The Red Sox are "putting on a full-court press" to acquire Roy Halladay, according to a source, and are hoping to add the former Cy Young winner to the top of their rotation to go with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.Like the Daily News, the Globe also mentions Clay Buchholz and Casey Kelly as likely players in any deal ... SoSH TaLK.
"They would love to get it wrapped up before the winter meetings (beginning Dec. 7)," the source said of the Red Sox, who made a big push to deal for Halladay last summer.
On November 25, 1976, the five members of The Band -- Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson - played their last concert together. It was billed as The Last Waltz.Disc 1
01 - Up On Cripple Creek
02 - The Shape I'm In
03 - It Makes No Difference
04 - Life Is A Carnival
05 - This Wheel's On Fire
06 - W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
07 - Georgia On My Mind
08 - Ophelia
09 - King Harvest
10 - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
11 - Stage Fright
12 - Rag Mama Rag
13 - Who Do You Love (Ronnie Hawkins)
14 - Such A Night (Dr. John)
Disc 2
01 - Down South In New Orleans (Bobby Charles)
02 - Mystery Train (Paul Butterfield)
03 - Caledonia (Muddy Waters)
04 - Mannish Boy (Waters)
05 - All Our Past Times (Eric Clapton)
06 - Further On Up The Road (Clapton)
07 - Helpless (Neil Young)
08 - Four Strong Winds (Young)
09 - Coyote (Joni Mitchell)
10 - Shadows & Light (Mitchell)
11 - Furry Sings The Blues (Mitchell/Young)
Disc 3
01 - Dry Your Eyes (Neil Diamond)
02 - Tura Lura Lura (Van Morrison)
03 - Caravan (Morrison)
04 - Acadian Driftwood
05 - Genetic Method
06 - Chest Fever
07 - The Last Waltz
08 - Evangeline
09 - The Weight
10 - Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Bob Dylan)
11 - Hazel (Dylan)
12 - I Don't Believe You (Dylan)
13 - Forever Young (Dylan)
14 - Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Dylan)
Disc 4
01 - I Shall Be Released
02 - Jam #1
03 - Jam #2
04 - Don't Do It
So what makes The Last Waltz the best rock and roll film of all time? There are the songs and the musicians, of course, but the key is Scorsese. He decided beforehand how he wanted to shoot every single song -- he storyboarded the entire show. I don't think I have ever seen video footage of a live band that has been shot like The Last Waltz (though it can't be unique). What you usually are given is seemingly random quick cuts between the various cameras, hectic and not timed in any way to the flow of music; any sense of the musicians playing as a group is lost (or maybe wasn't even considered as important). Scorsese framed several of the musicians in many shots, often stayed on one person for quite awhile, and captured subtle gestures and interactions between the musicians.
Near the end of the film, Dylan and the Band slid into "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" -- and I was floored. It was a revelation. And anytime I have seen it in the nearly 25 years (!) since that night -- including the maybe 10-15 times I either watched the clip or listened to the song while writing this post -- I have never been unfloored. Familiarity has not dulled any of its vitality.
The Red Sox not only are shopping third baseman Mike Lowell but also are willing to pay $6 million of his $12 million salary for next season, according to major-league sources.
One rival executive, however, says he would be surprised if a team was willing to pay Lowell even $6 million. ...
His right-hip issues have limited his range and he ranks as one of the worst defensive third basemen in the majors, advanced metrics say. ... [Lowell] benefited greatly from playing at Fenway Park last season, posting a .932 OPS at home and .713 OPS on the road.
had surgery on his left shoulder last week to help alleviate the inflammation he was experiencing in the second half of the season. He should be able to take part in spring training without missing any time.Another tidbit is that the idea of playing Mike Lowell at first base has been "discussed internally" by the front office.
He has earned the right to be a free agent. This is his first time, and he wants to see it through. You know we're going to be a major player. We always are. Do I hope it gets done? Yeah.The Red Sox's exclusive rights to negotiate with Bay end at midnight tonight.
I said that like a year ago and everybody was looking at me like I was a (expletive) clown. You know? I said we needed another 30-home run hitter. Everybody was talking trash. There you go. Now what? ... You want to compete with those guys across the street? You better bring it. Period.The Sox have asked Atlanta for the medical records of free agent relievers Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano.
With the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster and protect them from the Rule 5 Draft rapidly approaching, the Red Sox [Tuesday] made another move to clear space, releasing catcher George Kottaras. ...Links: 40-man roster deadline and Rule 5 draft (to be held on December 10).
1st 2nd 3rd PtsNL Cy on Thursday.
Zack Greinke, KC 25 3 134
Felix Hernandez, SEA 2 23 1 80
Justin Verlander, DET 1 9 14
CC Sabathia, NYY 2 7 13
Roy Halladay, TOR 11 11
I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate.The audio in the video comes from an interview Ellis did with NPR shortly before his death last December.
New York Yankees team ownership revealed Tuesday that the phrase "Yankees suck," one of the most popular chants in sports, was trademarked by the 27-time World Series champions prior to the 1996 season, a business strategy that has earned the team close to $100 billion over the past 13 years.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records show that every time an individual chants, shouts, or writes the words "Yankees suck," the New York Yankees organization earns at least $2.15 ...
Furthermore, financial records indicate that by also owning the rights to the common anti-Yankee epithet "Jeter blows," the team earned much of the money needed to sign Alex Rodriguez in 2004. ...
General Manager Brian Cashman told reporters that baseball fans who muttered "Yankees suck" to themselves while on the grounds of major-league ballparks during the second half of the 2007 season alone essentially funded the team's new $1.2 billion stadium.
The organization also has reason to be optimistic about the future of "Yankees suck" revenue: Accountants project that, as the Internet and cable television bring the team into millions more homes across the globe, there could soon come a time when the Yankees are told they suck three times a second on every continent.
Name the only two players in the last 56 years to have at least 16 total bases in a game without hitting four home runs in the contest.
Actually, I did not see it until I was driving out of the parking lot. I wondered why I had received a ticket. Where I had parked was not part of a handicapped zone. ... Then I noticed that part of the ticket was green. That's when I thought it might be one of those fake tickets. I had another stop maybe two minutes away, so I looked at it then. Yup.Canadians, in general, avoid conflict and confrontation and thus it is not common for people to intervene directly.4b. This theory goes right out the fucking window, though, once you get on the highway. If you want or need to change lanes, the driver that you will be pulling in ahead of will speed up to deny you the opportunity to change lanes. Also, if you are on an on-ramp and about to enter highway traffic and someone else is about to get off the highway via an the off-ramp that is a bit ahead of where the on-ramp is letting you in, rather than slow down -- which he has to do anyway to go down the off-ramp -- and pull in behind you -- which makes common sense since at the time he is slowing down, you are accelerating to get up to highway speed, he will stomp on his accelerator like a goddamn maniac, cut directly in front of you, meaning you have to suddenly brake and slow down, THEN he'll get off the highway and slow down.
Just spoke to Theo Epstein [late Monday night]. Contrary to a report, Jason Varitek has not yet exercised his $3 million player option for 2010. ... To be sure, the Sox expect Varitek to trigger that option. But it hasn't happened yet.
The move is expected to be formalized on Tuesday ... With the incentives, Varitek would earn an additional $400,000 for starting 80 games in 2010 and another bonus for every 10 starts thereafter.
Red Sox will not pick up Jason Varitek's $5 million team option. Now [Varitek] has 5 days to make decision on $3 million player option.
It may be a mess, but it's a very careful mess. A lot of work went into making it look like that. ... I wanted to write something that would make somebody say, "Holy, shit, I've got to read this," and then seduce them into doing a certain amount of work.
Phillies - 001 002 000 - 3 6 0MVP: Shemp (8-for-13, 3 HR, 8 RBI; 6 RBI in Game 6).
Yankees - 022 030 00x - 7 8 0
Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it. I don't have enough words to describe how excited I am about being here. This is just a great gift to me.
[T]here have been 57 previous best-of-seven World Series that reached a Game Six. In the sixth contest*, the trailing [team] has amassed an impressive record of 35-22. Not too shabby. Actually, it was achieved in a very odd manner. The first two dozen such games were split evenly 12-12 between leaders and trailers. The most recent 18 games have been likewise split down the middle, 50% each. However, from 1955 to 1975, 15 World Series reached Game Six - and the trailing team went 14-1 in those games. Only in 1959 did the Series end in the sixth contest. Weird.
[*:Note: for purposes of this research, the tie in the 1912 World Series never happened. Thus Game Eight is considered Game Seven, and so on down the line).]
Anyhow, that's only half the battle. After going 35-22 in Game Six, the survivors went 17-18 in Game Seven. Overall then, teams trailing 3 games to 2 in a best of seven World Series go 17-40 in their quest for the World Championship, so odds are a bit over one-third.
The Daily News sounds somewhat worried:
There have been conversations at the community board, and I know the idea is being examined. It's something I am ready to support.The bridge will span the Metro-North tracks that bisect East 153rd Street between Park Avenue and the Grand Concourse.
I want to see where they're going, if I'm even in their plans. If I'm not it was an awesome run. I really haven't sat down and thought about it too much, but at the end of the year we will sit down and at least have a talk.I assume Beckett is expecting (at least) something similar to what A.J. Burnett got from the Yankees (5/82.5). A five-year deal would cover Beckett's age 31-35 seasons. (SoSH discusses the pros and cons.)
Mark Hale, Post:Mark Teixeira is in a prolonged slump right now that's starting to become alarming. ... Teixeira is a woeful 2-for-19 with seven strikeouts in this World Series. ... Teixeira has been abysmal in the postseason, hitting just .172 (10-for-58) with 16 strikeouts.
Mike Puma, Post:Derek Jeter occasionally wears postseason goat horns, too.
Last night the Yankees captain had a chance to embellish his November legacy -- he is, after all, the original Mr. November -- but couldn't produce in the ninth inning. Jeter hit into a double play, all but killing the Yankees' comeback hopes in their 8-6 loss to the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series.
A.J. Burnett:I let 25 guys down. I let a whole city down. It's the worst feeling in the world.Mike Vaccaro, Post:
When it was over, the clubhouse boys were stuffing gear into bags rather than wrapping plastic over lockers. Instead of uncorking champagne, the Yankees were tossing socks and sanitary hose into big laundry bins. Bud Selig, with no presentation to make, walked briskly and bypassed the room altogether.
There was no music, no laughter, very little conversation, very little interaction at all.
Yankees - 100 010 031 - 6 10 0
Phillies - 303 000 20x - 8 9 0
Chase Utley: 2 more home runs, 4 RBI; ties Reggie Jackson with 5 HR in a WS; ties Willie Aikens with two 2-HR games in a WS.
Derek Jeter was the potential tying run with no outs in the top of the ninth. And ..... GIDP! Can the Yankees, no strangers to choking in the post-season, become #7?1903 Pirates - lost to Boston Americans (best of 9)
1925 Senators - lost to Pirates
1958 Milwaukee - lost to Yankees
1968 Cardinals - lost to Tigers
1979 Orioles - lost to Pirates
1985 Cardinals - lost to Royals
The Phillies had 12 winning streaks of three or more games this season.If the Phillies win tonight, there will be a World Series Game 6 for the first time since 2003. The five World Series since then have been sweeps or gone five games.
Do they have one more in them?
Yankees - 200 020 003 - 7 9 1Way to go, Lidge.
Phillies - 100 100 110 - 4 8 1
Well, there's a lot, a lot of reasons why the Phillies have to win tonight's game.
