Greatest Song Evah 7/28/23

You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice

Sure, there’s a lot to be said for an epic track which features a blistering solo from a virtuoso musician. But one should never diminish the pleasure and joy that comes from the perfect pop single. Sometimes all it takes is 3 minutes to say what you need to say and get out of the way. Such as this classic from the Lovin’ Spoonful.

That opening guitar line which then continuously runs throughout the song is such a wonderful earworm. Once it’s in your head it stays there and you can’t help but hum along and tap your feet. The harmonies in this one are impeccable and the sentiments expressed in the lyrics are so wonderful. It strongly conveys feelings of young affection, that might not quite be love yet at this point, but could very well shortly become true love.

Mid-60s pop was filled with these examples of charming pop classics. The Lovin’ Spoonful frequently specialized in exactly these types of singles. Almost 60 years later it still holds up as a perfect time capsule.

Let The Seller Beware

With the trade deadline mere days away, the fear of each GM is that any prospect they trade away would come back to haunt them in a big way. It’s a truism that flags fly forever. If a deadline acquisition is one of the key catalysts towards a title, then front offices aren’t likely to fret too much over what a prospect might accomplish a few years down the line. But if you fall shy of a championship and one of the youngsters you traded away goes on to become a major star, let the angst begin. It’s such a fine line.

There are essentially two categories of trades for teams in the “buyer” category, and each of those has a classic cautionary tale that has lasted for decades. There were 2 notorious examples of teams trading away future Hall of Famers from their farm systems. I have always felt that particular criticism has always been a little unfair. Both were the right moves to make at the time; the fact that neither worked out with a World Series title lends itself to a little too much Monday morning quarterbacking.

In 1990 the Red Sox made an August deadline deal for veteran relief pitcher Larry Anderson. Anderson pitched exceptionally well down the stretch, helping Boston win the AL East. They fell to Oakland in the ALCS, but that’s not the reason the trade has lived in infamy. The prospect Boston traded was Jeff Bagwell. Had Bagwell remained in Boston, would they have broken their drought sooner than 2004? Possibly. But it’s tough to blame the Sox for going for it. Bagwell wasn’t a huge prospect at the time, so this feels like a lot of 20/20 hindsight is taking place.

But that’s nothing compared to the decades of criticism that the Detroit Tigers have received. They traded for starting pitcher Doyle Alexander in 1987, and he was spectacular down the stretch. He went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA the final two months of that season. Moreover, Detroit took the AL East by sweeping Toronto in the final weekend, and Alexander set the tone by starting and winning the first game of that series. The problem is that 1987 was the postseason in which the Twins had a pronounced home field advantage in the old Metrodome. In those days regular season records had no bearing on postseason home field; it was awarded on a rotational basis and that year the AL West automatically had the advantage despite Minnesota’s relatively mediocre record and the AL champ would have the advantage in the World Series to boot. The Tigers seemed to have everything going for them; they only had the misfortune of running into a team that just could not lose at home. So, the Tigers fell short of their goal and are still seeking their first title since 1984. Oh, and who did they trade away to receive Doyle Alexander? John Smoltz. Once again, it’s possible that a Tigers club with Smoltz in their rotation might have won a championship during his career but that’s no sure thing.

In the long run both of the aforementioned trades backfired, but each was justifiable at the time. Each were outliers as well; prospect rankings weren’t yet the huge cottage industry that they would become, but I don’t recall much hype for either Bagwell or Smoltz at the time. The lesson is that a club that’s really all-in shouldn’t play too scared. Strike while the iron is hot. The biggest consideration that front offices need to take into account is the old risk/reward factor. Save the prize prospects for someone who is the missing piece to the puzzle; don’t sacrifice a crown jewel for a #4 starter or a platoon DH. Every Mets fan of a certain age is having Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano flashbacks.

Leave Bronny Alone

It should go without saying, but no matter how famous a person is, he or she is entitled to privacy if they fall ill. No one owes the public anything; they and their families should not be expected to provide any more information than they are willing to share. Unfortunately that’s not always possible in our current era, as the anti-vaccine hysterics are always eager to pounce on any incident and add additional stress to family members that are dealing with ailing loved ones.

Look no further than Jamie Foxx’s recent medical ordeal. The family released few details - which is their right - other than the fact that his condition was terribly serious. The anti-vaxxers came out in full force, fully confident - with no evidence to back it up - that he must have suffered side effects from the vaccine.

Which happened once again when the news came out that Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest while going through a workout. Thank goodness the gym had the proper medical equipment that gave him needed emergency treatment. It could have turned out tragically otherwise. Sadly it encouraged the usual cast of characters to spew out their nonsense about an epidemic of young healthy athletes suddenly succumbing to cardiac issues, even though there is no data that backs up their claims. We don’t know for sure what caused James’ cardiac arrest, but that’s not stopping the ghouls from exploiting the James family’s pain. And yes, I believe that “ghoul” is an accurate word to describe these people. Bronny James is a human being who just went through a terrifying medical incident, don’t use him as a vessel for your agenda.

Elon Musk predictably felt the need to chime in, as on his website that I will still call Twitter he agreed with the conspiracy theorists. Hilariously, his own fact checkers noted that more context was needed. Keep stepping on those rakes, Elon.

Slavery Was Actually Good?

I really wonder what goes on in Fox editorial meetings when they decide on the Grievance Of The Week. Is there ever any pushback? Do any of the on-air personalities ever speak up and ask “Are you sure about this?” It’s bad enough that the current talking point echoes the new Florida school curriculum concerning the life skills that slaves apparently developed during their generations of captivity. Since the yapping heads always need to top each other it’s expanded to arguments about how the Jewish camp prisoners who made themselves useful were the ones who survived. Sorry, but arbeit macht frei was not a motivational poster. How do some of these people look at themselves in the mirror at the end of the day?

By now, many of the Fox stars grew up watching the network. Whatever quarrel one may have with the stars of Original Recipe Fox, the majority of them came up through traditional journalistic circles. I can’t speak for any of them, so I can’t say for certain which of them always wished to be rhetorical bomb throwers and finally find their proper outlet or which essentially assimilated into the Fox culture. They clearly inspired the Jesse Watters/Greg Gutfeld (sorry, Gutfeld! Not to be confused with Jeb!) generation. They learned what gets the ratings and the clicks is to own as many libs as possible, accuracy of their arguments be damned.

Therefore, since there is nothing beyond the pale as long as it draws attention and triggers their perceived enemies, we have a network filled with people who with straight faces both-sides slavery and the Holocaust. It’s kind of frightening to think what they may attempt to rationalize or justify next. I cringe to think what their climate arguments will sound like as this brutal summer continues.

Sinead O’Connor 1966-2023

The first and most important thing that needs to be said about Sinead O’Connor is that the incident which essentially destroyed her career was a protest against the Catholic Church for its systemic coverup of child abuse. History has proven her correct.

One of the tragic ironies about the human brain is that some of the elements that spur on creativity are the same that make some of the most brilliant creators unable to survive in a harsh public spotlight. As I write this O’Connor’s family has not released any details concerning the cause of death, but she was open about her mental health struggles and had made at least one suicide attempt. I won’t speculate any further, but I can say that she had a terribly painful life and all of her ups and downs took place very publicly.

She emerged at an ideal time. Her debut album came out at the precise moment when American mainstream radio was starting to explore alternative rock music. Her debut album didn’t fully break out of college radio and into the mainstream, but she drew a lot of attention with her powerful voice and her striking image. She established enough of a base with MTV that the world was ready for her followup release, and she exploded into massive success.

Nothing Compares 2 U was one of the most spectacular tour de forces of any era. The Prince composition ran through the entire gamut of emotions - longing, defiance, heartbreak, and so much more - and O’Connor’s otherworldly voice sold every one of those emotions. And the video was a landmark. In an era filled with splashy videos, this one was almost entirely focused on a tight closeup on her face as she conveyed that same wide range of emotions, punctuated by a single tear running down her cheek at the song’s climax.

She also had to deal with the hurdles of growing up in public. She was outspoken, with no filter, and onlookers had a fixation on her distinctive style, most notably her shaved head. Since she was in her early twenties when she reached stardom, she fell prey to the speak first, think later tendency that all of us had at that age. She was truly someone who never gave a f*** if she pissed people off, and as a result she often talked her way into trouble. Simply transcribing the lyrics to The Emperor’s New Clothes could actually serve as a fitting obituary for her. She was an open book, and she laid out her entire personality in that song.

And then came 1992. Her third album was a collection of covers, a decidedly non-commercial decision. That’s not unusual, there have been plenty of examples of artists following up major success with an album intentionally meant to not sell as well. It’s a way to separate true fans from bandwagon jumpers. She performed on Saturday Night Live as part of the promotional cycle, and famously ripped up a photo of the Pope as she completed her second song. The blowback was swift and unrelenting, with protests held in which crowds ran stream rollers over piles of her CDs and later getting booed off the stage when she performed at a Bob Dylan tribute concert.

Her career never recovered, but it’s possible she didn’t really care. She followed her own muse for the remainder of her life, and it wouldn’t shock me if deep down inside she didn’t find it at least a little liberating that she could record whatever she wanted and say whatever she wanted without needing to worry about how it would affect her sales figures. She stayed true to herself, and while that damaged her bottom line she could never be accused of inauthenticity.

She also had a lifelong struggle with mental health issues and too frequently exhibited erratic behavior. She would pop up in the news on occasion with stories that raised levels of concern. There was a scary incident from several years ago in which she dramatically cried for help by threatening suicide over social media. She also suffered tremendous heartache when her teenage son died by suicide. Her public grieving was heart wrenching to witness.

Her talent was off the charts, her life was terribly painful. If she had a credo, it could be found in the lines from The Emperor’s New Clothes. “I will live by my own policies. I will sleep with a clear conscience. I will sleep in peace.” I hope she was able to find that peace before she left us.

The Loss Of An Eagle

I had largely completed today’s post when the news had come out concerning Randy Meisner’s passing. So I haven’t had time to fully put my thoughts together. I should have more to say on Monday, but sadly he was another instance of wonderful music hiding a tortured soul. He was largely out of the public eye for the last two decades, but any time his name would appear in the news it seemed to involve a mental health issue of some sort. It’s sad that much of his life was so difficult.

Until Next Time

Any day now there will be an Immaculate Grid in which Octavio Dotel is a correct answer for all 9 boxes. Something to think about. Thanks to all for reading, and see you again on Monday.