Another reason to think of music as the greatest discovery/invention/revolution/evolution/solution …
…of our world:
I came home from work today in a sour mood and slipped in a promotional copy of Toby Lightman’s “Little Things” because I wanted to hear some of her music before she comes here early next month. I lied down on the couch with a page of Sudoku puzzles and noticed my mind start to wander a couple songs into this album …
Why when Lightman’s “Devils And Angels” broke onto the radio earlier this year did she not get more play!? Or why did I not pay closer attention!?
Barely a couple songs into the album, my propped-up feet were swaying to the beat and my head was nodding. I was suddenly blown away by this album. …Her fluent guitar strumming hints of Sheryl Crow or even Joni Mitchell, while the beats and passionate, soul-like vocals might draw comparisons to Joss Stone …
There’s a nice mix of danceable upbeats and relaxing ballads, all with luscious harmonies and melodies that beg you to sing along. All the things that can make me love an album …
You go Toby … Count me counting the days down to a chance to see her up close in a couple weeks!
* * *
The images of today’s ticker-tape parade are in and they’ll go down in Chicago lore. They’re unforgettable and, yeah it was the White Sox but, I’m so glad I got to experience some of it …
I was hardly old enough to remember the Brewers winning the American League Championship in ‘82 (but I still have a couple of the commemorative placemats from McDonald’s!), and the Royals’ World Championship in ‘85 (although still too young to remember that too) came six years before I set foot in Kansas City.
I’m glad I’m old enough to remember this one. Curses or not, no one knows how long it might be before something like this comes again …
The ratings for this year’s World Series might have been low across the rest of the United States, but they sure as heck weren’t in Chicago (I’d quote the numbers they gave on the radio this morning if I could remember them. And I can’t find a story to link to … let’s just say they were super high…). When the Sox won it, every Chicago television station (NBC5 arguably provided the best coverage ... ) was breaking in with live shots of people pouring into the streets and flooding the areas around Comiskey. And most of the stations stayed on, while Chicago stayed up, through the early morning hours switching from live interviews and footage with the team in Houston to talking with fans in Chicago …
In the same spectrum, I won’t forget driving to work on the morning after, listening to The Mix and hearing them play Joe Buck’s final call over and over and over and over again. Eric & Kathy had their Harry Caray impersonator pretending to do live interviews from the lockerroom and they played the 1959 Go-Go Sox theme wherever they could fit it. Pandemonium is one word to describe it …
…Granted, I wasn’t cheering for the White Sox in the World Series. And this doesn’t mean I’m going to cheer for them any harder in the future … but the Sox had a heckuva season from beginning to end and it was pretty awesome to watch and read all the news coverage. Chicago went crazy the last few days and deservedly so …
Some good World Series-related readin' ...
a White Sox Relish First Title in 88 Years
a Kansas City Star: WORLD SERIES NOTES: Living the dream
a This year's Series is not in my world
a The Cubs are now on the clock
a Mark Starr/Newsweek: Baseball’s Superior League
a With White Sox win, Cubs fans in more misery
a National League proves inferior again
a NY Times: A Year After Cursed Red Sox End Drought, Unsung White Sox Do the Same
a Houston `Just Didn't Do It': Blown Chances Doom Astros
And just for fun... World Series TV ad rewrites sports history
* * *
They’re already making predications for next year … so here I am, too, picking from my stream of consciousness now that yet another baseball season has passed and another World Champion has been crowned …
… I can barely wait to see Jim Leyland back in action again, and doing it with the Detroit Tigers, no less. I’m not ready yet to call it the strongest division in baseball, but if the White Sox are as dominant next year as they were this year -- and then you add to that some darn competitive teams in Minnesota, Cleveland and Detroit -- the AL Central should be fun to watch next year …
… It sure made me feel good this morning to be watching ‘Sportscenter’ and hear the ‘Baseball Tonight’ crew call the Milwaukee Brewers ‘the top NL team to watch next year.’ …The baseball insiders have been telling us the last couple years that Milwaukee was building a farm system to reckon with and we finally saw them coming of age this past season. There will always be a special place in my heart for the Brew Crew, but going to games this year and watching them on TV, I actually found myself having hope in them pulling out a close game or beating the good teams. I love it …
… As much I have enjoyed watching them and would hate to see them go -- Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro all should save themselves some dignity and retire. Sure, Clemens is still at the top of his game, but he’s 43, he accomplished his mission by helping the Astros to the World Series (unless they get some more consistent hitting and stay healthy, they’re not going to do any better next year …) and his body seemed to be falling apart at the end of the season. And saying all that, Curt Schilling should probably be included in this category too. … The cases on Bonds, Sosa and Palmeiro are much simpler: Sosa’s numbers have been declined year after year and they were downright awful last season. The Orioles pretty much kicked Palmeiro off the team after his steroids debacle and there’s so much skepticism (and evidence of steroids) clouding Bonds and his homerun pursuit on Hank Aaron that he would be doing more honor to the record and the game by simply retiring …
… Manny Ramirez wants out of Boston? It would suck for the Red Sox, but he really wants to go to Anaheim, and THAT would be pretty awesome … Johnny Damon may be out of Boston too and has hinted at going to the Yankees for the right price. That would be pretty sad …
Back to predictions ... or more like wishes and long shots. Teams I'd love to see in the postseason next year: The Angels (and Tony DeMarco adds proof... ), Dodgers ( ... as long as they focus on their stadium AND the team), Tigers, Orioles (Hey, they just got Leo Mazzone!), Indians, Nationals, and of course, the Royals, Brewers or Cubs.
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