Outlaw Blues by Bob Dylan

There are many Bob Dylan songs that seem quite ordinary and even quite nondescript.  People who dislike Dylan for his voice have rightfully criticized Outlaw Blues from Bringing it All Back Home.  There is one line in the sound that really stands out.

Ain’t it hard to stumble
And land in some funny lagoon?
Ain’t it hard to stumble
And land in some muddy lagoon?
Especially when it’s nine below zero
And three o’clock in the afternoon.

Ain’t gonna hang no picture
Ain’t gonna hang no picture frame
Ain’t gonna hang no picture
Ain’t gonna hang no picture frame
Well, I might look like Robert Ford
But I feel just like a Jesse James

Well, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range
Oh, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range
I got no reason to be there, but I
Imagine it would be some kind of change

I got my dark sunglasses
I got for good luck my black tooth
I got my dark sunglasses
I’m carryin’ for good luck my black tooth
Don’t ask me nothin’ about nothin’
I just might tell you the truth

I got a woman in Jackson
I ain’t gonna say her name
I got a woman in Jackson
I ain’t gonna say her name
She’s a brown-skin woman, but I
Love her just the same

Copyright © 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

Read more: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs#ixzz40wxSXRM9

Vinny the Great Must Get on Regular Jeopardy

Vinny's run on Sports Jeopardy finally ended at 15 victories. He is certainly a walking encyclopedia of trivia in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, olympics, and last but not least boxing.  Who is Max Schmeling was the correct Final Jeopardy answer, which Vinny got correct, but was trailing Jay Sullivan who was the winner.  Even though I don't know much about boxing I got the final question right.

Vinny with his 15 victories is in very good company with Jeopardy champs:

• Ken Jennings - 74 wins
• Dave Madden - 20 wins
• Julia Collins  - 19 wins

There were some very good players like Brad Rutter, Jerome Vered, Frank Spangenberg and many others who had to leave since before 2004 there was a limit of 5 victories.  There were some excellent players in Season 1 on Sports Jeopardy, but they were limited to one victory.

Both knowledge and luck are involved in being a winner on Jeopardy.  It is easy to shout answers at the TV, but one must ring in at the right time and beat the other contestants.  There is luck invovled in the categories selected and the skills of the opponents.

I am sure that Vinny who got a good education at NJIT and Purdue would do very well in regular Jeopardy and hopefully will get on the show.  The difference is the categories can be anything from A to Z.

Good luck Vinny in all you future endeavors.  If you ever visit NJIT, please stop by the library.  I promise I won't give you another tour of the library or lecture you about the databases we have.  I will try to stump you with New York Mets trivia.

Today Marks my 10th Anniversary on Facebook

When I logged into Facebook today I got a message stating that today marked the 10th anniversary of my joining.  When I first came on board I thought that I would use it as a method of communicating library services to NJIT students after attending a seminar on that topic.  That obviously didn't work out, but I certainly found other uses for it.  The entire concept of "Facebook friend" is open to interpretation.  I should do an inventory, but I would say that I have either never met or just met once at least half of the 500+ friends I have.  My friends fall into the following categories:

• Colleagues at work either at NJIT or at other places
• Radio friends including radio personalities (This is likely the biggest number)
• Bob Dylan fans
• Baseball fans
• People I knew in different times of my life
• Family

I have initiated the following groups:

• Fans of Cousin Brucie
• Fans of Harry Harrison
• NYC Oldies Radio Enthusiasts

Back in 2006 I would make friends with almost anybody, but now I am reluctant to make friends with people I just don't know.  I guess some people are just friend collectors.

Many posts that I read are just plain silly.  Many people use Facebook to vent.  I made friends with a librarian I met just once who discussed in detail a very painful separation from her husband.  Why must I read about "tsouris" about people I really don't know.  Many people are secretive when they are ill while others are very open about it.  One person posted photos of himself in a hospital bed.  That is just inappropriate.

Needless to say Facebook is one big time suck and can be addictive.  It looks like it is here to stay.

Writing About Historic Baseball Games

I have mention SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) a few times in this journal.  Recently I volunteered to work for the Game Project. It is a new initiative to research and write articles on major-league and Negro League regular, postseason, and All-Star Game.  I have a database of games that have already been submitted.  When I get more time, I would consider writing about the following games:

• 2012 - the Johan Sananta No-hitter for the Mets
• 1962 - the first victory by the Mets won by Jay Hook
• 2008 - the last game played at Shea Stadium
• 2003 - the Yankees were no hit by 6 Houston Astro pitchers.

Billboard Reports that Bob Dylan is Recording a New Album at Capitol Records Studio in Hollywood

Any report that Bob Dylan is recording a new album has to be good news.  He has been recording since 1962 which was before many of his fans (not me) were born.  The report in Billboard states that this will be a collection of more adult standards and will be a follow up to the 2015 album Shadows in the Night.  Since the Never Ending Tour is on hiatus until April, this is a good time for him to go into the recording studio.

I am disappointed since apparently this forthcoming album will not include any new Dylan compositions.  The Tempest released in 2012 was the last album that included Dylan compositions.  In my opinion Dylan's songwriting is his biggest strength.  His songs are vague and open to interpretation as stated by the Penelope Cruz character in the film Masked and Anonymous.  It is an avocation for many to pick his songs apart word by word and try to make sense out of them.  Adult standards is not my favorite style of music, but I don't hate that genre either.

As soon as the release date is announced, I will go to Amazon.com and pre-order it so I get it the day it comes out.  After 54 years, the beat goes on.

Bought a New Sony CD Player Today

Early this week the CD player that I have owned since February 2010 started to act erratically.  It would play alright until it reached cut #6 and then would jump "all over the place."  This persisted for a few days so I thought it was time to buy a new one.  No product lasts forever, and I felt that after 6 years I got my money's worth out of it.  The model above plays 5 Cds.  I shopped around and saw that I could get a better deal at Best Buy than at Amazon.  Since there is a Best Buy in Flushing we went over there to buy it instead of ordering it online.  With this model one can play mp3 files from a flash drive inserted at bottom right.  I hope this player gives us countless hours of listening to our favorite music.

Jenrry Mejia belongs in the Baseball Hall of Shame

It was announced yesterday that since Jenrry Mejia failed his third test for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) he is banned for baseball.  We all make mistakes in life, but in this case three strikes and you're out.  I don't understand why he was taking PEDs during the off-season.  He would have been eligible to return to the Mets and the end of July.

It is a privilege to play in the major leagues as millions of kids dream about being there.  But Mejia just blew it.  It does have a right to apply for reinstatement in one year, but he does not deserve another chance.  As the first player to be banished for this reason, he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Shame.