twilightdawning

A writer's thoughts – mainly about music, sport and theatre. Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, live shows, New York Yankees

God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen

Posted on December 23, 2008 by twilightdawning

Place: St Brides Church, Fleet Street, London

Time: Yesterday Evening

Event: The "Jethro Tull Christmas Carol Service"

What? Those rockers who so ably debunked organised religion on their album, "Aqualung", in a Christian church and involved and leading an event full of Christmas Carols, prayers and Bible readings.

Surprising, indeed.

But this was an event aimed at raising money and support for London’s homeless and this proved an easy alliance. Aqualung, a wheezy old tramp of the old school, didn’t make an appearance but there was a portion of "Thick as a Brick". In short, Tull took care of seasonal entertainment whilst the clergy and church members added the spiritual decoration. And a fine night was had by all.

Highlights of the night? Gentle wintry folk, from Tull, including "Weathercock" from Heavy Horses, and "Jack-in-the-Green". They also turned their hand to jazzy renditions of traditional Christmas music – albeit in instrumental form – with "God Rest Ye, Merry, Gentlemen" and "We Five (Three) Kings of Orient Are". They even came over all Steeleye Span with their own re-working of "Gaudete", led by Ian Anderson and the church’s choir, with the congregation doing their best on the chorus.

Journalist, Gavin Esler and actor, Andrew Lincoln helped Ian and the men in dog-collars out with the scripture and poetry readings.

Apparently, the whole thing will be mixed down for a limited cd release.

A cool yule indeed!

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull gets into the Christmas Spirit

Yankees – Back to the centre (field) of everything

Posted on December 20, 2008 by twilightdawning

Centrefield seems to have been clearly identified as a major problem for the Yankees last season (second only to starting pitching). Consequently, come spring training it will be an area that is closely watched – that is unless the Yankees make a trade before then which settles the matter. It is somewhat surprising then to realise that they only used four men in that role in the whole of 2008 and that they didn’t spend the whole year casting around for a suitable occupant. Here’s the runners and riders:

Melky Cabrera (129 games). Of those 129, a 115 were spent in the centre of the outfield. He batted .249 during 2008 which was a 24 point drop off on his performance in the preceding year. Whilst this is a worrying development, it is significantly ahead of Brett Gardner (see below) who would be Cabrera’s nearest rival if there was no trade made before the season started (this seems far more likely than chasing a free agent). This wasn’t a season where Cabrera’s fortune rose and fell frequently as the months passed. Whilst he hit .299 in April, there was little to smile about after that. His average fell to .234 in May and then to a lowpoint .206 in June. He rose again to .272 in July but by August was out of favour and headed for the minors. Interestingly, he performed well at Scranton-Wilkes Barre and when he returned to the Bronx in September, he batted .462 over the 12 games in which he appeared. It does seem though that he has lost the confidence of the management of the New York team and that is a notoriously difficult thing to regain. Expect him to be gone before opening day.

Johnny Damon (143 games). Only 34 of Damon’s games saw him occupy centrefield at some stage in the ballgame. See my analysis of the leftfielders for some comments on his campaign as a whole.

Brett Gardner (42 games) Gardner spent time in centrefield in 22 of his appearances. The Yankees showed more and more enthusiasm for Gardner as the season progressed in 2008. It seems likely though that this enthusiasm was created by their lack of confidence in Cabrera (see above) than by anything in Gardner’s ability to fill this role in the long term. A reality check is required when we realise that Cabrera topped him not only in batting average but in slugging and on-base percentage too. Gardner has better speed on the base paths, not least shown in his 13 stolen bases to Cabrera’s 9, which were delivered in far fewer appearances. He also is the better fielder and his throwing arm has a greater range. The fact remains, however, that it is more likely that Cabrera might regain lost ground offensively than Gardner deliver something that just doesn’t seem to have ever been there. Expect Gardner to be the back-up outfield on opening day. For my money he is the third most likely player to occupy centrefield on a regular basis for the Yankees in 2009.

Justin Christian (24 games). Christian played in centrefield for only 3 games in 2008. For some thoughts on his season, please see my leftfield analysis. Since that was written, the Yankees have decided not to tender Christian a contract for 2009 which makes him a free agent. This is no surprise and falls into line with my prediction.

So where to for centrefield? Well, the big money remains on Mike Cameron arriving from the Brewers and becoming the resident in that role. If that doesn’t happen look for Cabrera and Gardner to run-off for that spot during Spring training with Cabrera an unlikely winner.

Carol singing at Christmas

Posted on December 16, 2008 by twilightdawning

If anyone is in Hammersmith, London, tomorrow afternoon and evening then look out for a group I’ve organised singing Christmas Carols and collecting money for the homeless of the neighbourhood. Hey, all of this started with a kid who couldn’t find a bed for the night so this is really in the spirit of the occasion.
One gathering of singers will be at Ravenscourt Park tube station and the other just across the road from there. Come along, add your voices if you like and bring your coins and notes to help those who are out in the cold this winter

Yankees – one out of leftfield

Posted on December 9, 2008 by twilightdawning

In 2008, the Yankees used 6 players at left-field. Here’s a summary of how it all went:

Johnny Damon (143 games) . Of those 143 games, 86 included time in leftfield. On the whole, injuries aside, this was a good year for Damon and a distinct improvement over 2007.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2007	141	533	93	144	27	2	12	63	211	66	79	27	3	.351	.396	.270
2008	143	555	95	168	27	5	17	71	256	62	82	29	8	.375	.461	.303

This can be seen in the way that almost every column on the comparison, above, shows an increase for 2008. However, he had some months when he was well off the pace. He opened the season with an April average of only .276 and it seemed like he was going to struggle to improve on his 2007 standard. But May was a step up (.306) and June proved a high month of the season for him, batting .363 albeit mainly hitting singles. He missed a dozen games in July and the enforced mid-season rest set him back a little. July and August were months when he set his benchmark for the season showing .304 and .306 averages respectively. September proved to be his worst month offensively and his season rather tailed off just as the rest of the team were putting together a winning sequence.
So a successful but uneven season for Damon offensively. In the field, he made few errors and continues to show amongst the best ranges of the everyday leftfielders.
It seems 95% certain that Damon will be one of the starting Yankees on opening day. Despite being an ex-Red Sox, he has been accepted by the fans and that would not be many ways to replace him and improve. A good 2009 for him will definitely help the team.

Xavier Nady (59 games). He played in leftfield in 46 of his games after arriving in mid-season. 2008 was pretty much a career year for the X-Man albeit that his better figures were put up before he left Pittsburgh. Nady previously had had a short tenure with the Mets but moved on after only 75 for the other New York team. At the moment, the Yankees seem to like him a lot and it seems likely that he will last much longer in this part of town. He batted .305 and slugged .510 across the season. It was .268 and .474 whilst wearing the Bronx pinstripes. At the moment the inclination seems to let Abreu depart and make Nady a fixture. Nady played only 7 games in rightfield and Damon played none. It will be interesting to see how one of them works out playing the whole season in that corner which seems likely as things stand. Look for Nady to be in the line-up on opening day but not necessarily in leftfield.

Hideki Matsui (93 games). Injury meant that Matsui played only 21 games in a position where earlier in his career, he had been a fixture. I’ll say more about his season when we get to the designated hitters which is where we are likely to see him in 2009.

Brett Gardner (42 games). This young outfielder played 17 games in leftfield. I’ll say more about him in the discussion of centrefielders.

Justin Christian (24 games). He played 9 of those games in leftfield which was his most appearances at any one position. There were times in the season when the Yankees hierarchy seemed to regard Gardner and Christian evenly in terms of their becoming a fixture on the Bronx Bombers. At one point Christian seemed to have edged ahead. By the end of the season, it seemed like Gardner was a firm choice and Christian was all but forgotten. Defensively, he did well. Like Gardner, he has speed and can steal bases. His .250 average included very little power hitting but Gardner is weak in that area too. I’m guessing that the difference between the two players is in those legendary indefinables that baseball experts sometimes talk about because otherwise I can see little to choose. Gardner looks likely to be on the opening day roster and has a shot of the centrefield job, Christian must be wondering where his future lies. I don’t get the feeling it will be in the Bronx.

Melky Cabrera (129 games) Played only eight of those in leftfield. I’ll say more about his "difficult season" when we get to the centrefielders.

So my feeling is that Damon is likely to the starting leftfielder come April but there is time for that to change. We’ll see how things shape up in Spring training but I expect that’s how it will be.

Yankees…. A short stop at Shortstop

Posted on November 28, 2008 by twilightdawning

The Yankees only used 4 players at shortstop during 2008. This was pretty much as expected. Derek Jeter OWNS this position and its pretty much guaranteed that he will continue to do so for the rest of his career. Here’s a survey of the performances at that position.

Derek Jeter (150 games). Jeter played 148 games at ss and 2 at DH. By his own standards this was a quieter year offensively.

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2006	NYY	154	623	118	214	39	3	14	97	301	69	102	34	5	.417	.483	.343
2007	NYY	156	639	102	206	39	4	12	73	289	56	100	15	8	.388	.452	.322
2008	NYY	150	596	88	179	25	3	11	69	243	52	85	11	5	.363	.408	.300
Career		8025	8025	1467	2535	411	57	206	1002	3678	813	1376	275	75	.387	.458	.316

In fact, it was more an inconsistent year than anything else. By September, he was batting .378 with a .425 OBP. The fact that his stats improved throughout the year bodes well for 2009. He is a certainty to be in the starting lineup on opening day.

Wilson Betemit (87 games). Betemit played 14 games at shortstop. The White Sox will have a good player in 2009. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season.

Alberto Gonzalez (28 games). Gonzalez played 14 of his games at shortstop. In both 2007 and 2008, he was a solid defensive player for the Bronx Bombers but he was a lightweight with the bat. By July 2008, his average had dropped to .173 and there were several other good defensive players available to back-up Jeter so the Yankees allowed him to depart for the Washington Nationals. Whether it was something to do with the drop in pressure in being away from New York or something else, his batting performance picked up in the limited time he saw at the plate for the Nationals. He collected his first major league home run and batted .347 in 49 at bats. He looks likely to continue with the Washington team in 2009.

Cody Ransom (33 games). Ransom played just 9 games at shortstop. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season.

Jeter is, injuries aside, certain to be the mainstay at shortstop during 2009. Predicting his back-up is more problematic. Betemit and Gonzalez are gone and Ransom looked more confident in other fielding positions. Hopefully all will become obvious in spring training.

Ballad of the Sad Cafe

Posted on November 28, 2008 by twilightdawning

No, not the Carson McCullers book, but an English band of the 70s and 80s, who for my money were probably the best live band on the circuit for a period of about five years around that time. I met up with their bassist, Des Tong, again, a few nights ago. I’ll tell you their story.

Sad Cafe rose from the ashes of some long forgotten Manchester-based bands like Gyro and some of their members had served time with progressive rockers Mandalaband. They began to tour in late ’76 and were quickly signed to RCA. Their debut album, Fanx Tara came out on the 1st of September 1977. Their line-up at the time consisted of:

Paul Young (Vocalist and percussion) (most decidedly not the "Wherever I lay My Hat" guy but the one who went on to front Mike & the Mechanics)
Ian Wilson (guitars and backing vocals)
Ashley Mulford (lead guitar)
Vic Emerson (keyboards)
John Stimpson (bass)
Tony Cresswell (drums)

Young had been with the Toggery Five in the Sixties and led a band called "Young & Renshaw" as well as cutting some solo singles in the first part of the Seventies. He had swagger and panache that was natural but was coupled with moves he had swiped from Jagger, and an incredible set of pipes gave him some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard. Mulford was developing into a very under-rated but accomplished lead guitar whilst Wilson had a sweet voice and played six and twelve string acoustic as well rhythm electric with ease and style.

The first album included Black Rose, Hungry Eyes and I Believe (Love Will Survive) which were to be staples of their live show for the rest of their time together. However sales were modest although the album made it to no. 56 in the UK chart.

Second album, Misplaced Ideals, trod a similar path in musical style and sales (peaking at no. 50 on the charts) but the big breakthrough seemed far away. Their reputation as a great live band had begun to spread and one of their performances was filmed for a broadcast entitled "An Evening with Sad Cafe" which mooched around the late night TV schedules for the next few years and was eventually commercially released after Gary Numan and Blondie had made that a viable option.

The album, released in April ’78, contained Restless and On with The Show which also became live favourites. In early ’79, a lesser cut "Run Home Girl" suddenly became a success in the U.S. Billboard charts rising to 71 on the Hot 100 – dragging its mother album on to the top 100 U.S. albums too. The band were surprised to have broken in the States but more significantly it raised their profile in the UK where they were given a prominent slot on the Old Grey Whistle Test and all was set for a big year in ’79. A saxophonist simply known as Lenni became a regular fixture in the live band and by 1980 was a fully-fledged member.

Drummer Cresswell called it a day just as they were about to begin work on their third album and was replaced by the (in my opinion) more accomplished Dave Irving. Eric Stewart of 10cc was drafted into produce and the third album "Facades" was the one to break them big, albeit for a short time. The big hit from the album, Everyday Hurts (which reached number three in the UK charts in September 1979) was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that when ever the band’s sales dipped (which was often) the record company would request another piano ballad. The band became more associated with that song than the swaggering rockers which were their forte.

The album peaked at number 8 in the UK staying on the chart for nearly half a year. The songs were less fusion-orientated and had more catchy riffs of the kind that Eric Stewart’s band had made their mark with. 3 more hits came from the record. Strange Little Girl reached 32; My Oh My peaked at 14; and Nothing Left Toulouse stuttered as far as 62. None of these troubled the singles charts in the U.S. and the album stalled at 146 on the Billboard list.

For their self-titled fourth album, Stewart again filled the producer’s chair but either the band accorded him less space or he was more complacent in his approach. This album was a little more workmanlike. It gave them two UK hits La-di-da (no.41) and I’m in Love Again (no.40) but they were already beginning to fade from the memories of the pop scene whilst the rock crowd continued to lap up their tours. La-Di-Da became their second minor U.S. hit reaching no. 78. The album peaked at 40 and 160 respectively, in the UK and US charts. Attempts to break the band in the Netherlands and West Germany didn’t bear much fruit and the record company began to lose patience.

To add to the problems, this incarnation of the band began the process of breaking apart. Ashley Mulford was spending increasing amounts of time outside the country as a romantic liasion began to deepen. John Stimpson simply didn’t want to be in the band anymore and set out for a career in music management. Des Tong became the new resident bassist and the band began to fret about the situation with its lead guitarist.

The band owed RCA one more album and a live set "Sad Cafe Live in Concert" was released in the Spring of 1981. This was coupled with an appearance on the ITV series Rockstage which emphasised what a potent force they were. Recorded whilst Stimpson was still on bass, the album was a virtual greatest hits allowing the Johnny-Come-Latelys to hear the great songs form the first two albums in their natural environment. It outsold the last studio record in the UK and reached 36 on the album charts. A single led by the live recording of Black Rose failed to make an impact.

In a decision which was to impact the rest of their career, the band ended into a complicated arrangement which saw Polydor become responsible for their future UK releases even though they had already signed a deal with Swansong in the U.S. (who had handled the release of the self-titled album Stateside). Complicated contracts are often a bad idea and this one was to surround the band with litigation for the next 4 years as the labels squabbled about who owned albums by them.

In the Autumn of 81, they released Ole, which was only a minor success in the UK (no. 72) and was ignored in the rest of the world. The singles were Misunderstanding and Follow You Anywhere. The latter got more airplay than the former but nothing sold. Mulford was missing from most of the recording with a number of guest guitarists filling the holes. One of these, Mike Hehir, would become a full member by the time of another hugely successful tour. Great live band who couldn’t sell records was shortly to become great live band who couldn’t release records. The courts decided the band should release no more albums until the ownership of their work was clarified.

Earning their living by touring, they were on the road almost all of 1982. 1983 eventually saw a single release (albums were a no-no) as Charisma released "Keep Us Together" which reached no. 76 in the bubbling under section of the Record Mirror. A young journalist by the name of Darren Hirst was commissioned by Sounds to go and talk to the band for a feature but nothing helped restore the missing sales. By the following year, the baton for single releases passed to Virgin who released "Why Do You Love Me Like You Do". More touring and spots at Reading and Glastonbury Festivals had enhanced their live reputation even further but their sales increased not a jot. The band played some farewell gigs, persuaded RCA to release a "Best of" package and called it a day.

Paul Young, by now, had another problem to deal with. A singer had risen to prominence using the same name – something that couldn’t happen in the acting world because of Equity was entirely permissible in the music world even though Sad Cafe’s Young had recorded solo singles using that name more than a decade before. He recorded a single with Ian Devaney and christened himself Devaney Young. He made another disc as YPY (which he said stood for young Paul Young). Neither sold and he needed the income when he was invited to cut some lead vocals for Mike Rutherford of Genesis’ new side-project. They eventually released an album called Mike & the Mechanics which sold well – particularly in the States – and Young and Paul Carrack were invited to share vocals in the band for the long haul but that’s another story.

Ironically, at the same time, the legal wrangle regarding Sad Cafe’s ability to release albums was settled and Young decided that he should reform the band. Of the four remaining long standing members two declined. Vic Emerson and Dave Irving had had enough for now. Young and Ian Wilson decided to press on regardless and invited Tong and Lenni to record too. Augmented by some sidemen and a new drummer, Jeff Seopardi, the band recorded "Politics of Existing" which gathered in the singles from 83 and 84 and an album’s worth of new material. It was released in late 1985 but made little impact. Two singles – Refugees (written by new man, Seopardi) amd Only Love, were equally unsuccessful. In the States, "Why Do You Love Me Like You Do" was retitled "Heart" and gained some notice as a single.

Working hard was deemed to be a solution to the lack of sales and Ashley Mulford rejoined the lineup for a 1986 tour of the UK. Ex-Grand Prix keyboardist, Phil Lanzon who was currently a member of the Sweet, moonlighted on keyboards. However, the tour wasn’t as commercially successful as their previous outings and the renewed energy was short-lived.

The band was to have one last stab with 1989’s album "Whatever it Takes" and its single "Take Me (Heart and Soul). Whilst once again an album which displayed excellent songwriting and musicianship, it was if anything even more overlooked than its predecessor. For this set, Young, Wilson, Tong and Lenni were augmented by sidemen Steve Pigott (keyboards) and Paul Burgess (drums). Ashley Mulford disappeared as quickly as he’d returned and was once more replaced by Mike Hehir. Vocalist Alistair Gordon who would be helped by Young in his band "Radio Silence" became the band’s first full-time backing vocalist. This band played a couple of home town gigs to promote the record before drifting apart.

That really is the end of the band’s story. Where are they now? After continued success with Mike and the Mechanics, Paul Young died suddenly of a heart attack in July 2000. Ian Wilson and Mike Hehir are now part of Les Holroyd’s latest version of Barclay James Harvest. Des Tong is part of Alvin Stardust’s touring band and was my inspiration for this article. Ashley Mulford plays the blues in Germany. Vic Emerson did some work with 10cc but I lost track of him after that. Dave Irving runs the band’s official website at www.sadcafe.co.uk to which I have contributed as I can. Alistair Gordon produces a number of bands and singers now that his own band, the rather excellent "Radio Silence" seems to have folded. The bands two most commercially successful albums "Facades" and "Misplaced Ideals" have been re-released in the States by Renaissance Records (who I am currently badgering about the rest of the band’s back catalogue). It won’t be as good as seeing them live but as that is no longer possible, you should do yourself a favour and buy them.

Stardust memories

Posted on November 25, 2008 by twilightdawning

Those with a taste for the history of Rock ‘n’ roll could do much worse than catch the show that I saw last night when it comes to their town. I don’t often do nights out in mainstream theatres on the outskirts of London but I’m very glad that I made the journey last night. Let me explain.

It begins with what will be a difficult proposition for some. Alvin Stardust is a very under-rated talent.

For those who don’t know, the man who was born Bernard William Jewry first made his breakthrough in the early sixties dressed in gold lame and fronting a band called the Fentones. He had become Shane Fenton, signed to Parlophone records and recorded a single called "I’m A Moody Guy" (a title which would be singularly appropriate for the persona he adopted a decade later). In the period 1961-1964, his singles continued to chart, albeit with decreasing returns. Consequently, he never made an album at the time and ended up on the cabaret circuit a few years later.

In 1974, a promising songwriter, Peter Shelley, came up with a song called "My Coo Ca Choo" which his label, Magnet, felt was a surefire hit but they didn’t thing Shelley could carry an image which would help the song maximise his potential. Shane Fenton was considered as the vocalist and the record company came up with idea of relaunching the rock ‘n’ roller with a new image and new name. In 1973, Fenton became Alvin Stardust and the budget was spent on black leather in which he was clad from head-to-foot for his first Top of the Pops appearances. Stardust became one of the key figures in the late-period of Glam rock; his black leather providing an ideal juxtaposition to the usual glitter and make-up.

"My Coo Ca Choo" stayed in the charts for six months, peaking at no. 2. Stardust had some better songs up his sleeve – but his first hit became his best remembered and because of its longevity, his highest seller. It was followed by "Jealous Mind" which reached no. 1 but stuck around for a shorter time and then "Red Dress", "You, You, You", "Tell Me Why" and "Good Love Can Never Die" which all reached the top 20.
As glam gave way to new wave and punk, Alvin’s singles and album didn’t sell so well. His first three albums all spent good time on the charts but he has not seen an album on that list since. His singles over the next four years were mainly covers but delving into rock n roll’s vaunted history with Cliff Richard’s "Move It" and Johnny Kidd’s "Shakin’ All Over" could not get him back into the top twenty. One final stab with a tense version of Bruce Springsteen’s "Growin’ Up" also failed and Magnet didn’t renew his contract.
He did a couple of seasons on ITV’s remake of the old rock ‘n’ roll show "Oh Boy" and working alongside the young Shakin’ Stevens and the older Joe Brown and Lulu kept him in the public eye.

New wave was in full swing by 1981 when one of its most iconic labels "Stiff" announced a new signing. Alvin Stardust. Stardust debuted on the label with another cover from the earlier days of rock ‘n’ roll and giving it a pop rockabilly lilt, he took "Pretend" into the top 10. He followed this with a version of Pat Boone’s "A Wonderful Time Up There" which did well on the continent but less well here in the UK, despite an appearance on the Morecambe and Wise show and the same guitar sound which had powered "Pretend". The lit fuse really didn’t ignite fireworks and Stardust was swept aside by the lesser talent of Mr. Stevens who would continue to work a similar formula for the next 6 years.

Alvin had a quiet time until 1985 when moving from Stiff to Chrysalis, he hit no. 7 with a Mike Batt composition "I Feel Like Buddy Holly" which played to Stardust’s rock ‘n’ roll roots but sounded more like a latter day Cliff Richard. This sound continued to dominate with a big hit on the maudlin "I Won’t Run Away" and a less than successful run as the host of BBC’s "Rock Gospel Show".

I’m one of those people who is interested in musicians of many different stripes and their careers and I have the blessing and the curse of an encyclopaedic knowledge on the subject. I’d been aware of Alvin Stardust from my youngest years so when his management invited me to interview him in the 1990s, I jumped at the chance. The interview came to naught but I was impressed with him as a person and I’ve kept up with his career since.

I’m always surprised (or maybe not) when he is disparaged in the press or on TV. As a performer, he is peculiarly aware of his strengths and despite one or two wrong turns in his career, he remains an engaging talent and probably the vocalist of his generation and genre whose chops remain the strongest.
His latest tour plays to those strengths – spelling out the history of rock ‘n’ roll, and his interest in it, through versions of his favourite songs from the era before the interval and revisiting his own place in its annals in the second half of the show. Big Mama Thornton, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Bill Haley, – even Shane Fenton- their best known songs are all there. And the performer of the songs met most of them and played with some of them – quite a pedigree.

Weaknesses in the show? None that I can think of. The poster says a celebration of 50 years of rock ‘n’ roll and the show delivers exactly that. Inevitably, and quite rightly, Alvin’s hits are middle and centre – this is no tribute show – but it is the way that he understands and accurately places those songs in the flow of the music from the 50s and 60s which is so impressive.

His band is tight and inventive. He has Des Tong from Sad Cafe on bass and his long time guitarist Glyn Davies to handle the lead solos while Alvin himself handles the acoustic rhythms.

Choice of venue? A little too middle of the road for my tastes (The Beck Theatre, Hayes, for the record) with a slightly out-dated ban on cameras which means no pics from the show in this report.

After the show, I was able to catch up with Alvin (likeable as ever) and Des Tong. Sad Cafe were one of the very best live bands of their era and I could have traded stories with Mr Tong for a long time. Grateful thanks to him for chatting and answering my questions.

For me, as good as I’d expected perhaps better. For you, a surprisingly good night out if you can get past those preconceptions.

Yankees….Round Third Base and Heading for Home

Posted on November 20, 2008 by twilightdawning

In 2008, the Yankees used 6 men to man third base but it was always going to be Alex Rodriguez who dominated the position which he did, aside from some down time caused by injury. Here’s how he performed along with the others who were called upon in the position:

Alex Rodriguez (138 games). Rodriguez played 131 games at third base, the remaining seven he was used at designated hitter.

It was only partially because of his time on the disabled list that he fell short of his offensive figures of 2007. Despite his fairly even performance, he was slightly down on his own high standards:

		G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2007	NYY	158	583	143	183	31	0	54	156	376	95	120	24	4	.422	.645	.314
2008	NYY	138	510	104	154	33	0	35	103	292	65	117	18	3	.392	.573	.302

Frequency of strike outs was up and he showed less patience at the plate. Defensively he was as strong as ever with few errors.

The Yankee fans have him tabbed as someone who can’t performance in the post-season and this year there was no opportunity for him to prove them wrong or right – so that debate will have to wait.

Expect Rodriguez to man third base throughout the 2009 season and to be amongst the Yankees strongest performances. An everyday player.

Morgan Ensberg (28 games). He played at third base in 21 of his 28 appearances. Ensberg was a surprise in the opening day roster and few who fall in that category see the season out. His .233 average in April suggested that Ensberg wouldn’t buck that trend. His major opportunity came in May with Rodriguez injured and Gonzalez suffering at the plate. He failed to turn this to his advantage with his average on the month falling to .161 on the month. As a consequence, he lost playing time to Alberto Gonzalez who is the stronger player defensively. He was gone before June began and didn’t find another ML team willing to give him plate time.

Wilson Betemit (87 games). He played at third base in 20 of these games. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season. I hope he does well for the White Sox next year.

Alberto Gonzalez (28 games) He played at third base in parts of 20 games. I’ll say more about his season when I get to the shortstops.

Cody Ransom (33 games). He only manned third base on 4 occasions. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season.

Chad Moeller (41 games). This versatile player saw some time at third base in 3 games. I’ll say more about his season when I get to the catchers.

So A-Rod will be back at third base in 2009, but there will to be someone found to act as a back-up. Perhaps they’ll pick up someone as a minor addition to a trade.

Light and… Tragic

Posted on November 19, 2008 by twilightdawning

Occasionally, there’s going to be a disappointing concert that comes along and I’m afraid that tonight might be one of those.
Ladytron at Oxford Academy was probably the worst show I’ve seen this year.

The downside:

1. Poor sound with the vocals way too low in the mix. Ladytron’s strengths would seem, on their studio recordings, to be their analogue synths and their clear and crisp vocals. All of this was lost tonight. Even the introductions between songs were inaudible down the front.

2. Dreadful lighting. I could see the people in the audience more clearly than I could see anyone on the stage.

3. Lack of stage presence – leaving the band without a focus especially in the muggy light. Geeky dancing and little natural charisma.

The upside:

1. Some of the songs from "Velocifero", particularly the three they opened the set with (Black Cat, Runaway and Ghost), showed more potential than on disc where they sound a little flat.

Not a great night.

Yankees at second base …. but far from home

Posted on November 17, 2008 by twilightdawning

The Yankees used only 4 players at Second Base during the 2008 series. Here they are:

Robinson Cano (159 games). All Cano’s 159 games involved some time at Second Base although for three of them he entered the game as a pinch hitter before moving to that position. His previous years’ performances were the reason for the confidence they placed in him. The nadir of that confidence came when Girardi benched him for not running down infield hits.

Year	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2005	132	522	78	155	34	4	14	62	239	16	68	1	3	.320	.458	.297
2006	122	482	62	165	41	1	15	78	253	18	54	5	2	.365	.525	.342
2007	160	617	93	189	41	7	19	97	301	39	85	4	5	.353	.488	.306

With Cano you’re essentially looking at someone who hits singles well but this year he fell away in some major offensive categories

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2008	159	597	70	162	35	3	14	72	245	26	65	2	4	.305	.410	.271

Effectively, he produced less hits in 597 at-bats this year, than he had in 115 less turns at the plate in 2006

Question marks against Cano are such that if any team requested him as part of a trade then the Yankees wouldn’t need much persuading. In reality, this is unlikely to happen. Other teams are as likely to be as wary of his falling away as the Yankees are right now. Expect him to be in the line-up on opening day.

Alberto Gonzalez (28 games). Only 4 of Gonzalez’s 28 appearances in a New York shirt came at Second Base. I’ll say more about him when we get to the shortstops.

Wilson Betemit (87 games). Only 3 of Betemit’s appearances came at Second Base. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season. Update: Betemit’s time as a Yankee came to an end last week as he was a key piece in the trade that brought the White Sox’s Nick Swisher to the Bronx. This leaves the Yankees with the task of finding a suitable backup for the middle infield positions. Last season’s principal choices Betemit and Gonzalez are no longer around.

Cody Ransom (33 games). Only 2 of Ransom’s games involved time at Second Base. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season.

So Cano seems very likely to be the first choice second baseman, at least at the beginning of the season. Expect the Yankees to try and pick up a solid bench player during the off-season to help out at 2b, 3b and ss.