Greatest Song Evah 7/7/23

Tangled Up In Blue

Every one of the words ring true in this one, as Bob Dylan essentially sets a short story to music. Honestly, if this was prose rather than poetry it would work just as well, as he paints a perfect word picture here. It’s easy to picture the couple from this song in one’s mind and the frequent shifts in time and place add a layer of depth to the tale. And of course this contains multiple examples of his unique ability to turn a phrase. “Papa’s bankbook wasn’t big enough.” Excellent.

This song also gives Dylan his George Lucas moment, as he has constantly tinkered with it over the years. Search for any live version of the song and you’ll see he’s added verses, changed lines, etc. Obviously it’s his song with which to do what he wishes, but just like Han shot first and that’s that, the version that appears on Blood On the Tracks that we are most familiar with is so perfect. Why tamper with that?

The first thing that Dylan naysayers generally harp on is his voice. I’m not so blinded by my fandom that I would try to make the argument that he’s a “good” singer, but he’s always proven that there’s a difference between a singer and a vocalist. Countless singers have better range and clearer diction than he does, but what he does have is the ability to effectively sell his songs. Positively 4th Street would be nowhere near the classic it is without Dylan literally sneering his way through the song. In this one he does a great job of stressing certain lines to emphasize the important story points. And there’s something about the way he pronounces the word “Delacroix.” I have no idea how many times I’ve heard this song over the course of my life; it still merits a raise on the volume knob when it comes up. So, whether you’re a mathematician or a carpenter’s wife, enjoy.

My All-Stars

Just a friendly reminder that there was little reason to get too outraged over last Sunday’s announcement of the All-Star rosters. Yes, it was a head scratcher that Wander Franco was left off, but the initial roster was far from final and Franco has already been added. The injury related withdrawals are well underway; sad to see that we as fans will miss out on seeing some terrific players - and more importantly, many of these guys will miss significant time in games that count. No Aaron Judge. No Mike Trout. No Clayton Kershaw. No Yordan Alvarez. No Shane McClanahan. No Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher. Not to mention the starting pitchers who will throw on Sunday and will therefore be ineligible for the ASG or the players who may drop out due to tight hamstrings that will miraculously heal by next weekend. There will still be plenty of star power on display Tuesday night, but damn those are some noteworthy losses.

I’ve got some minor quibbles here or there; IMHO Ryan McMahon should be the Rockies rep or Jeimer Candelario the Nationals rep. But there are certain topics worth getting angry over; who does and doesn’t get chosen for an All-Star Game is not one of those. For entertainment purposes only, here are my choices for the half-season all-stars:

NL

1B - Freddie Freeman

2B - Luis Arraez

SS - Dansby Swanson

3B - Ryan McMahon

C - Will Smith

OF - Ronald Acuna Jr.

OF - Corbin Carroll

OF - Fernando Tatis Jr.

DH - Jorge Soler

SP - Marcus Stroman

AL

1B - Yandy Diaz

2B - Marcus Semien

SS - Wander Franco

3B - Jose Ramirez

C - Jonah Heim

OF - Randy Arozarena

OF - Adolis Garcia

OF - Luis Robert Jr.

DH - Shohei Ohtani

SP - Framber Valdez

Who Is In Worse Shape?

In general, fans don’t go through the MLB schedule with a fine-tooth comb the way they do with the NFL. The season is just too long, and many of the games blend together. But if one had chosen to focus on certain series before the season began, then this weekend’s Mets/Padres tilt would have stood out. A potential NLCS preview leading into the All-Star break? Great. Instead, it has turned into a matchup between this season’s two biggest underachievers.

This looks like a good time to consider if either club still has hope. As recently as last season the Phillies proved that as long as you make it into playoffs it’s possible to catch fire at the right time. How realistic are the playoff chances for each team? The two clubs have identical records of 41-46; 6 1/2 games out of the third wild card spot. What’s been noticeable is that the two teams have taken different paths to put themselves in their current predicaments.

On the surface, the Pads mediocrity makes little sense. Manny Machado is having a down season, and Xander Bogaerts has been a slight disappointment, but otherwise all of the expected stars are contributing. After a worrisome start, Juan Soto is having his typical year, Josh Hader has rebounded from an offseason, Ha Seong Kim has moved to second base without missing a beat, and Fernando Tatis Jr. has not only returned without skipping a beat, but he has easily taken to his new spot in right field. Blake Snell and Michael Wacha have been outstanding, and the team has a strong run differential. On one hand, you could say all they need to do is improve their record in one run games and hope for a return to form from Machado. On the other hand, you could say that even with so many things that are going right they are still wallowing in the mire, it’s easy to conclude that there’s only so much improvement they can do.

As for the Mets, well, they always seem to find new ways to have the Metsiest season possible. I don’t know which team official opened up an ancient sarcophagus years ago, unleashing an ancient curse, but enough is enough already. Those of us that were optimistic in the spring failed to take into account the simple fact that Father Time is undefeated. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer have both been pitching better as of late, but they are still susceptible to the vagaries of the aging curve. Some days it’s just not there. And it appears that Starling Marie’s tank is empty. The offense should look a lot better if Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor can duplicate their production from last season in the second half, but Jeff McNeil is a complete mystery. As opposed to the Padres, you can look at several positions and see room for improvement, but at the same time enough season has been played so that in most instances what you see is what you get, particularly among the older players.

The three games the teams are playing against each other are simply 3 out of 162; I don’t know how much there is to truly learn from the results. If I’m pressed I’d say it’s more likely that the Padres can turn their season around. With the trade deadline quickly approaching both squads are under a lot of pressure to make things happen.

And let me offer my absurd First Time, Long Time, trade proposal of the day. With Trout’s injury an Angels playoff run is looking shaky, and now that Anthony Rendon is injured again they need another infielder. The Mets have the perfect pieces to make a strong trade proposal for Shohei Ohtani. Now that Jose Quintana is slated to be activated from the injured list they can spare Tylor Megill or David Peterson, so offer one of them along with Mark Vientos and Daniel Vogelbach for Ohtani. Hear me out. Whichever new starter the Angels choose takes Ohtani’s spot in the rotation, Vogelbach gets his DH at bats, and Vientos replaces Rendon at third. Fair exchange, no? Fine, if the Angels want more then the Mets can throw in Luke Voit.

The Aquatic Creatures Strike Back

2/3 of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Because of that, you could make the argument that sharks, not humans, are the planet’s dominant species. They control more turf after all. If that’s the case, they have indulged us for years, letting us have our fun but since we’re doing such a crappy job of taking care of the planet they’re beginning to lose patience with us.

It’s obvious by now that sharks communicate with all manners of fish and sea mammals Aquaman-style. The first foot soldier they sent out was the walrus that constantly sunk boats in Norway. Once that poor beast was sacrificed for the cause, they stepped the game as orcas suddenly started to attack boats off the Iberian coast. And now sharks themselves are taking matters into their own hands.

Schools of sharks have been observed in Long Island, notable because it’s a species of shark that normally does not travel in schools. They’ve clearly had it with humanity and are determined to show who’s boss. All I know is if I hear a dolphin say “so long and thanks for all the fish” then I’ll know we are truly f***ed.

OK, maybe this all has nothing to do with shark’s revenge. Perhaps rising ocean temperatures are causing changes in migratory patterns and/or food availability. July 3 2023 no longer holds the record for the hottest measured day in our planet’s history. That distinction now belongs to July 4 2023. I suspect it won’t be the last time this year that the record falls.

I Regret To Inform You That My Dip**** Mayor Is At It Again

No matter how you feel about Eric Adams politically, I believe there is one thing everyone can agree upon: he is one weird guy. And not weird in a funny way; there’s just something so off about him. He constantly revealed his oddity throughout his mayoral campaign - remember the mysteries about where he actually lives or if he is the vegan that he claims to be?

The Times just threw out a whopper. He has claimed to carry a photo of a fallen police officer for years. Apparently not.

This is a lie that makes no sense. What was he trying to prove? He’s a former officer himself; everyone knows he’s pro law enforcement. He doesn’t need to prop up those bona fides. Like I say, the guy is just so inexplicably odd.

Wrapping Up The Week With A Personal Request

I’m not gonna act like a broken record with my criticism of Twitter, but one minor consequence of the clusterf*** that it’s become is the fact that the platform is one of the resources I use to promote this newsletter. I don’t know how much longer that’s going to be a viable option, and I have no desire to open up a Threads account. So, while I’m impatiently waiting to get my hands on one of those precious Bluesky invite codes, I’m once again asking my loyal readers to remember that sharing is caring. Please pay it forward and share Tending The Herd as much as you can. This is a perfect time for someone who has been previously hesitant to climb aboard this hayride, so why not give them a gentle nudge? It would please me, it would serve as your good deed for the day, and it would bring immense joy to any of your friends who have been missing out on the fun that can only be found here.

And if any of you are sampling this for the first time the “subscribe” button is conveniently sitting there just waiting to be pressed.

Thanks in advance, thanks for reading, and have a terrific weekend everybody. See you on Monday.