American Woman – The Guess Who
Sally – Sade
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
He – The Righteous Brothers
A Matter Of Minutes – Shawn Colvin
I.G.Y. – Donald Fagen
The Way -- Fastball
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
August 28, 2019 – Brewers 4, Cardinals 1 – Miller Park (Milwaukee)
Weather: 70 degrees, Partly Cloudy.
Wind: 21 mph, Out To LF.
Umpires: HP--Woodring, 1B--Torres, 2B--Hernandez, 3B--Marquez.
Time: 2:50
Attendance: 33,045
Section 217, Row 6, Seat 19 – second level, just to the first base side
of home plate
As I was in the bag-inspection line to enter the park, the woman behind
me was looking at the list of prohibited items, and asked me why anyone would
want to bring a broom to a baseball game. I explained to her the concept of “sweep”,
and how we hoped that it would not be an issue that afternoon. Fortunately for
those in the crowd not wearing bright red, the home team combined excellent
pitching and timely hitting to salvage the final game of the series and remain
on the fringes of the wild-card race.
Jordan Lyles continued his post-trade revival, fanning 5 of the first 7
Cards he faced, and 9 in all. After he gave up a leadoff homer to Kolten Wong
in the top of the 6th, then allowed 2 of the next 3 batters to reach
base, Junior Guerra induced the red-hot Yadi Molina to ground into a double
play, then struck out the side in the 7th. The slumping Josh Hader pitched
the final two innings for the save, allowing only a Wong double in the 8th.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee made the most of its six hits, pushing across
single runs in four of their eight times up. Second baseman Keston Hiura drove
in three of the runs, with a groundout in the 1st, a homer in the 4th,
and a double in the 8th.
Kids and seniors got 50% off on all tickets, and seniors got to stroll
on the warning track after the game. (No “special ticket” required: Nats please
take note.) I decided to avoid the interstates on both legs of the drive –
slower, but less stress.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
August 27, 2019 – Cardinals 6, Brewers 3 – Miller Park (Milwaukee)
Weather: 77 degrees, Partly Cloudy.
Wind: 13 mph, R To L.
Umpires: HP--Marquez, 1B--Woodring, 2B--Torres, 3B--Hernandez.
Time: 3:27 (:09 delay)
Attendance: 36,690
Section 124, Row 18, Seat 1 – lower level, just beyond third base
This turned out to be a great game (for non-Brewers fans anyway), with
a pitchers’ duel at the beginning, 7 runs scored in the last 3 innings,
suspense to the very end, and what was probably one of the shortest rain delays
in MLB history.
The Brewers kicked off the scoring with a two-out RBI single by Orlando
Arcia in the second. St. Louis responded two innings later on a solo homer by
Yadier Molina. That’s the way it stayed until the seventh, with Adrian Houser lasting
5 innings for Milwaukee before leaving with hip discomfort and Miles Mikolas
going 6 for the Cards. St. Louis pulled ahead before the stretch with 3 off ex-Nat
Matt Albers, highlighted by another Molina dinger, this time with a man on
first. Milwaukee narrowed the lead with a 2-run Yasmani Grandal shot in the
bottom of the 8th off Andrew Miller, but the Cards answered right
back with 2 in the top of the 9th, starting off with a Molina
double. Hope seemed lost as St. Louis closer Carlos Martinez retired the first
2 Brewers in the bottom of the inning, but after an infield single and a
4-pitch walk, Hernan Perez came to the plate representing the potential tying
run. On a 1-2 count, he sent a 97-mph high fastball deep to right-center, but
Dexter Fowler made a leaping catch at the wall, directly in front of the Cards’
bullpen, to nail down the win.
Just about all of us were astonished when, with 2 outs in the top of
the 7th, the skies opened up, sending many fans scurrying for cover
(I was far enough back to stay dry) and the players off the field. Fortunately,
the roof closed perfectly (to the strains of “Who’ll Stop The Rain”), and play
resumed less than 10 minutes later.
I was also bemused when Christian Yelich used the Police’s “Roxanne” as
his walk-up music during his first at-bat. Turns out there was a story behind
that.
The stadium is reasonably nice, although the all-weather design of
necessity makes it less airy and open than many. The same stands tended to
repeat throughout the lower level, with not as much variety as I would have
liked. I had a brat (OK) and custard (terrific). Getting in and out of the
parking lots was not as difficult as I had feared, although it’s definitely not
for the faint of heart. (Things were reasonably well-marked, although they could
stand to freshen up the lane striping on their roads.)
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Trump’s wall is child’s play compared to Bernie Sanders’s climate plan
Key quote from David Von Drehle’s column: “Voters appear to want grand
gestures more than they want achievable policies. They’d rather be bathed in
agreeable hogwash than be tasked with achievable goals. … Of course, it’s part
of a president’s job to paint a bold vision of America’s future. But the art of
leadership includes the politics of the possible.”
Favorite Musical Artists: Lyle Lovett
It’s more or less a coincidence that Lyle Lovett comes up right after
Mary Chapin Carpenter. Fans of the latter, of course, are sure to be familiar
with these lines from “I Feel Lucky”:
Now eleven million
later, I was sittin' at the bar.
I bought the house a
double, then the waitress a new car.
Dwight Yoakam's in
the corner, tryin' to catch my eye.
Lyle Lovett's right
beside me with his hand upon my thigh.
[obviously with her
consent; see chorus below]
…
I feel lucky,
I feel lucky, yeah.
Hey Dwight, hey
Lyle, boys, you don't have to fight.
Hot dog, I feel
lucky tonight.
(I have to admit I started to wonder, when in recent years it became
annoyingly typical for the two of them to appear at Wolf Trap on back-to-back
evenings, forcing me either to choose between them or endure two late nights in
a row.)
The best summary of Lovett’s music I could find came from Last.fm: “Lyle
Lovett is an Americana singer-songwriter and actor from Klein, Texas, who has
been described as "the thinking man's cowboy". While typically
associated with the alt-country genre, his albums typically incorporate folk,
swing, blues, jazz and gospel music as well as more traditional country &
western styles.”
Concert notes (all from appearances at Wolf Trap with his Large Band
unless otherwise noted): 2019 2018 2017 (at Strathmore with John Hiatt) 2016
2015
Favorite songs:
If I Had A Boat
That's Right (You're Not From Texas)
Here I Am
Closing Time
Church
She's No Lady
I Will Rise Up/Ain't No More Cane
What Do You Do/The Glory Of Love
Simple Song
Penguins
Nobody Knows Me
Don't Touch My Hat
L.A. County
Good Intentions
My Baby Don’t Tolerate
North Dakota
Family Reserve
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior
Wallisville Road
Which Way Does That Old Pony Run
Bonus tracks -- Funny How Time Slips Away (duet with Al Green), and
Francine Reed’s performance of Wild Women Don't Get the Blues (always a
highlight of his Large Band shows)
Monday, August 19, 2019
August 18, 2019 – Nats 16, Brewers 8 – Nationals Park
Weather: 95 degrees, Partly Cloudy.
Wind: 5 mph, R To L.
Umpires: HP--Ripperger, 1B--Hoye, 2B--Danley, 3B--Wolcott.
Time: 3:24
Attendance: 30,571
Had Joe Ross hit one out of the park in his 14th-inning
pinch-hitting appearance Saturday night, the Nats would have scored 16 runs and
won the game by 1. They sort of made up for that Sunday afternoon, although
this time 16 runs proved to be major overkill.
On a day that was hot enough to draw folks in droves to the designated cooling
area in the Kennedy Room, the Nats hit 8 dingers to tie a team record first set
in 2017, also against the Brewers. The only starters who failed to join the
parade were pitcher Erick Fedde (who did lay down two nice sacrifice bunts),
plus Turner and Gomes, each of whom reached base 3 times. Juan Soto and Brian
Dozier each went yard twice, although Dozier’s second blast should get an
asterisk, since it came in the bottom of the 8th against Milwaukee
utility man Hernan Perez.
Fedde pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, then put up
zeroes the next two frames. By the time he took the mound in the 4th,
Washington had scored 4 in the 1st, 2 in the 2nd, and 7
in the 3rd. Milwaukee starting pitcher Chase Anderson gave up 10 of
the runs while recording only 7 outs. With the 13-run cushion, no one
particularly cared that Fedde was touched for a run in the 4th and 3
in the 5th, or that the visitors added 4 more meaningless tallies
against Kyle McGowin in the top of the 9th.
August 17, 2019 – Brewers 15, Nats 14 (14 innings) – Nationals Park
Weather: 88 degrees, Partly Cloudy.
Wind: 5 mph, Out To LF.
Umpires: HP--Wolcott, 1B--Ripperger, 2B--Hoye, 3B--Danley.
Time: 5:40
Attendance: 36,953
Section 419, Row N, Seats 27-29
OK, we knew it was going to be a long day. We arrived at the park just
after 1:30 for the Nationals’ annual Season Plan Holder Appreciation Day. After
exiting the park around 4:15, we decided to join the line to get back in for
the game, so we could pick up our Patrick Corbin bobbleheads and enjoy a leisurely
pre-game meal at the Budweiser Brew House. We certainly did not expect the game
to still be going on well after midnight, ending as we neared the end of our
trek home on Metro’s Red Line. (We left at the end of the 11th
inning.)
Inning 3 – Brewers plate 5, after Anibal Sanchez walks the pitcher and
then the rookie leadoff batter, followed by 5 straight hits. But a 2-run Juan
Soto homer keeps the home team in it.
Inning 4 – 3-run HR by Eaton with 2 outs. Nats tie things up at 5.
Inning 5 – Matt Grace replaces Sanchez and promptly serves up a tater
to Ryan Braun. Brewers back up by 1.
Inning 6 – Grace faces 3 batters and retires none of them, giving up a
2-run homer to Trent Grisham before giving way to Wander Suero. Freddy Peralta
comes in to pitch the bottom of the inning, and 4 batters later the Nats have a
9-8 lead, punctuated by a Trea Turner 3-run shot.
Inning 7 – Strickland blanks the Brewers, Kendrick hits one out after a
Robles walk to extend our lead to 11-8.
Innings 8-9 – Against all odds, no one reaches base for either side in
the 8th, with Rodney holding the visitors in check. Doolittle comes
in for the save in the 9th. 10 pitches later
(homer-double-homer-homer), it’s 12-11 Milwaukee. But our heroes aren’t done
yet, despite the entry of imposing Brewers relief ace Josh Hader. After a Gomes
walk, a Suzuki double, and a Robles single, the Nats have tied the game, with
the winning run on third and no outs. Somehow, following the intentional walk
to Kendrick to load the bases, Hader recovers to fan Turner, Eaton, and Rendon
to provide some bonus baseball.
Innings 10-12 – The hitters on both teams seem worn out, and no one
comes close to ending the game. With the Nats out of position players and short
on pitchers, Tanner Rainey hits for himself in the bottom of the 10th
so he can take the mound for the 11th. Long man Javy Guerra replaces
him an inning later and fans the side in the 12th.
Inning 13 – Yelich hits his second homer of the game (and #41 for the
year) to give the Brewers a 13-12 lead. Asdrubal Cabrera (more on him later)
coaxes a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame, but Javy Guerra (forced to
hit for himself) fails to bunt him to second. After a Suzuki single gets
Cabrera to third, Junior Guerra (no relation) comes in to pitch for Milwaukee and
gives up a sac fly to Robles. Game tied. Again.
Inning 14 – Javy G, clearly gassed, walks Braun and gives up a 2-run
homer to Eric Thames for a 15-13 Milwaukee lead. The Nats have one last chance,
as Keston Hiura throws away Juan Soto’s potentially-game-ending ground ball,
scoring Eaton from second and putting the tying run in scoring position.
However, Junior G intentionally walks Cabrera to reach the pitcher’s spot in
the order. Martinez sends starting pitcher Joe Ross up to hit for Javy G, and
he fans to bring the affair to its final conclusion.
Note #1 – Had the game continued, the Nats would have sent out a lineup
with Kendrick moving to second, Soto playing first, Ross in left, and Cabrera
on the mound. It would have been his first major league pitching appearance,
after over 1500 career games peacefully plying his trade in the infield.
Note #2 – The Nats tied a major-league record by allowing 5 homers in
the 9th inning or later.
Note #3 – According to Jamal Collier’s MLB.com story, “The rock band
The Raconteurs began the game sitting in the stands, played at a nearby concert
hall [The Anthem] and made it back in time to see the conclusion of the game.”
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Shuffle #117 (August 17, 2019)
All Day And All Of The Night – The Kinks
Red Streamliner – Little Feat
Your Song – Elton John
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In – The 5th Dimension
Watershed – Indigo Girls
Pipeline – The Chantays
Rolling In The Deep – Adele
Destroyer – The Kinks
It’s The Nighttime – Josh Rouse
Friday, August 16, 2019
Stray Cats w/ The James Hunter Duo – Wolf Trap, 8/13/2019
Wolf Trap has a well-earned reputation for having appreciative but not wildly
enthusiastic crowds. This was definitely not the case Tuesday evening, with the
first clue being the two pre-show lines to buy merchandise, which were the
longest I can remember in my years of Wolf Trap concert-going. (They do have a
really cool logo.) At least half the crowd was standing for their opening song,
and most were on their feet for a number of others (“Stray Cat Strut”, “Gene
And Eddie”, their cover of Dick Dale’s “Misirlou”, “Sexy + 17”, and of course “Rock
This Town”, as well as their three-song encore). Those who only know their hits
would be surprised at the depth of their repertoire; “Lust ‘N’ Life”, which I
hadn’t heard before, is now one of my favorites. (And it wasn’t just a
nostalgia trip, as they threw in 5 songs from this year’s reunion album, 40.) Visually, Setzer certainly had his
moments, although much of his flash consisted of his flying fingers on guitar.
Drummer Slim Jim Phantom and upright bassist Lee Rocker were the most physical
of the trio, with the latter also taking a share of the lead vocals. All in
all, a thoroughly enjoyable show.
James Hunter, along with Myles Weeks on upright bass, opened with a
30-minute set that was a trimmed-down version of his show in Annapolis last
week – 3 covers, 3 new songs, and 3 previously-recorded originals. Somewhat
surprisingly, given the length of the merch lines, most folks were in their
seats for his set and seemed to appreciate it, with a fair number of us
standing at the end. I was afraid he might lose the crowd permanently by
trotting out the old chestnut “September In The Rain” as his second number, but
any diminished enthusiasm was regained a couple songs later with his cover of Sonny
Boy Williamson’s “Step Back”.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
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