 Phils pitchers who will or might make the team (O’Sullivan, Papelbon, Bastardo), with a Neil Walker homer in the seventh finishing off the scoring. Two pitchers from the minor league camp, Mike Nesseth and Kyle Simon, did retire the last 7 Pittsburgh batters of the afternoon.

March 14, 2014 – Pirates 6, Phillies 5 – Bradenton FL

Bucs rally against Rosenberg to down Phils

Weather: 73 degrees, sunny [quite warm out in the sun, pleasant in the shade where I was sitting]

Wind: 13 mph, In from RF.

T: 2:57.

Att: 7,930.

Umpires: HP: Will Little. 1B: John Hirschbeck. 2B: Gabe Morales. 3B: Paul Emmel.

Infield Box 4, Row 15, Seat 13 (about one section to the right of home plate) 

McKechnie Field, which first opened in 1923 (well before I was born), is the oldest stadium used for Spring Training. It’s been renovated a couple of times, so facilities are reasonably good, as are the sight lines. It wasn’t especially clear where to enter the seating area to get to particular sections, though. The dugouts were small enough that some of the staff had to overflow into temporary seats to the home plate side of each dugout.

Programs were $5.00 (a buck more than in Clearwater), and unfortunately the section in the center for keeping score was on the same slick paper as the rest of the program, so it was almost impossible to write on. If I ever get to Bradenton again (unlikely, see below), I’ll have to remember to bring my NASA write-on-anything Space Pen.

Cheapest beer I saw was $6.00 (so also more expensive than Clearwater), and bottled sodas were a major-league $4.50, but the grilled chicken sandwich ($7.00, if I remember correctly) was good.

Despite the absence of any discernable Michael Morse connection, they played “Take on Me” between the top and bottom of the first inning. They get bonus points for putting on “Born to Run” after the fourth, but lose a few for still using “Y.M.C.A.” for the seventh-inning stretch.

Was interested to see that the silent auction was not limited to Pirates items, but included a Jim Bunning jersey and other Phillies memorabilia (as well as that from some other teams).

Unfortunately, the field is located in the middle of Bradenton, meaning that the traffic getting in and out can be a huge mess. Traffic crawled into Bradenton on the way there, which along with construction on U.S. 19 and the toll plaza backup on the Sunshine Skyway made for a total of 75 minutes to get from my hotel in Clearwater to the field. Getting back, and especially escaping from Bradenton, was even worse. Getting out of the parking lot (around 4:18) was not too bad, but things deteriorated quickly from there. It was almost 5:00 until I got in line to pay the toll at the south end of the skyway, and nearly 6:00 until I was back at the hotel. (I did spend a few minutes recovering from an erroneous early exit from I-275 – have to remember that 54^th Avenue South is NOT the same thing as 54^th Avenue North.)

Baseball-wise, the Phils jumped off to a short-lived lead when Tony Gwynn Jr. led off the game by bunting right in front of the plate and reaching when Bucs catcher Tony Sanchez made a bad throw to first. Gwynn then stole second and scored on successive ground balls by Rollins (finally back in the lineup) and Utley. The Pirates quickly tied it in the bottom of the first when Phils starting-rotation candidate Jeff Manship (!) fell behind to Andrew McCutcheon, who deposited the next pitch into the left-field bleachers. Pittsburgh scored a second run in the bottom of the third, but the Phils plated single runs in each of the next three innings on an RBI double by Darin Ruf, an RBI single by Utley, and the first homer of the spring by Ryan Howard, who made everyone especially happy by hitting it to the opposite field.

Meanwhile, Manship and the Phillies bullpen held the Bucs scoreless through the seventh. The stint by Phils southpaw Jake Diekman was particularly impressive. Diekman entered in the sixth after a McCutcheon leadoff single to face two Pirates lefthanded hitters. He struck out Pedro Alvarez and induced Travis Snider to ground into a twin-killing to end the inning.

Things completely unraveled in the bottom of the eighth, however, when B.J. Rosenberg went out for his second inning of work and was able to retire only one of the six batters he faced. By this point the Bucs regulars were out of the lineup, so the damage was done by Robert Andino (single), Brent Morel (single), beloved former Phillie Michael Martinez (single), Mel Rojas Jr. (walk), Junior Sosa (sac fly), and Willy Garcia (two-run single).

In the top of the ninth, Pittsburgh brought in Yao-Hsun Yang, a 31-year-old Taiwanese lefthander whom they signed to a minor-league contract about a month ago. He promptly issued walks to the first two Philly batters (including one pitch that hit the backstop), then hit Gwynn to load the bases, at which point the Pirates mercifully lifted him in favor of Josh Kinney. The Phils did pull within a run when Cesar Hernandez drew a bases-loaded walk, but Wil Nieves followed by grounding into a game-ending double play.

March 13, 2014 -- Phillies 6, Yankees (split-squad) 2 -- Clearwater FL

Hernandez perfect for 5, Phils single Yanks into oblivion 

Weather: 56 degrees, sunny  [but much warmer than the 30-degree temps up north]

Wind: 18 mph, L to R.

T: 2:31.

Att: 9,003  [sellout]

Umpires: HP: Toby Basner. 1B: Tom Hallion. 2B: Phil Cuzzi. 3B: Seth Buckminster.

Section 103, Row 13, Seat 9 (lower level, down the RF line) 

First Spring Training trip of the century, and so the first visit to Bright House Field. The field is within easy walking distance (less than a mile) from my hotel, which is fortunate because, despite the many virtues of Clearwater, freedom from heavy traffic is not a selling point.

The Phillie Phanatic is spending March in Clearwater (I believe for the first time), and drawing some national attention.

Nice to be able to get a 16-ounce cup of beer (OK, it’s Bud, but who’s counting) for just $4.75. Pulled pork sandwich from the Boar’s Head stand was excellent. The turquoise lettering on the scoreboard can be a little hard to read, though, and they really need to find a better seventh-inning stretch song than “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” And I can’t say I was overwhelmed by the Tiki Pavilion beyond the left field wall.

Despite it being a split-squad road game, the Yankees were classy enough to send a representative contingent of players to the game, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Ichiro, Mark Teixeira, Kelly Johnson, and starting pitcher Ivan Nova. It was interesting that Ellsbury was the first batter of the game – I had been chatting with a Red Sox fan on the flight down to Tampa, and we were commiserating about Jacoby’s defection to the Evil Empire. (I also hadn’t been aware that Boston fans had changed another outfielder’s surname from “Damon” to “Demon” after a similar move several years earlier.) Phils played all of their starters except for Jimmy Rollins (which turned into quite the story).

The Phils had no-out singles by Ben Revere in the first inning and by both Carlos Ruiz and Dominic Brown in the second, but Nova pitched out of trouble both times. He would not be so lucky in the third. After fouling off two bunt attempts, Revere singled to left. Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, and Ryan Howard followed with singles to plate two runs, and a third scored on a Ruiz double-play grounder. The excitement continued with an infield single by Brown and a double to left by Darin Ruf, but Brown was gunned down at the plate to end the inning.

Perhaps somewhat fatigued by the unusual offensive explosion – the 6 3^rd-inning hits is more than they managed in some entire games earlier in the spring – the Phils managed no hits and only a single base runner over the next 4 innings. They reawakened in the 8^th against Yankees reliever Preston Claiborne with mostly reserves in the game. A leadoff single by Kevin Frandsen and a hit-and-run single by Clete Thomas set the stage, and the Phils scored one run on a double by Reid Brignac and two more on a double by Tommy Joseph.

Phillies starter Roberto Hernandez was extremely impressive, retiring the first 15 batters (10 on ground balls) before New York second baseman Scott Sizemore ended a tough at-bat with a clean single to center to lead off the 6^th. The Phils promptly removed Hernandez, who left to a nice ovation. Ellsbury led off the 7^th by homering to right, which was the first ball of the game to get into the strong wind blowing in that direction. The Yanks pushed another run across later that inning to cut the gap to 3-2, but the Phils’ bullpen retired the side in order in the 8^th and 9^th.

Carrie Newcomer with Gary Walters at Saint Mark Presbyterian Church (Rockville), 3/8/2014

I learned about Carrie Newcomer by accident – turned on Mountain Stage several years ago on a Saturday night while she was in the middle of a set. After listening to the rest of the set, I was impressed enough to pick up her current CD at the time (The Geography of Light), and a couple other ones later on. I had never before seen her in person, however.

 

Saint Mark’s fellowship hall, where the Institute of Musical Traditions holds most of its events, was packed for the Saturday evening show. Accompanied by Gary Walters on keyboard, Carrie (on guitar throughout) put on a fine show. Her use of dynamics and the expressiveness of her voice came across extremely well live, and she had a great rapport with the audience. Highlights from her earlier material included “If Not Now” (an audience singalong), “Breathe In Breathe Out” (which concluded the first set), and “One Woman and a Shovel.” She also debuted some new songs from her new CD, A Permeable Life, including “Thank You Good Night”, “Forever Ray” (best song ever about lawn ornaments?), “A Light in the Road”, and “Please Don’t Put Me on Hold” (which continued her tradition of ending many of her albums with an upbeat, somewhat novelty-oriented tune). Although the CD doesn’t officially come out until April 1, she did have some copies for sale at the merch table, which sold out quickly.

 

Los Lobos at Rams Head on Stage, 2/28/2014 (6:30 show)

On their 40^th anniversary tour, Los Lobos once again showed that they are one of the best live rock bands around, far surpassing their humble origins as “Just Another Band from East L.A.” They did a 90-minute set in front of a sold-out crowd for the first of two shows that night, with highlights including “Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)”, “Tears of God”, a nice cover of Traffic’s “40,000 Headmen”, and “The Neighborhood” (with a bit of “Moondance” tossed in for good measure). They ended with a fantastic version of “Don’t Worry Baby” (the lead track from their breakthrough album How Will the Wolf Survive?).

This was my first trip to Rams Head in Annapolis, which frequently gets acts either right before or right after they play the Birchmere in Alexandria. I decided to give Rams Head a try since they offer reserved seating (which the Birchmere does not), and with the Inter-County Connector now available I could minimize the amount of time I’d have to spend on the Washington Beltway. It still took me about 75 minutes to drive from Rockville to Annapolis, but I left home later than I would have for a Birchmere show, knowing that I had my seat waiting for me. It’s a good venue to catch a show. The menu choices at the Rams Head on Stage itself were somewhat more limited than at the Birchmere (although you also can eat at the Rams Head Tavern next door), but the food was good and reasonably priced; I had the Tilapia BLT Sandwich (without the B).

Parking was more of a hassle, though. Annoyingly, the Rams Head folks validate parking (giving you 2 hours free) if you eat at the tavern, but not if you eat at the performance venue. Having a large number of people exit the parking garage at the end of the show also was not a great experience – it’s considerably easier to get out of the (free) surface lot at the Birchmere.

Showtime Bar, 2/27/2014

https://www.facebook.com/showtimebardc  

Four of us had a great time on our field trip this past Thursday evening to the Showtime Bar, on Rhode Island Avenue in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of DC.

Back story – one Friday morning last July I was eating breakfast and browsing through the Weekend section of the Washington Post when I noticed the headline “Looking for the best jukebox in D.C.? It’s at Showtime.” Glancing at the article, I saw that the bar was owned by Paul Vivari, aka DJ Soul Call Paul and with a surname that is familiar to the vast majority of us Westatians. Visiting the establishment and checking out the jukebox immediately went onto my bucket list, and I finally got the chance to make my first trip down there (although it’s unlikely to be the last). 

The place definitely lived up to its reputation for a convivial atmosphere and good cheap beer – business was booming. Paul’s expertise in old R&B tunes far surpasses mine; I think I recognized maybe 3 of the 24 tracks on one of the compilation CDs in the jukebox. However, since I grew up in Harrisburg PA, I was delighted to find “Karate” by the Emperors, a local band who had a #1 local hit with the song back in the mid-60s when I was in junior high. Needless to say, this became our first selection on the box. Fear not, though – if you’re familiar with the likes of Aretha, James Brown, Otis Redding, or Wilson Pickett, you will find some tracks you know and love.

#75 The Boys Are Back In Town -- Thin Lizzy (1976)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbYPfbNR7KE

This is certainly one of the great rock anthems, but what most people don’t know is that the album from which it was taken (Jailbreak) is quite a good one overall. Many years ago I was in a used CD store in Rockville and was impressed by the music they were playing, which turned out to be the Jailbreak album. Unfortunately the clerk was playing his own copy, which was not for sale, but I kept it in the back of my mind and later picked up the CD elsewhere.

#76 Trust In Me -- Etta James (1961)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwWJgHEcMrs

Yes, there is that other Etta James song, but Barack and Michelle seem to own that one.   ;-)

Seriously, “Trust in Me” (which was released as a single a couple months after “At Last”) is also a great song, and is well worth a listen. Along with Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” and Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead You Back”, it’s a fine example of what I think of as a “diva song”: mostly slow and smoldering, but with a big climax near the end.

Quite a few years back (apparently 1991), I was fortunate enough to catch LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, and Etta James in a triple-header at Wolf Trap. Unfortunately none of these R&B pioneers are around anymore, but they certainly combined to make a lot of fine music.

#77 I Loved And I Lost -- The Impressions (1968)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TKJCnCajB0

I’ve always felt that Chicago soul music never got the credit it deserves. In terms of soul music, you hear much more about Detroit for Motown, Philly for the Gamble and Huff days, Muscle Shoals, and Memphis. Even when it comes to Chicago, people think much more about Chicago blues than about soul. Yet Chicago produced some of the greatest R&B music of the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to the Impressions, you had former Impression Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, Major Lance, Alvin Cash, Billy Butler, the Dells, the Chi-Lites, the Marvelows, and I’m sure some folks that I’m forgetting.

Curtis Mayfield, of course, was the driving force behind much of this success. In addition to writing nearly all of the Impressions’ material, he wrote hits for fellow Chicagoans Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, and Major Lance, as well as for Aretha Franklin and the Staple Singers. He also was a producer, started his own successful record label (Curtom), and had a notable solo career in the 1970s.

Picking just one song by the Impressions was even harder than picking just one Steely Dan tune. Most of the album cuts that Mayfield wrote for the Impressions are just as strong as the tracks that got released as singles, in sharp contrast to the filler that mars so many 1960 albums. If you like this one, be sure to check out their other stuff – you’ll be glad you did.

#78 A Dream Goes On Forever -- Todd Rundgren (1974)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAezJqZYHkU

Todd Rundgren may have been one of the most ambitious and eclectic musical figures of his generation (note-for-note recreation of “Good Vibrations,” anyone?), but he was never better than when he was crafting great classic pop songs. “A Dream Goes On Forever” was never a big hit, perhaps because it was not nearly as catchy as “I Saw the Light” or “We Gotta Get You a Woman”, but it’s one of his most affecting efforts. A close second would be “Love Is the Answer,” whose incredibly soulful cover version by England Dan and John Ford Coley (of all people) deservedly hit the top 10 in 1979.

All in all, I guess I can forgive him for producing Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell album.   ;-)