Game 136 Even The Losers (Get Lucky Sometimes)

Final Day of August-Last Chance for a player to make the postseason roster.

Ted Williams’ birthday yesterday.

I really have to stop with l’affaire Palin. It’s not healthy. I think it undercuts the “Obama isn’t experienced” arguments, because you are talking about the backup plan for a 72 year old cancer survivor, and her experience, if experience counts for anything, is insufficient. I don’t think there is any experience that prepares you for being president.

Her ideas are what I object to, primarily. She has no new ideas, and she’s a creationist. That shows a basic, fundamental lack of understanding of the nature of reality that scares me deeply. You don’t teach creationism because it isn’t a scientific theory.

There is another new Metallica single out, “My Apocalypse”, to go along with “The Day That Never Comes”, which came out last week. The album “drops”, as the kids say, on the 12th, I believe. I have already paid for the download on the Mission: Metallica website, and yet, like an idiot, I bought the singles on ITunes anyway.

This is their first full album with their new bass player, whose name is Robert Rodriguez, I believe. He used to be in Ozzy’s touring band. I can picture him in my head, but I can’t pull his name for some reason. There was a time when my inability to name Metallica’s bass player would be proof positive I was having a cerebral infarction, since that would prove my memory was grossly impaired.

They are touring this winter, but I won’t be going. The two times I saw them (20 YEARS AGO!) (?) (??) were phenomenal, unbelievably energetic shows, but I just can’t picture going to a concert at my age. In fact, I planned to buy tickets to see comedian Brian Regan this weekend, but, predictably, I forgot. I have to remember to check tonight to see if there are any left.

Why do I still listen to this band? I guess it just still speaks to me. Heavy metal is a young man’s game, for sure-but I still feel the emotions, to some extent-the rootless anger-that I felt back then, and when I drive down the road with Metallica pouring out of my speakers, screaming along with the lyrics, it helps.

Does anybody know this song? It starts with the crackling that sounds like a needle being put down on a vinyl record, then starts a steady, bass and drums backbeat. It samples a line from BB King, I can recognize that-I just can’t make out the words. It’s “Been Down”…something. There is another singer, not quite rapping, not quite singing, who sings verses in between the King samples. I can’t hear it quite clearly enough to recognize all of the words in the song, either-I know that isn’t much help. Can anybody think of an R+B type song with a BB King sample in it? I’d love to buy it, I just don’t know anyone who knows the title. It plays on the Muzak system at work.

I don’t think there is any way Boston can catch Tampa Bay in the East this year, but it seems like they have a stranglehold on the Wild Card. The Angels are deep and dangerous, while the Twins and/or White Sox seem beatable. The Rays? It’s hard to say. They have played well, despite some injuries, all year, and that certainly counts for something. I would say, from here, that we could probably slip by the Twins or White Sox without playing our very best baseball, but if and when we have to play the Rays or the Angels, we pretty much need to be on our game. If we end up as the Wild Card, that probably means we get the Angels, since they are far and away the team with the best record in the AL. I think so, anyway-since I’m writing this without any Internet access.

Do you capitalize Internet? I think you used to. I don’t know if you’re supposed to any more.

According to my phone, which doesn’t usually lie to me, Boston lost to the Chicago White Sox at Fenway this afternoon, 4-2. Gavin Floyd beat Tim Wakefield for his fifteenth (!) win of the year. Of course, if we lose enough games, we won’t have to worry about playoff matchups because the Red Sox will be watching them on television.