greatest hits?? the spector of bad baseball (Sept. 29, 2004)
It is indeed a wild world — on the heels of Cat Stevens’ deportation, we have hit-meister Phil Spector indicted
for murder and the Montreal Expos threatening to bring their hitless brand of baseball to Washington, D.C.
With George Wallace too distracted (by deadlines and billable hours) to post on these topics at Fool in the Forest, the many former editors of this weblog have decided to offer a little commentary.
Prof. Yabut lived in D.C. when the City last had a baseball team, and it was not pretty. With franchises known for being “last in the American League,” it does seem historically appropriate to bring the Expos to Washington. USA Today‘s Mike LoPresti has explained with his usual insight and wit just why Washington may get rain on Expos parade. With LoPresti covering the topic so well, we can lay back and suggest you click the link for the full story. Here are a few of the reasons why he thinks “the skeptics could be pests and raise an objection as the celebration begins.”
[T]he new ballpark will cost taxpayers of a dilapidated city more than $400 million, even before the surcharges kick in (a small price to pay to see the Colorado Rockies).
Few things sent to Washington come back unscathed, including Michael Jordan.
It is a place with baseball history, most of it bad.
Since Washington bigshots would much rather be driven to Anacostia than Baltimore to get to get their lobbying done, it’s probably a good bet that the Expos will be in D.C. in 2005.
all day rain
on the playing field
a stray dog
As for Phil Spector, I have no idea whether he’s a murderer. However, there can be no doubt that he’s got a lot of hits under his belt. Clues to his state of mind and modus operandi might be found by taking a close look at some of Mr. Spector’s prior acts and proven hits. For example:
The Crystals
He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss) (Goffin-King)/
No One Ever Tells You (Goffin-King)
Righteous Brothers –
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Spector-Mann-Weil)/
Ike and Tina Turner
Save the Last Dance for Me (Pomus-Shuman
Derek and the Dominoes
Tell the Truth (Clapton-Whitlock)/
Roll It Over (Clapton-Whitlock)
Dion
Make the Woman Love Me (Mann-Weil)/
Running Close Behind You (Tuohy-DiMucci)
Leonard Cohen
True Love Leaves No Traces (Spector-Gohen)/
I Left A Woman Waiting (Spector-Cohen)
(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up
Don’t lose faith, though. As Kobayashi Issa knows,
I hope George Wallace is back on the beat to cover these stories as they unfold. Meanwhile,
I’ve got to repeat: it’s a wild world:
Baby, I love you
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there’s a lot of bad and beware
where there’s people
there’s flies
and Buddhas
translated by David G. Lanoue
shake your
