Okay, when did Kenny Rogers become Babe Ruth on the mound?
Coming into this post-season he was less than stellar.
5 Starts, 9 games, 21 innings, 20 runs, 0-3.
This year he's 3-0 in 3 starts. 23 innings, 0 runs.
That's right. After yesterday's masterful 2 hit 8 IP shutout he is still to allow a run.
The record for 1 postseason is 27.
If the Tigers win the next 2, he could come in with a chance to clinch the series and get the record.
But if that wasn't astonishing enough, he's 42 and so pumped up that his teammates are feeding off him.
It was great to watch.
St. Louis even made him wash his hands after the first inning because he had dirt on his throwing hand. He was near perfect after that.
Why Leyland didn't let him go for the SO is beyond me and Jones almost screwed it up, but he was able to get a grounder with the bases loaded to end the threat and the Tigers won 3-1.
Consider that this is the same Rogers that got suspended and was maligned by many after his altercation with the cameras 2 years ago.
Very impressive.
The only thing better would be for him to clinch the series in Stl after a 6 or 7 SO innings and hitting the game winning RBI.
But Verlander is likely to start that game. So Kenny would have to wait until game 6 with 5 days rest.
------------
I forgot one thing from the Cat Empire show. The second lead singer (with the reggae voice) had some unbe-fricken-lievable vocal gymnastics. I mean it was insane, off the hook, whatever the kids say these days.
Only that Nepalese dude on the Bela Fleck album who sings 3 notes at once was as impressive.
Great performance!!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Billy Talent - Molson Canadian
Tuesday night I was treated to a free concert thanks to Molson Canadian & The Edge.
It was part of the Molson Canadian Revealed series and I won the text messaging contest tickets for knowing that Billy Talent is from Streetsville (Thank you dogpile.com).
So 2 free tix, a larger than small band and a small venue (Phoenix) sounded like a good time.
A pleasant surprise - when we arrived we discovered the drinks were free too!
So Canadian & Cold Shots on Molson! They also gave out Taxi vouchers after the show. Free booze, tickets and rides home ... I love it!
The opening act was Ill Scarlet, never has a band tried so hard to sound like another. They should be a Sublime cover band.
You might know their "hit" right now (starts with -> We're all ... living in a police state). Okay ... but I didn't get really into them.
Billy Talent took the stage after a half hour wait (10:15) and launched into a song I don't know.
In the interest of full disclosure I only knew their singles (about 6 or 7 off 2 albums) and thought they were too poppish.
The second one was Devil in a midnight mass and then a string of songs I didn't know.
2 things happened, I started liking the songs, these guys are much more talented and maybe they are the rare exception where commercial success is somewhat justified (STP comes to mind as a band that was underrated and successful).
The other thing that happened, and this made me respect them is when the shirtless Ben (lead singer) made the following announcement - directed mostly at the moshers and crowd surfers - "If someone falls, pick them up. Guys, be kind to the ladies. Because at a Billy Talent show it's not about the size of your dick, but the size of your heart. We're not fuckin' Limp Bizkit here." ... nice!
They eventually played all the singles (I think) and ended with Try Honesty & Red Flag for the encore.
A solid 75 minutes. Reminded me of Foo Fighters, just a ton of energy.
But the comparison I want to make from now on will be to Black Flag/Rollins Band & Iggy Pop (a clear influence as his Nude & Rude was playing between the acts). So they've got that going for them which is nice.
It was part of the Molson Canadian Revealed series and I won the text messaging contest tickets for knowing that Billy Talent is from Streetsville (Thank you dogpile.com).
So 2 free tix, a larger than small band and a small venue (Phoenix) sounded like a good time.
A pleasant surprise - when we arrived we discovered the drinks were free too!
So Canadian & Cold Shots on Molson! They also gave out Taxi vouchers after the show. Free booze, tickets and rides home ... I love it!
The opening act was Ill Scarlet, never has a band tried so hard to sound like another. They should be a Sublime cover band.
You might know their "hit" right now (starts with -> We're all ... living in a police state). Okay ... but I didn't get really into them.
Billy Talent took the stage after a half hour wait (10:15) and launched into a song I don't know.
In the interest of full disclosure I only knew their singles (about 6 or 7 off 2 albums) and thought they were too poppish.
The second one was Devil in a midnight mass and then a string of songs I didn't know.
2 things happened, I started liking the songs, these guys are much more talented and maybe they are the rare exception where commercial success is somewhat justified (STP comes to mind as a band that was underrated and successful).
The other thing that happened, and this made me respect them is when the shirtless Ben (lead singer) made the following announcement - directed mostly at the moshers and crowd surfers - "If someone falls, pick them up. Guys, be kind to the ladies. Because at a Billy Talent show it's not about the size of your dick, but the size of your heart. We're not fuckin' Limp Bizkit here." ... nice!
They eventually played all the singles (I think) and ended with Try Honesty & Red Flag for the encore.
A solid 75 minutes. Reminded me of Foo Fighters, just a ton of energy.
But the comparison I want to make from now on will be to Black Flag/Rollins Band & Iggy Pop (a clear influence as his Nude & Rude was playing between the acts). So they've got that going for them which is nice.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Shortbus
Everyone aboard the Shortbus!
There is a mild spoiler alert. I won't reveal the ending but some of the plot.
This is John Cameron Mitchell's first film since Hedwig & the Angry Inch. He doesn't star in this one. The star is actually Sook Yin Lee of CBC/Muchmusic fame.
If you haven't seen Hedwig, do yourself a favour and rent it now, I'll wait.
Good, now wasn't that worth it?
Sook Yin plays a sex therapist who is pre-orgasmic. That means she's never had one, not that she's about to have one.
Another of the many storylines is Jamie & James, a gay couple who are looking to maybe add another (I won't go into too much detail or I'll spoil the plot).
Justin Bond plays himself and is the mistress of Shortbus, the salon where 'regular' folks can go and be themselves and party.
By regular, of course, I mean my kind of peeps. Some of you might say freaks.
This is a funny movie, a sad movie but mostly it's about hope and the lack of it.
Think Garden State with Natalie Portman. This movie will make you feel the same way, there's just a lot more penis in it.
I mean a lot more...
Apparently if you do enough yoga, you can learn to 'satisfy' yourself.
All in all you need to see this movie. Unfortunately it's only in 2 cinemas in Canada right now.
The Cat Empire
Australia has given us a great many good things (the Socceroos, Nicole Kidman, Priscilla) and some not so good (Paul Hogan, Yahoo Serious).
The Cat Empire - they are definitely on the side of good.
They define true ska to me. A blend of punk, reggae, jazz, hip hop.
According to Barbie, the lead singer is a Greek god and I have to admit he could move.
The little synchronized skanking between the co-lead singer/hand percussionist and the DJ was fun too.
They started the show with the classic Hello and they kept it going until they were kicked off the stage (the Phoenix wanted everyone out by 9:30 so they could open the club after the show).
Their keyboardist however has all the charm and grace of a serial killer. That dude's creepy and tries too hard to not be. Good musician though, his work on the harpsichord was nice.
They bring great energy and I encourage all of you to check them out. They weapons are their instruments and they use them for good.
Good times!
The Cat Empire - they are definitely on the side of good.
They define true ska to me. A blend of punk, reggae, jazz, hip hop.
According to Barbie, the lead singer is a Greek god and I have to admit he could move.
The little synchronized skanking between the co-lead singer/hand percussionist and the DJ was fun too.
They started the show with the classic Hello and they kept it going until they were kicked off the stage (the Phoenix wanted everyone out by 9:30 so they could open the club after the show).
Their keyboardist however has all the charm and grace of a serial killer. That dude's creepy and tries too hard to not be. Good musician though, his work on the harpsichord was nice.
They bring great energy and I encourage all of you to check them out. They weapons are their instruments and they use them for good.
Good times!
Harvey Danger
With football season over and the Scissor Sisters cancelled, I figure I should talk about some of the ones I forgot.
Harvey Danger was on Oct. 3rd @ Lee's Palace.
I've liked them since their breakout debut album (Where Have all the Merrymakers Gone?) in 1997-98. You may remember the smash hits Flagpole Sitta (with the great lyrics - I'm not sick but I'm not well) and Private Helicopter (my fave from that record).
After their sophomore album (King James Version) was not as successful, despite the great Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo, they were unceremoniously cut from the label.
They disbanded soon after, but their fan base grew still as they kept the forums alive on the band's website.
The band decided to get back together after 3 years because of the response from their fans. With no label they decided to do it themselves releasing the album Little by Little on their website and encouraging fans to download it for free and distribute it. If we liked it they encouraged to give a donation or buy a hard copy from the website that they added little extras to.
Thing is, it's a really good album. Like really good.
Kill Rock Stars eventually picked them up and now they are with Barsuk (who launched Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley and also have bands like Nada Surf, They Might be Giants and one I really like - Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter).
So when I got to Lee's Palace I was excited, and I liked the opening act - King of France. But when I got there there was like 10 people and the merch table indicated that the opening act was So Many Dynamos. I was getting a little worried, I didn't want a repeat of the Saves the Day disaster.
Eventually some people trickled in; the venue is much smaller than the last time the band was around 8 years ago. The opening act was actually pretty good. Check out the song Home is where the Box wine is and the rest of their album.
Then the main part of the evening started.
2 things I never realised about Harvey Danger - their lyrics are brilliant. I guess that's why I liked them but I never saw just how smart they were.
The band is great live and we were actually able to change their minds about the set list.
Earlier in the show they made it clear that they would not play Helicopter and by association Flagpole.
My favourite song is Happiness Writes White (off the new album) and when they came back for the encore I thought for sure we'd hear it. Someone on the floor shouted 'Happiness'. That made me happy of course. The lead singer (Sean) asked why he should sing that. The person responded 'because it's the best fuckin' song'. That got a giggle and Sean asked the crowd if anyone else though Happiness is the best Harvey Danger Song. I screamed and raised my hand, and the couple who asked did as well.
So the guitar was put away and the piano sat at and they played the song!!!
Sean then said that since that almost made him cry they'll do another softer song. Amazing!
They left to thunderous applause only to come back again!
Then they decided to play a song they haven't played since disbanding - Private Helicopter to finish the show.
Great show from one of the most underrated bands ever. I need to get my hands on a copy of the Tragic Hero track.
Harvey Danger was on Oct. 3rd @ Lee's Palace.
I've liked them since their breakout debut album (Where Have all the Merrymakers Gone?) in 1997-98. You may remember the smash hits Flagpole Sitta (with the great lyrics - I'm not sick but I'm not well) and Private Helicopter (my fave from that record).
After their sophomore album (King James Version) was not as successful, despite the great Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo, they were unceremoniously cut from the label.
They disbanded soon after, but their fan base grew still as they kept the forums alive on the band's website.
The band decided to get back together after 3 years because of the response from their fans. With no label they decided to do it themselves releasing the album Little by Little on their website and encouraging fans to download it for free and distribute it. If we liked it they encouraged to give a donation or buy a hard copy from the website that they added little extras to.
Thing is, it's a really good album. Like really good.
Kill Rock Stars eventually picked them up and now they are with Barsuk (who launched Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley and also have bands like Nada Surf, They Might be Giants and one I really like - Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter).
So when I got to Lee's Palace I was excited, and I liked the opening act - King of France. But when I got there there was like 10 people and the merch table indicated that the opening act was So Many Dynamos. I was getting a little worried, I didn't want a repeat of the Saves the Day disaster.
Eventually some people trickled in; the venue is much smaller than the last time the band was around 8 years ago. The opening act was actually pretty good. Check out the song Home is where the Box wine is and the rest of their album.
Then the main part of the evening started.
2 things I never realised about Harvey Danger - their lyrics are brilliant. I guess that's why I liked them but I never saw just how smart they were.
The band is great live and we were actually able to change their minds about the set list.
Earlier in the show they made it clear that they would not play Helicopter and by association Flagpole.
My favourite song is Happiness Writes White (off the new album) and when they came back for the encore I thought for sure we'd hear it. Someone on the floor shouted 'Happiness'. That made me happy of course. The lead singer (Sean) asked why he should sing that. The person responded 'because it's the best fuckin' song'. That got a giggle and Sean asked the crowd if anyone else though Happiness is the best Harvey Danger Song. I screamed and raised my hand, and the couple who asked did as well.
So the guitar was put away and the piano sat at and they played the song!!!
Sean then said that since that almost made him cry they'll do another softer song. Amazing!
They left to thunderous applause only to come back again!
Then they decided to play a song they haven't played since disbanding - Private Helicopter to finish the show.
Great show from one of the most underrated bands ever. I need to get my hands on a copy of the Tragic Hero track.
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Told you so...
I don't mean to brag, but if you check my predictions I believe I mention Alexander will be out by week 3...
Hmmm... I nailed it!
Who will sign up to be on the cover next year?
I vote for the Golden boy...
Hmmm... I nailed it!
Who will sign up to be on the cover next year?
I vote for the Golden boy...
Back from the brink
After being on the ledge the past couple of weeks I just got jarred back to reality.
The CBS Analyst (I'm afraid to check who it is) said that Eric Moulds is still a serviceable receiver - nothing offensive there - and then said he used to be the best receiver in the league.
Really?
He's been in the top 10 in receptions 3 times in his career, never better than 4th. He cracked the top 10 in TDs twice, again never better than 4th. And for yardage again, 3 times in the top 10, never first.
So what there made him better than Harrison, Moss, Carter, Rice, Brown, any of the Johnsons???
Oy.
The CBS Analyst (I'm afraid to check who it is) said that Eric Moulds is still a serviceable receiver - nothing offensive there - and then said he used to be the best receiver in the league.
Really?
He's been in the top 10 in receptions 3 times in his career, never better than 4th. He cracked the top 10 in TDs twice, again never better than 4th. And for yardage again, 3 times in the top 10, never first.
So what there made him better than Harrison, Moss, Carter, Rice, Brown, any of the Johnsons???
Oy.
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