I’m very pleased to announce that I have accepted a role as Comcast’s chief blogger. I start later this month. Can’t wait to get started. You can read the blog here at Comcast Voices.
Author: J T. Ramsay
Memphis Taproom Thirstoberfest!
It was amazing! Beautiful weather goes perfectly with great beer and people. Had a lot of fun.
What did I drink? (Looks at list.) Keep in mind they were 6 oz. cups. Otherwise I’d probably still be laying in the biergarten.
Listed in no particular order:
- Allagash Confluence
- Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale
- Dogfish Head Bitches Brew
- Dogfish Head Saison du Buff
- Green Flask Le Freak
- Harpoon Wet Hop
- Ommegang Cup o’ Kyndnes
- Sly Fox Keller Helles
- Victory Saison du Buff
Jesse cooked up some marvelous food, too. I wolfed down his choucroute garnie. What’s that. Think meat plate. It was Boudin blanc, ribs, pork belly, kielbasy, potatoes and kraut. Hearty. Just what the doctor ordered.
The Social Network
The moral of the story is that the IT guy isn’t properly socialized? Shocking!
My Introduction to Vic Chesnutt
First heard Vic Chesnutt’s “Panic Pure” on the b‑side of R.E.M.‘s mediocre version of “Sponge,” which sounds indistinguishable from any of the hard rockers on New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Hersh’s version of “Panic Pure” absolutely bewitched me. Here Hersh sings with Vic Chesnutt.
Been thinking about Chesnutt quite a bit lately. Part of it is that these songs meant so much to me my freshman year of college and I feel guilty for not having explored his music further. Now that he’s gone I’m looking him up on YouTube and finding all these great clips that exemplify what a great presence he had.
Listen to R.E.M.‘s take on “Sponge” below.
Phillies Win NLDS Game 2
I’ve reached a new zen state when it comes to Phillies games, even playoff ones, it seems. Once upon a time last night’s game would’ve been a frightful affair, the enjoyment sucked out by the anxiety of another potential Game 2 loss. My family has attended a bunch of Games 2, so we know the feeling of a series slipping through our fingers, only to watch the Phils dominate as the away team. It’s their thing, it seems.
I really thought the wheels had come off when they turned to J.C. Romero after 5 agonizing innings from the usually reliable Roy Oswalt. They had, but not for the Phillies. Watching the Reds’ comedy of errors was the stuff baseball nightmares are made of. As they unraveled last night I couldn’t help but think how much better they’ll be next year once they get some experience and maybe a top of the rotation starter, but that’s for another time. The Phillies took advantage of every miscue and hit batsmen to win 7–4.
The ballpark was typically nuts. We sat in Section 307. The stadium shook when Utley plated two runs to make it a game. When Chooch and Ben Francisco were hit by a pitches, the crowd’s anger bubbled over and CBP became that hostile environment teams must hate so much. We even cheered when Jay Bruce caught a fly ball. It was deliciously vicious, but playful at the same time, a far cry from the tense atmosphere of last year where the entire stadium fell silent when Brad Lidge entered the game.
The Phillies extinguished any hope the Reds had of winning the series last night. We fans know that experience, plus a retooled rotation and a revived bullpen made last night’s win a done deal once the Phils took the lead. We weren’t wrong.