Greatest Song Evah 11/15/24
Day After Day
It’s fitting that Badfinger was the most successful non-Beatles artist on Apple Records. (I’m not counting James Taylor because he was only on the roster for a brief period.) Badfinger’s sound was the very definition of the term Beatle-esque. They perfected the simplicity of the 3 minute pop single better than most. This track, which was their biggest American hit, is an ideal example.
Of course, the Beatles comparison is not limited to the song’s atmosphere. That is George Harrison himself playing pedal steel guitar after all. He’s not the only big name augmenting things; Leon Russell plays piano and Todd Rundgren co-produced the record along with Harrison.
That’s not to say that this song is the product of outside ringers. Pete Ham is the sole songwriter, so those catchy melodies - specifically the opening classic guitar riff - are all a Ham product. It’s a wonderful record all around; the music adeptly accompanies the melancholy tinge of the lyrics. This song is an absolute gem.
Ballot Breakdown - John Donaldson
I’ll take a semi-pass on closely examining John Donaldson’s credentials for induction. The introduction of Negro League statistics to the official MLB record and to the Baseball Reference database has been very useful, but that data only goes back as far as 1920. The bulk of Donaldson’s career took place in the pre-Negro Leagues era. Baseball Reference only contains stats of his from 1920-1924, and in the final 2 of those seasons he totaled 10 games. There just is not enough information available for me to properly assess his career. I will leave it up to Negro League historians to make the case for him, and hope that the voting members of the Eras Committee will be provided with sufficient information that will allow them to make an informed vote. I will simply say that Hall voters should seize every opportunity they can to correct that historical gap and induct more players from those leagues. For the record I did a deep dive into the records when Baseball Reference added Negro League stats and I have come up with a handful of players whom I believe are worthy. None of them made it onto this year’s ballot, so what do I know?
Exodus
It took longer than it should have, but people are abandoning Twitter (I refuse to call it X) in droves. In the days following the election I have seen an explosion of people whom I used to follow on that site migrate over to Bluesky. The best way I can describe Bluesky is that it has the feel of Twitter back when it was still fun and before it devolved into what has been accurately described as a hellsite. Here’s hoping that those good vibes continue with the influx.
I found it remarkably easy to leave Twitter several months ago. It took the Olympics to do so. I steered clear of the site during the games in order to avoid spoilers. Then, once the Olympics ended I still had a few days worth of unread newspapers that I needed to catch up on, so I figured I would return to Twitter once I did so. However, when the time came I realized that I wasn’t really missing anything without Twitter.
Sure, the major gap on Bluesky was that at the time there weren’t enough sports or news people using the platform. Plus, there were a number of people whom I follow on Twitter that had created Bluesky accounts but were not using it. That has all changed. Not only have many of them activated those accounts but I have seen a plethora of new arrivals that are reminiscent of all of those “Why I’m Joining The Athletic” columns from years ago.
Not to sound like I’m promoting the platform, but I encourage more people to join Bluesky. There’s no algorithm and no ads, so you get the feed that you want. There is still a significant number of people whom I want to see make the great migration - Sarah Langs for one - but Twitter is superfluous at this point.
America’s Finest News Source
We have to take good news wherever we can find it, and this one is a doozy. Yesterday morning the world learned who had won the bankruptcy auction to purchase the assets of InfoWars. The winner is, drum roll please, The Onion! The new owners are promising that they are going to do some hilarious things with their new toy.
Think of what the last several months have been like for Ben Collins. He was formerly a reporter for NBC News, working on the disinformation beat. This is one that comes with a lot of blowback from internet trolls. As he was preparing for his departure he was quietly putting together a team of investors to purchase The Onion, the quality of which had been deteriorating for years. Under the new ownership the rejuvenation was immediate. The print edition has been revived, the video division is up and running again, and Collins has promised that many of the more popular features from the past are also due to return.
And now they have taken over, and promise to mercilessly mock, the pet project of the vile Alex Jones. This has also been done with the full cooperation of the Sandy Hook families, adding a much needed layer of legitimacy to the endeavor. We’re still headed towards a full blown dystopia, but little victories are still victories nonetheless.
Quick Updates
To no one’s surprise it was confirmed earlier this week that the roof at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg that was damaged by Hurricane Milton will not be repaired until 2026 at the earliest, so the Rays will need to find a new home for the 2025 season. Yesterday MLB announced that they will play at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. It’s not an ideal location, but the options are limited so that is probably the best solution.
I know a lot of people wishcasted that the Rays could play in Oakland, but since the 2025 schedules are already in place, the logistics made that out of the question. In order to not disrupt travel the only realistic option would be a location in the southeast, preferably something close to St. Pete. You can’t get closer than Tampa. The positive is that unlike most other minor league/spring training facilities in Florida, Steinbrenner Field has enough amenities that it’s a reasonable facsimile of a major league park. The negative is that it’s still a minor league park; capacity is only around 11,000. Moreover, there is no roof. Expect a lot of rain delays and rainouts in addition to games played in the oppressive humidity of a Florida summer. Not ideal, but alternatives are limited.
News also came out yesterday that legendary alpine skier Lindsey Vonn is going to attempt a comeback with the hope of competing at the 2026 Olympics. This isn’t the first time a great athlete is trying to return to competition after a prolonged absence - remember Mark Spitz’s short lived comeback in the 90’s? - but this is tough to wrap one’s head around. The length of her list of knee and leg surgeries is staggering. I dread to think how painful her later years are going to be. I suppose her thought process is something along the lines of “I’m gonna be an orthopedic mess when I pass 50 either way, so what’s one more potential injury?” The thrill of competition is addictive; even more so with a high adrenaline sport such as skiing. So, we’ll have to see how this works out for her.
SNL Preview
Charli XCX was announced as the host/musical guest for this week’s episode in a more innocent time. We all envisioned a sketch following up on her proclamation that Kamala Harris is Brat. Well, the world has taken a turn. This could be another week in which a dark cloud hovers over the show. That’s unfortunate, because setting everything else aside Charli XCX is Having a Moment. After years of releasing a series of highly acclaimed albums, she made a huge zeitgeist establishing commercial breakthrough this year. The SNL stint figured to be a victory lap. It’s unlikely that Maya will be around for this.
Non-Peak TV - Pink Lady & Jeff
This was more than just a bad, or shall we say misguided TV show. It’s one of those shows that is shorthand for the very worst that television can offer. Running for a grand total of 6 episodes in 1980, it was possibly the final vestige of the “give everyone a variety show” mentality. Build a show around a pop duo with one minor American hit single? Why not. Around 20 years or so ago the old Trio cable channel reran all 6 episodes, so I actually rewatched it at the time. Was it really as bad as its reputation suggests? Oh yes, oh yes.
The attempt to make the Japanese pop duo Pink Lady stars in the US wasn’t entirely a product of baffling decisions made in NBC’s executive suite. In fact, they were promoted to American radio a full year before the TV show premiered, and their single Kiss In the Dark scraped the bottom rungs of the top 40. The problem is that this occurred just as the anti-disco backlash was gaining momentum. Suddenly there was no longer any appetite for their type of pop. Combine that with the fact that the women spoke no English and they never had a chance. I do wonder if their fate would have been different had they been introduced to a stateside audience two years later. Add a synthesizer and they would not have felt out of place in the early MTV era, plus artists such as Nena and Falco proved that singing in a foreign language was not an impediment to American success.
That lack of English skill was not ideal for a variety show. The singers, simply known by their first names Mie and Kei, sounded out the scripts phonetically. Think back to when you learned a language in high school. In the first few classes you weren’t hung up on precise diction, the chief concern was to use the correct works. Now imagine doing that on a TV show. Timing is so important in comedy, speaking haltingly when you’re not even sure of what you’re saying removes that crucial sense of timing.
So many elements of the show feel like a bad acid dream. Sid and Marty Krofft were the producers. A pre-Ernest Jim Varney was one of the repertory players in the cast. Each episode ended with everyone getting into a hot tub. If the show had one saving grace it’s that it had some good musical guests, such as Blondie and Cheap Trick. On the other hand, they were not actually on set. The show aired music videos of the artists instead.
And then there was Jeff. Jeff Altman holds a strange position in pop culture. His fellow comics hold him in high regard. David Letterman in particular reveres the guy. And yet, if he’s remembered at all these days it’s for some of the lamest comedy of the era. It’s not just this show. He had a recurring role as Boss Hogg’s nephew Huey in The Dukes Of Hazzard. And he provided the (terribly broad) comic interludes on Solid Gold. As anyone who has ever seen Bob Saget’s standup act can confirm, there can sometimes be a huge difference between a comedian’s live act and their television act, so it’s possible that Jeff Altman really was as good of a standup as his contemporaries claim he was. But my only exposure to him was through material that was painfully unfunny.
Closing Laughs
OK all, we have made it through another week. Thanks to everyone who has spent some of that time in these quarters. Have a great weekend, and see y’all again on Monday.
