R. I. P., Dom DiMaggio. He wasn't really better than his brother Joe, as the ditty had it, but Dom was one hell 0f a ball player in his own right...
Just A Song: Waylon Jennings' "Love of the Common People"...
Conservatives love, love, love to tout the United States corporate tax rate of 35% as the reason why American businesses move some of their operations abroad and as a proof that we have an unfriendly business climate. The next time you see this beacon of intellectual dishonesty, you can respond with the truth, which is that loopholes reduce the effective tax rate to the point that two-thirds of corporations pay no taxes at all. The ugly truth is here and here...
Matt Taibbi tears Brian Cashman a new one here. Citizen K. readers may recall a recent first line by the master of invective. He's in top form in this article:
With his shameless, blatant attempt to buy a World Series with a half-billion-dollar shopping spree at a time when the rest of the country is scrounging under the couch cushions for ramen money, Cashman has laid the foundation for 2009 to be maybe the most entertaining year for non–Yankees fans in the history of baseball. We are all trailing six car lengths behind, waiting for the pinstriped truck to jackknife and explode in a giant conflagration of scandals and finger-pointing. In an age when huge, irresponsible financial bets have brought Western civilization to the edge of collapse, Cashman’s Yankees are perfectly positioned to become an object lesson in everything that has gone wrong with American society in the past eight years or so...
HBO has given the go-ahead for a full season of Treme, a drama set in the music community of post-Katrina New Orleans. Treme will be produced by David Simon (The Wire)...
R. I. P., Randall "Poodie" Locke...
Friday's Choice: The Band sings "The Weight" with an assist from the Staples Singers in Martin Scorcese's documentary The Last Waltz (inspired by Clever Pup):
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5 comments:
Taibi is wicked good. I will have to read that in its entirety when I'm not supposed to be working. He looks and sounds so mild, too, when you see him on the teevee. Except for what he's actually saying. I gotta get his last book.
The Weight is a great song. As is almost anything from The Band.
From what I understand, Dom Dimaggio, tho no Joe, was a heckuva ballplayer-- very good defender & solid, reliable hitter.
Any time the Yankees look like they might tank is just a good thing. Now if the Dodgers also take a nose-dive with Manny's suspension, maybe both the east & west evil empires will be struggling. Here's hoping.
& yes, "The Weight" is a heckuva song.
Zen: I met Alexander Cockburn a few years back. I figured he'd be an obnoxious fire-breather, but he has quiet, courteous, and an excellent listener. You never know...
John: Besides producing a masterful bit of obloquy, Taibbi is pretty much on the money. Personally, I would have made the deal for Santana, and I'm still surprised that the Yankees didn't. Despite signing Sabbathia and Teixeira, I don't think the Yanks did much to improve their team because they lost a lot when Mussina retired and Giambi moved on. Texeira and Cano aside, their most talented players are old and slow, and the younger guys (like Cabrera) aren't that good. A-Rod will help, but he can't compensate for a lousy bullpen,
Ah yes, it does indeed look like the Yankees are tanking. And now it looks like the Sox were well rid of Manny. Huh! Couldn't happen to a nicer (?) guy!
I loved The Weight. I still miss those guys, although I've heard things here and there from Robbie Robertson, especially his journey back to his Native American roots. And Levon Helm brought a group to the Newport Folk Festival a few years back. But there'll never be another band like The Band!
Roy: Just a wonderful group. Back in the mid-80's I saw them sans Robbie and they were still terrific. I've been into them since high school.
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