This one has
to make the list, even if Henley doesn’t seem to be a big YouTube fan …
Friday, November 3, 2017
#159 I Confess – The English Beat (1983)
The best of
several great songs from the band that begat both General Public and Fine Young
Cannibals.
“Being dead
don't hurt,
No only
dying.”
#158 Happy – Pharrell Williams (2014)
Over 6
million of us in the United States bought this song in 2014. It sounds just as
good today.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
The religious right carries its golden calf into Steve Bannon’s battles
“Who would now identify conservative Christian political engagement
with the pursuit of the common good? Rather, the religious right is an interest
group seeking preference and advancement from a strongman — and rewarding him
with loyal acceptance of his priorities. … When Christians ally their faith
with bias and exclusion, they are influencing how the public views Christianity
itself.”
Saturday, October 14, 2017
October 12, 2017 – Cubs 9, Nats 8 (NLDS Game 3) – Nationals Park
Attendance: 43,849
Duration: 4:37
Weather: 62 degrees, Cloudy
Wind: 13 MPH In From Right
Umpires: HP: Jerry Layne. 1B: Will Little. 2B: Cory Blaser. 3B: Ron
Kulpa. LF: Fieldin Culbreth. RF: Laz Díaz.
Game notes – Nats’ 4-1 lead after 2nd-inning homers by
Murphy and Taylor didn’t last, as Gio gave up 2 more runs in his third and
final inning, and Cubs scored 4 off Scherzer in the unbelievable 5th
frame … Cubs scored 1 more run each off Kintzler and Solis, giving them just
enough to hold off the Nats’ 4 in innings 6-8, including another RBI hit by
Taylor … game ended as Werth and Harper fanned against Chicago closer Wade
Davis, running on fumes in his third inning of relief … longest 9-inning
post-season game ever
Other – traffic on the way down was not as bad as it could have been
(although slow on the GW Parkway), and we had no trouble getting into our
parking lot, although getting out of SW onto M Street after the game was over
was unbelievably slow … chilly and breezy on the concourse before the game with
a little rain, but rain-free and reasonably comfortable once the game actually
started … concessions stands were out of pretzels (both levels) and pizza
(upper level at least) by the top of the seventh … Metro wound up letting
people in until 1am, thanks to them and to Exelon (but no thanks to the Nats)
Thursday, October 12, 2017
The problem with some progressive politicians
Not to particularly pick on Sanders-endorsed Maryland gubernatorial
candidate Ben Jealous, but he’s the one who happened to catch my eye today:
“Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous is calling for Maryland
to join the state of New York in providing public higher education for a large
segment of the population free of charge.”
And four paragraphs later …
“Jealous has not estimated how much a Maryland tuition-free state
program would cost, how many students would benefit or what type of income-eligibility
requirements would be required.”
Sunday, October 8, 2017
October 7, 2017 – Nats 6, Cubs 3 (NLDS Game 2) – Nationals Park
Attendance: 43,860
Duration: 3:06
Weather: 82 degrees, Partly Cloudy
Wind: 8 MPH Out to Left
Umpires: HP: Ron Kulpa. 1B: Fieldin Culbreth. 2B: Laz Díaz. 3B: Jerry
Layne. LF: Will Little. RF: Cory Blaser.
Game notes – Rendon broke the Nats’ scoring drought with a first-inning
homer, but Willson Contreras answered for Chicago in the top of the second …
visitors took the lead in the fourth on a Bryant double and Rizzo HR off Gio,
who wound up with a kept-them-in-the-game 5-inning outing, giving up only those
3 hits and runs … Nats didn’t get another baserunner off Jon Lester until the 5th,
when they loaded the bases on a leadoff single by Zim and 2-out walks to Taylor
and pinch-hitter Howie Kendrick, before Turner fanned to end the frame …
Washington finally broke out in the bottom of the 8th, when
pinch-hitter Adam Lind singled, Harper hit a 2-run HR to tie things up, and Zim
hit a 3-run shot after a walk to Rendon and a Murphy single … Doolittle got the
save, finishing up 4 innings of scoreless ball by the Nats’ bullpen
Saturday, October 7, 2017
October 6, 2017 – Cubs 3, Nats 0 (NLDS Game 1) – Nationals Park
Attendance: 43,898
Duration: 3:02
Weather: 77 degrees, Partly Cloudy
Wind: 5 MPH Out to Left
Umpires: HP: Cory Blaser. 1B: Ron Kulpa. 2B: Fieldin Culbreth. 3B: Laz
Díaz. LF: Jerry Layne. RF: Will Little.
Section 306, Row D, Seats 19-21 – our home for the NL playoffs, a few
sections beyond our usual location behind 3B, but certainly not bad
Game notes – Strasburg was dominant through the first 5 innings,
allowing only one baserunner (on a walk) while breaking the franchise record
for strikeouts in a postseason game (finishing with 10) and keeping his pitch
count down … with 2 outs in the 6th, the no-hitter and shutout ended
when Kris Bryant singled on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Javier Baez from second,
which he had reached on a Rendon error and a sac bunt … Bryant got to second
when Harper missed the cutoff man, and scored on Anthony Rizzo’s single … Cubs
added what proved to be a completely unnecessary insurance run in the 8th
off Ryan Madson … Nats “offense” didn’t get a hit after the second inning off
Kyle Hendricks and 2 relievers, and only 2 for the game (Harper and Taylor)
Other – perfect weather for short sleeves … Metro worked well in both
directions … took longer than I expected, but I did get back the remote for my
Prius that I lost on Sunday
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Tom Petty
Like the Doobie Brothers, there’s not necessarily a correspondence
between Petty’s best work and his biggest hits.
Favorite songs:
A Face In The Crowd
A Woman In Love
I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better
I Won’t Back Down
American Girl
Trailer [Mudcrutch]
The Waiting
Runnin’ Down A Dream
The Last DJ
Monday, October 2, 2017
October 1, 2017 – Pirates 11, Nats 8 – Nationals Park
Attendance: 35,652
Duration: 4:22
Weather: 67 degrees, Clear
Wind: 2 MPH In From Right
Umpires: HP: Chris Guccione. 1B: Dana DeMuth. 2B: Paul Nauert. 3B:
Carlos Torres.
Section 125, Row S, Seats 3-5 (PNC Diamond Club)
Game notes -- longest regular-season nine-inning game in both Pirates
and Nationals history … Nats never led, as Gio (apparently under the weather)
gave up 5 runs in the top of the 1st, which featured 2 walks, a hit
batter, and a 3-run double by Bucs shortshop Max Moroff … Nats battled back in
the bottom of the frame, as Rendon reached 25 HR and 100 RBI following a Turner
double and a walk to Harper … Nats continued to battle back throughout the
game, but also missed several opportunities as they left 16 men on base
(Pittsburgh stranded 10) … Pirates extended their lead with 1 more off Gio in
the 5th, 2 off Roark in the 6th, and 3 off Oliver Perez
in the 8th … Bryce looked better than at any time after his return
from the DL, with 2 singles and a walk
Other – “fan appreciation” worked both ways, as the crowd gave standing
ovations to Zim, Rendon, Gio, Bryce, and (especially) Jayson Werth, as Dusty
removed them one-by-one over the course of the game … as is the final-game
custom, the Racing Presidents threw numerous pieces of swag into the stands
after the game … we also appreciated the free food, beer, and ambiance of the
PNC Diamond Club … personally sampled the braised pork roast, slow-roasted
strip loin, roasted root veggies, rice pilaf, tomato salad, hot dogs, cupcakes,
dessert shots, and Goose Island IPA
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