Greatest Song Evah 9/8/23

New York Groove

I should start off my saying that even as a youngster, I never liked KISS. Sure, I understand their appeal. They play to the perpetual adolescent in all of us, but their music never did a thing for me. No cliche is too obvious for them, and that really stood out during that prolonged period when they ditched the makeup. Without those bells and whistles it was clear that there was nothing to differentiate themselves from any number of cookie cutter hard rock bands.

With that out of the way, this Ace Frehley solo cut absolutely kicks into high gear right from the opening note. The drum beat (supplied by Anton Fig) acts as a hook, and once the guitars join in we’ve got a perfect groove. It’s literally impossible to not bop your head throughout this entire song - seriously, scientific studies that I’m just making up now have proven this.

This song came out during a period of peak KISS hubris. They decided the world was anxious to hear 4 simultaneous solo albums from each band member. Most of them have vanished into history, but this track from Frehley’s album has lasted, and deservedly so. Time to stop at 3rd and 43 and crank up the volume.

More Mitch

So far the only fallout from Mitch McConnell’s second public episode has been the realization in certain GOP circles that it’s difficult to raise issues concerning Joe Biden’s age and health without asking the same questions about their own guy. For what it’s worth an exam from a local doctor showed no evidence of a stroke or seizure and McConnell has said that he fully intends to serve out the remainder of his term.

So for the moment it quells the speculation over who would replace him for his Senate seat as well as his leadership role if need be, although let’s be honesty it’s a certainty that speculation continues to run rampant behind closed doors. McConnell is 81 with demonstrative health issues, it would irresponsible to not have plans in place. It’s worth noting that the Kentucky legislature recently changed their rules for Senate succession. Like most states, the governor has the power to choose the replacement if there is a vacancy. It’s standard practice for the choice to come from the Governor’s own party, regardless of the party affiliation of the Senator that needs to be replaced. The issue is that the current Governor of deep red Kentucky is Andy Beshear, a Democrat. Kentucky, likely anticipating a potential need to replace McConnell, changed their law so that it’s a requirement that a new Senator be of the same party as his or her predecessor. Beshear has tap danced around the question as to whether he would follow that restriction, but the other day I heard a perfect suggestion. If it comes to that, why not properly honor McConnell by taking a page out of his playbook? Why not leave that vacancy open until the next election? You know, to let the voters decide.

The other question if McConnell needs to step aside is who would take his place as Senate Minority Leader. John Thune is the name I’ve seen most often but one of the other suggested candidates is the man who I would nominate as America’s Most Nonessential Senator. Now, anyone who has read more than one of my posts can easily guess where my political leanings go. Safe to say there are quite a few current GOP Senators whom I am not very fond of. But even though he’s far from the most offensive, there is one who really gets under my skin in a much different way than, say, Ted Cruz does.

The scene is always similar at every one of McConnell’s press gaggles. John Thune and John Cornyn stand behind him, with Joni Ernst standing next to him on one side and John Barrasso on the other. I’m convinced that Barrasso is not an actual sentient human being, as he always stands with that same perma-scowl that suggests he’s never enjoyed a moment of pleasure in his life. Especially because male Senators seem to wear the same dark blue suits 24/7, and Barrasso has not changed his facial expression since he became a Senator, I need proof before I’m convinced he’s not actually an animatronic figurine trying to become a real boy. Can you imagine if he would actually become GOP Senate leader one day? Would he just stand at the podium and glare throughout the entire session? I’m sure things would be different if I would ever tune in to Fox, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard that man speak.

Who Will Blink First?

These will be crucial days in the ongoing carriage dispute between Charter and Disney. Simply put, it will either be resolved by early next week or we’re looking at a lengthy blackout. That’s because there is a deadline coming up with a sense of urgency. This is one of the few times that I’m thankful for football’s dominance. The NFL could force both sides to reach a deal. If they can’t, then nobody can.

The opening week game for Monday Night Football is only a few days away, and it’s more than just the first Jets game of the season, it’s Aaron Rodgers’ debut with Gang Green. Fans will lose their s*** if they are unable to watch the game. Unfortunately, that may not be enough. Whatever the ultimate conclusion to this battle will turn out to be, it will certainly be corporation friendly, not consumer friendly.

Big picture, it’s been clear for some time that the current business model of cable TV & streaming services is untenable. Some radical changes will need to take place to satisfy cord cutters and cable subscribers alike, while also trying to find a way to untangle the mess which requires consumers to carefully budget which streaming services one can justify subscribing to. In order to make that omelette, however, the various corporations will have to break a whole lot of eggs. This is the initial shot across the bow. Both Charter and Disney are looking to use this as the opportunity to make those extreme changes. In the interim, the average consumer - who simply wants to be able to watch their favorite shows or sports - is mere collateral damage. By early next week we’ll know if the move towards a new television model will be a gradual process or if we’re in it full force.

How Hot Is Too Hot?

I’m sure that by now many of you have seen the clip of Daniil Medvedev from this past Wednesday at the U.S. Open, in which he looked into a camera while wiping himself dry and said that someone is going to die. Heat and humidity have always been a major factor in the U.S. Open, but the players were blessed with mild weather for the tournament’s first week. Mother Nature returned with a vengeance this past week, as the weather has been stifling. Both Medvedev and his opponent Andrey Rublev were clearly struggling in their quarterfinal match; Medvedev even resorted to using an inhaler during breaks.

The two main stadiums on the grounds have roofs, but organizers have always followed the policy that they should only be used to keep out rain, not heat. Officials have made a slight compromise this year, as they have partially closed the roof when it’s excessively hot to block out some of the sun. Two problems, however. First, that has created larger shadows and has made visibility an issue for the players. Second, even though that cuts down some of the more stifling sunlight, it’s also served to trap heat within the stadium.

To some extent I understand the reluctance to close the roof. They would like to fully test the players and dealing with adverse weather conditions is part of that. But when young athletes in tip top shape are so clearly suffering it’s apparent that officials need to more proactive when it comes to protecting the players. And remember, it’s more than just the players. The stands are filled with thousands of fans suffering in the blazing sun just as badly. They deserve relief.

This is important because the planet isn’t getting any cooler. The Australian Open is difficult enough, Melbourne in late January is brutal and the tournament has heat/roof policies in place to deal with that reality. It’s time for the U.S. Open to do the same. Perhaps Medvedev is being alarmist, but no one needs to test those concerns.

The Inner Circle

Great piece yesterday from Joe Posnanski concerning the Hall Of Fame. For those who are not subscribers to Joe’s newsletter - and if you aren’t, you should be - a reader challenged him to come up with the Core Hall Of Famers in Cooperstown. Posnanski used specific criteria to come up with his list, which totaled 98 players.

This small project of his reminds me of a topic I discussed a couple of weeks back concerning the attitude some hardliners take towards Halls Of Fame. There is a contingent that wishes Halls to be uber exclusive with a “one in, one out” process. I’ve already spoken about how ridiculous and mean spirited that is, and Joe’s column illustrated why that is. He came up with a list of 98 all time greats, and there are still a significant number of legends that didn’t make this list. Let’s say that any HOF should be limited to 100 inductees. Are you seriously going to suggest that to make room for, say, Mookie Betts, that would require removing, say, Jim Palmer? Do you honestly believe that a Hall Of Fame which does not include someone as accomplished as Palmer is worthy of its name? Nope, me neither.

The Hall Ceremony Starts To Stir

Tickets go on sale this morning for November’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. I bring this up not because I have any intention of attending, but because the promotional poster for the ceremony contains a noticeable omission.

6 of the 7 artist inductees are photographed, along with 3 of the 6 side category honorees. The Spinners are not mentioned, they fall within the “many more” grouping. It could mean nothing, or it could mean that event organizers intend to merely present a film clip with no performance for their segment. (Remember, only 2 of the 6 Spinners that will be inducted are still alive.) No mention of Bernie Taupin either; it’s possible that the specifics of Taupin’s induction segment depend on the status of Elton John’s recovery from his recent fall. If his health won’t allow him to travel to the states or to perform, that will change the way the ceremony will honor Taupin.

Unless I missed something, still no word as to which network or streamer will air the ceremony and it will probably be a while before we hear about presenters and performers. Stay tuned.

Real Sports

Big TV news as HBO announced that Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel will end with the conclusion of the current 29th season. At its essence it’s been a 60 Minutes for sports, and it its best it justified that high level of acclaim.

Among the valuable services its investigations have provided over the years were the studies that established direct links between brain injuries and later in life development of ALS. But the show was more than just hard hitting stories; it saved room for uplifting tales. For example, for years they followed and continuously updated the story of Dick Hoyt, who ran marathons while pushing his wheelchair bound son Rick throughout the entire 26 mile route. And Mary Carillo constantly proved herself to be a national treasure, and served as a perfect foil when Gumbel would default to full curmudgeon mode.

It’s inevitable that there would be a few quibbles with a show that had such a long run. There was a period for a few years in which there was too much of a balance toward negative stories that exposed the dark side of sports. That has value, of course, but at times there was too much broccoli and not enough ice cream. On the other hand, sometimes some of the profile pieces leaned too heavily towards sycophancy. I remember a piece about Lenny Dykstra’s alleged business genius that seems embarrassing in retrospect. And I know a lot of people have issues with Gumbel, and to be fair, even back in his old NBC days he often gave the air of someone who doesn’t like sports. His inherent grouchiness was a vital ingredient in the show’s tone, but his brief Q & A’s with the correspondents frequently added valuable context to the stories. And he must have been the only person to call Bryan Burwell “B Squared” as if that was a normal nickname.

29 years is a run that should be admired. I’d like to think that there is still a venue and an audience for the type of journalism that Real Sports provided, but my fear is that this will prove to be the last show of its kind. Godspeed to the entire Real Sports crew, and kudos for a job well done.

To Be Continued

That’s all for now. Can you believe there’s only 3 more weeks left in baseball’s regular season? April seems so long ago. Were we really that young, innocent, and naive? Now that I’ve given you much to think about over the weekend, see you all again on Monday.