Ramsayings

Didn’t start or end pretty, but I can honestly say that what happened in between the first and ninth innings were truly inspired baseball. Halladay dominated, the offense erupted and Charlie went wild with the rally towel.

It was an absurdly fun night at the ballpark, punctuated by the lone Cards fan in our row leaving when it started getting ugly.

Singing “High Hopes” as we left the ballpark is so satisfying. “10 mas!”

Beerleaguer addresses Cliff’s tilt problem. Did you see that curveball he introduced around his 8th strikeout? It was so filthy it deserved an MA rating. Watch highlights here.

Update: Matt Gelb gets down and dirty on Lee’s curveball.

Just watched this documentary. Only a handful of artists meet a tragic end like this, where their fame endures long after their talent burns out. My old boss at TLA Video, Adrian Hickman, used to play Nilsson often at the store. I didn’t have an ear for it then, but listening to his voice completely blew me away. Nilsson wasn’t just a great pop singer/songwriter; the guy was an auteur like Orson Welles, crafting a work so dense and poetic only to have it undo him.

My favorite part of the documentary? Seeing Nilsson at the height of his fame, partying with the Beatles and Elton John. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo montage as thrilling, laughing maniacally at photos that would make fans of The Hangover blanch. Watching interviews with guys like Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks gave me a sense that Nilsson wasn’t just some maudlin pop singer, but a guy who was living every moment to the fullest. Equally important, he set lofty goals and achieved them. He did it all. He did it fast.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but artists like Harry Nilsson appeal to me more now, just as I find myself appreciating veteran ballplayers who are still giving it a go long after they’ve been written off by conventional wisdom. Makes you wonder how any artist made it through the ’70s alive. Didn’t matter if you were punk or posh, chances are you were doing things that did considerable harm to your person.

Come clean and admit your favorite ’70s rockers here. And, yes, you can like the Adverts and X-Ray Spex and still be totally smitten with Elton John.

My friend Mark made it. It’s pretty cool, so I’m sharing it, but chances are you saw it on Pitchfork or pretty much every blog in the known universe. It’s that good! So are Nightlands. Can’t wait to see them play the Ox in late January. It’s gonna be downright cozy in that icebox!

Discovery Channel really knows their demographic. “Deadliest Catch” may have run aground, but leave it to those geniuses to hit upon a subject nearer and dearer to me: craft beer. The kicker? Throw Dogfish Head beer guru Sam Calagione into the mix and you’re bound to attract an audience of literally dozens of beer geeks from around the U.S. A hit!

My main question is why didn’t I know about “Brew Masters” before catching a commercial during a Tottenham-Arsenal match on ESPN2? I’m not even that much of a soccer fan. And I follow @dogfishbeer on Twitter! Serendipity!

Not sure that I’ll be able to watch when it airs as it shares a time slot with a little show called “Boardwalk Empire,” but you better believe I’ll be DVR-ing it like a boss to watch Monday night while Helen checks out “Gossip Girl.”

UPDATE: I may have spoken to soon. Read this funny post over at A Good Beer Blog for the details. “Cake Boss” of beer sounds apt. Could be a turkey, but I still have love for local craft brewers. Go Sam!