twilightdawning

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

All-Star Break # 1 – Adding insult………………….

Posted on July 16, 2008 by twilightdawning

There are many ways to consider the Yankees performance in the first half of the season. One of the main things to influence our performance (and put us in third place) is the extensive list of players who have spent time on the disabled list during this period. Here they are (in alphabetical order):

RHP Jonathan Albaladejo — Out for the season with a stress fracture in his right elbow. Albaladejo was a surprising breakthrough but he will have to do it all over again.

IF Wilson Betemit — Missed 19 games beginning on April 14 with corneal conjunctivitis, then was on the disabled list in May with a strained right hamstring. Fortunately, he’s come back a better player for the examinations he received during that time.

RHP Brian Bruney — Tore a ligament in his right foot in April; avoided surgery and could rejoin the Yankees in late July. We need him back and we need him to be the player that he was this season rather than the player he was at the end of last year.

OF Johnny Damon — Hit the disabled list for the first time in his career on July 6 with a sprain and contusion of the left joint of the left shoulder. His best-case return would be 15 days, and his throwing may be limited. The good money is that he will be out quite a bit longer.

1B Shelley Duncan — Separated his right shoulder while diving for a ball in a game at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and may be out for the season. Let’s face it, he was going nowhere before he was sent to Scranton.

RHP Phil Hughes — Has been on the disabled list since April 30 with a stress fracture in one of his ribs. He could return in August. Let’s hope the 2007 guy show’s up if he does make it back then.

SS Derek Jeter — Was hit in the left hand by a Daniel Cabrera fastball on May 20 and fell into an extended slump immediately after. Things have improved since then but he’s still not the Jeter of old.

RHP Ian Kennedy – Went to disabled list but there’s obviously far more going on here mechanically than a simple injury. I don’t expect to see him making a run at the Major Leagues before Spring Training

DH Hideki Matsui — Aggravated his left knee by playing the outfield for two games in Houston and is currently on the disabled list. Season-ending surgery is a possibility. He was the guy to cover for Damon’s aging legs. He can still hit but his fielding days might be behind him.

RHP Carl Pavano — Continuing to rehab from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and could be ready for a big league promotion in August. But why would you need to work for a living when you can earn all that money for doing nothing?

C Jorge Posada — Was on the disabled list from April 28 through June 3 with right rotator cuff tendinitis that curtailed his throwing. Since then has done far more at DH and 1B (!) since then. What’s that about? Girardi doesn’t trust his arm.

3B Alex Rodriguez — Missed 16 games with a strained right quadriceps after turning a strain into something more serious by rushing back. It was Rodriguez’s first stint on the DL since 2000. He’s one of the few who’s bounced back from injury.

RHP Humberto Sanchez — Currently pitching in the Minor Leagues, Sanchez (acquired from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield trade) could be considered for his big league debut in September. However, we are not holding our breath.

RHP Chien-Ming Wang — Suffered a partially torn tendon in his right foot on June 15 while running the bases in Houston. He is on crutches and is out until September. Along with Bruney and Damon, one of the three costly on-going absences which might cost us a spot in the post-season.

Dark Days at Yankee Stadium – Part 2

Posted on July 8, 2008 by twilightdawning

So now to look at the pitching in June.

Not much to say that is positive here either. However, given the scope of the injuries with both starters (Wang, Hughes, Kennedy) and relievers (Bruney, Britton) out, there is scope for improvement after the All-Star break.

Here’s the figures for the month. I’ve removed a couple of columns that proved confusing for some folks last month.

New York Yankees – Pitching – June

Name GP IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA

Ponson, Sidney         1  6.0  5  0  0  4  4 1 0  0   0.00  .238

Igawa, Kei             1  1.0  2  0  0  0  0 0 0  0   0.00  .500

Britton, Chris         2  2.1  2  0  0  0  2 0 0  0   0.00  .222

Rivera, Mariano       11 11.1  6  2  2  1 18 1 1  7   1.59  .154

Chamberlain, Joba      5 25.0 22  7  5 13 26 1 0  0   1.80  .239

Veras, Jose           13 13.2 12  3  3  7 14 2 0  0   1.98  .235

Mussina, Mike          5 34.0 33 12 12  5 25 2 2  0   3.18  .258

Giese, Dan             6 19.0 15 10  7  6 12 1 3  0   3.32  .208

Farnsworth, Kyle      11 10.2 11  4  4  4 12 1 1  1   3.38  .282

Pettitte, Andy         6 40.2 39 18 17  9 28 4 0  0   3.76  .255

Wang, Chien-Ming       3 16.2 18  8  7  6  9 2 0  0   3.78  .286

Hawkins, LaTroy        7 10.1 11  5  5  5  3 0 0  0   4.35  .289

Robertson, David       1  2.0  4  1  1  0  1 0 0  0   4.50  .500

Rasner, Darrell        6 32.0 47 24 23 11 24 1 5  0   6.47  .341

Patterson, Scott       1  1.1  1  1  1  2  2 0 0  0   6.75  .200

Ramirez, Edwar        11 11.0 10  9  9  6 13 0 0  0   7.36  .244

Ohlendorf, Ross        8  8.1 12  8  8  5  5 0 0  0   8.64  .333

Traber, Billy          3  1.2  2  2  2  0  1 0 0  0  10.80  .286

Pluses

Mariano Rivera. His worst month of the year and he’s still weighing in a 1.59 ERA and the best OBA on the team. Hall of Fame, Monument Park beckons. The best reliever I’ve ever seen.

Jose Veras. His ERA improves to 2.54 on the season as he produced a spartan 1.98 in June. Also took two wins on the month. He has become a vital cog in the machine that leads to Rivera.

Mike Mussina. It can no longer be described as a surprise but Moose is having a helluva comeback year. 2-2 on the month with 3.18 ERA puts him on track for a possible 20 win season. I would have settled for 10 after 2007.

Minuses

Ross Ohlendorf. Simply fell apart in June to the extent that he has had to go back to the minors to work on his pitches. Don’t know what this implies about the coaching staff at the major league level.

Darrell Rasner. In less injury-troubled times, Darrell would have been allowed a break from the starting rotation and gone to long relief. Again, it is troubling that the coaching staff in the Bronx are not able to help him with his confidence and his mechanics.

Edwar Ramirez. For the second season running, Ramirez looks the business on call-up and then wilts visibly as the batters get used to facing him. His 7.36 ERA on the month (compare to 2.90 on the season) is a little unlucky but even bad fortune can’t account for that bloating.

Surprises

Sidney Ponson. Well, he produced a great second debut. We all know that it is all downhill from here but he gave us one good game.

Kyle Farnsworth. Continues to survive the odd bad outing and bounced back from minor injuries to be a good part of a suffering staff. 3.38 ERA on the month.

Joba Chamberlain. Achieved his first win as a starter but the jury is still out on this transition. He only average five innings an outing in the month and most of the time was good enough to keep the Yankees in the game but not much more than that.

Dark Days at Yankee Stadium

Posted on July 6, 2008 by twilightdawning

So after the inter-league play thrust them back into contention, the Yankees have found it tough again against their regular American League opponents. The younger Steinbrenners are now unhappy with their offense and this time they’re right:

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – June

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG

Duncan, Shelley 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 2.000

Rodriguez, Alex 101 24 37 23 6 0 9 17 19 0 2 5 .366 .693

Damon, Johnny 102 12 37 10 4 2 0 11 15 0 0 5 .363 .441

Giambi, Jason 82 16 25 19 3 1 6 12 18 0 0 1 .305 .585

Jeter, Derek 110 20 33 10 8 0 2 12 13 2 0 1 .300 .427

Cano, Robinson 101 13 29 14 7 0 2 2 6 0 2 0 .287 .416

Matsui, Hideki 61 6 17 8 1 0 1 8 8 0 0 0 .279 .344

Moeller, Chad 11 2 3 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .273 .545

Posada, Jorge 63 5 17 9 5 0 2 13 13 0 1 0 .270 .444

Betemit, Wilson 45 9 12 9 4 0 3 1 14 0 1 0 .267 .556

Molina, Jose 35 4 9 4 2 0 0 3 8 2 1 0 .257 .314

Abreu, Bobby 103 15 26 17 6 0 3 12 14 0 0 6 .252 .398

Cabrera, Melky 102 8 21 8 2 0 1 12 16 1 0 3 .206 .255

Christian, Justin 15 2 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 .200 .267

Rasner, Darrell 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 .000 .000

Pettitte, Andy 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000

Ohlendorf, Ross 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000

Chamberlain, Joba 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 .000 .000

Wang, Chien-Ming 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .000 .000

Gonzalez, Alberto 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000

Mussina, Mike 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000

Ponson, Sidney 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 .000 .000

Gardner, Brett 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .000 .000

Pluses

Alex Rodriguez. With the bat he is once again the best player on the staff. He has hit 9 home runs in June well ahead of everyone on the team including:

Jason Giambi. No longer a surprise. Whether it was the mustache or just the right moment, Giambi broke out of the funk he was in and has become one of the best players on the team. .305 on the month with 6 home runs

Johnny Damon. Mr Damon has proved his ability and his commitment to the team over and over again this 
season. .363 batting average on the month even if his power numbers haven’t really been there.

Minuses

Melky Cabrera. Defensively solid but not pulling his weight with the bat. On the month, .206 batting, .255 slugging. It has to improve.

Alberto Gonzalez. Alberto’s time has almost passed. It’s hard for the Yankees to keep him around. He’s solid enough on defence but with Jeter and Rodriguez ahead of him, he needs to be able to pinch hit. 0 for 9 on the month settles the argument.

Jose Molina. Simply hasn’t repeated his performance of last year. If they decided to reduce the staff to two catchers, they would keep him but it would seem a little unfair on Moeller.

Surprises

Justin Christian. He came, he went. He did well on his debut but then he was gone too quickly. Gardner, his replacement, is not exactly setting the league alight. Thankfully but regrettably, injuries means that one or both of them is going to a real chance to prove himself.

Robinson Cano. Don’t how it became the case that Cano hitting is a surprise but the slump had gone on a long time. Now he’s collecting multi-hit games.

Bobby Abreu. It’s all gone quiet. With Matsui and maybe Damon injured, Abreu needs to rise above that .252 he’s produced on the month.

The poor remainder of the Andronici*

Posted on June 30, 2008 by twilightdawning

*quote from Act 5 Scene 3 Line 130

When I started reading and studying Titus Andronicus I thought I would spend about a month with it – in the end I’ve been working with it for more than double that time. When I started life seemed in a reasonable, steady place. At the moment life seems as bad as it can get. Time moves on but it is now time to put the book to bed.

In Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare has produced a play in which the themes and ideas are timeless. This is remarkable given that at times it has all but lost its audience. Moreover, he seems to have conceived that the themes should have a timeless applicability. I have already talked much in previous journal entries about the fact that the play shows that empires and nations rise and fall with the quality and morality of its people. They are not eternal. Consequently, the pattern of the play casts clear links between ancient Greek myth and the events which it sets in ancient Rome. However, the speakers constantly remind us that they are actors in a later day by the allusions to more contemporary events. This is Shakespeare’s way of showing that any society can fall as its people lose their way. Therefore, the players speak in the manner of people living in Reformation times even though they are ostensibly Romans watching their empire fall to the enemy they have defeated and brought within their walls.
Aaron, the villain of the piece, accuses Lucius (the coming emperor) of having a conscience which carries with it “twenty popish tricks and ceremonies” (5.1.76), a clear allusion to the vanquished Catholicism of Shakespeare’s time. At another point, a Goth explains his late arrival by saying that he “stray’d to gaze upon a ruinous monastery” (5.1.21). The “Romans and Goths” are walking in 16th century England and their fall is one that Shakespeare’s generation is also in danger of.

But what is the nature of this fall? As I mentioned in an earlier entry, the Romans have defeated the Goths at the beginning of the play but only by becoming like them. When Tamora (the Queen of the Goths) begs Titus for the life of her sons, he is deaf to her pleas. They are taken away to be sacrificed to the gods. Rome has lost its humanity and its compassion.

But life is not simple, the Goth leaders are as bad as they seem. Rome as indeed become like them. Rule cannot simply pass to them. Tamora and her remaining children and fellows are lost in a web of concealment. She loves the evil Aaron but has married Saturninus and proclaimed love for him in order to gain influence in Rome. When her offspring, Chiron and Demetrius are schooled by Aaron (and by extension by Tamora herself) in the idea of raping and molesting Lavinia, they are taught to cover their actions by the cutting out of Lavinia’s tongue and the cutting off of her hands.
But the plotters have overstepped themselves and Tamora gives birth to a baby who is clearly not Saturninus’ but rather Aaron’s. She describes it to her Nurse as a “dismal, black and sorrowful issue” (4.2.66) and the Nurse repeats her words to her lover, Aaron. She suggests that Aaron should “christen it with thy dagger’s point” (4.2.70). There is a lack of humanity in anyone who can speak like this of anyone especially their own child and even the vile Aaron cannot co-operate.

Consequently, the playwright must find a third party to pass the throne to at the play’s conclusion. After an orgy of death in Act 5 Scene 3 (the plays least convincing scene – all the remaining issues of the play are settled just a little too quickly by too many deaths), it passes to Lucius, the surviving son of Titus, who is watched from above by “the poor remainder of the Andronici” as he takes the crown. Ominously, he is watched also by the Goth army who remain silent – perhaps watching how things develop before deciding whether to support or overthrow him.

Ironically, whether the Empire of Rome will stand depends on whether the prominent leaders can regain their humanity and their compassion. Titus’ family departed from this when they sacrificed prisoners from among the Goths foolishly believing that the gods would be pleased with them (again, there are echoes of this in our own day). The new generation must now choose whether or not to hear the plea which Tamora gave at the outset of the tragedy: “Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods? Draw near them in being merciful”. (1.1.120-121).

People are crazy, times are strange…….

Posted on June 28, 2008 by twilightdawning

When I’m going through difficult times (like now) I tend to rely on music to get me through. One album that’s carrying me along at the moment is a Bob Dylan cd which has had a limited circulation. Although released as recently as 2001, it was only made for the Japanese market at the time that Dylan was about to tour there. Entitled Bob Dylan Live 1961-2000 – Thirty Nine Years of Great Concert Performances, it culls tracks, many that have not been on cd elsewhere, from all across his career.

So what’s on here?

Somebody Touched Me. Country gospel hymn recorded in 2000. His current set list could do with some of this kind of innovation to break it up a little.

Wade in the Water. More traditional gospel but this time recorded in 1961 – a long, long time before anyone was asking about his religious beliefs. Acoustic folk.

Handsome Molly. From 1962. The lyrics have echoes from something from Modern Times. Part of the Gaslight Tapes.

To Ramona. From 1965. Dylan works words like no-one else and this has him at his youthful best.

I Don’t Believe You. 1966. It used to sound like this…….. Dylan has gone electric and one of my favourite songs from the 1964 period is reworked and sent soaring.

Grand Coulee Dam. 1968. Recorded as a tribute to his mentor, Woody Guthrie.

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. 1974. One from an album that has been available forever. It was originally on “Before the Flood”. Along with the version on the “Hard to Handle” video performance this is my favourite of the live recordings of this classic track.

It Ain’t Me, Babe. Recorded during the filming of Renaldo and Clara and filled with all the ramshackle glory and energy that dominated the Rolling Thunder Revue.

Shelter From the Storm. 1976. Again commonly available on Hard Rain but let’s face it that’s an album you’re never going to need all of. This is one of the better moments from that album. I’d have gone for “I Threw it all Away” or “Idiot Wind” but this will do.

Dead Man, Dead Man. 1981. Everybody now realises that for an established artist to go on stage with a setlist made up entirely of new songs virtually never happens. We have realised too late that Dylan live during the Slow Train / Saved period was simply amazing. It’s time for a full release of one of those shows in the Bootleg Series. Until that happens, then a performance of this song from Shot of Love from the following tour will have to do. Very cool indeed.

Slow Train. 1987. Originally released on “Dylan and the Dead”, the live album from his tour with the Grateful Dead. No-one needs that whole album but this proves that if you dig deep enough there are golden nuggets even there.

Dignity. 1994. From “Unplugged” which is another album that you don’t really need. This song was originally left off “Oh Mercy”. Now for a song to be left off a Dylan album is the recipe for it to be regarded as a work of genius. For someone that his fans call a genius, they sure don’t trust his judgement. Indeed, this is a very good song but I’m not sure it would have added to the album. Great performance here.

Cold Irons Bound. 1997. The studio version was on “Time Out of Mind”. Here, it seems a little rootless but it is still a fine reading of this vital song.

Born in Time. 1998. “Under the Red Sky” is a neglected album which whilst some songs were under-realised, is still a very worthwhile record which Dylan obviously rates. This is a fine performance of a great song.

Country Pie. 2000. Just proves that Dylan songs don’t have to be profound and mean something. Originally on “Nashville Skyline”, this song just argues for the virtues of country music. You don’t have to agree with him to enjoy hearing the old guy having fun for once.

Things have Changed. 2000. Classic song. Like on the 1979 album, Dylan is waiting on the last train. Like in 1980 he tells us what is going to happen if the Bible is right. But times as well as things have changed by now and so this time we gave him an award. The song deserves it. The live performance shows Dylan working out the truth in his own words.

This Japanese album is difficult to find. You can get all the songs on iTunes but only if you buy all their Dylan collection. I can only say that, even so, they are well worth seeking out.

Reason to Believe

Posted on June 24, 2008 by twilightdawning

Music plays a fairly substantial part in my life in all kinds of shapes and forms. I listen to it, I write about it. Amongst the cds on fairly regular rotation over the last few days have been discs by Tom Scott, Danilo Perez, JD Souther, Rubicks and Mark Colby. A fair percentage of jazz mixed in there. All this while doing the final re-writes on my interview project with Richie Furay which has come together really well and about which various editors are proving very enthusiastic.

However, the album which has really been catching my attention today is an obscure disc by a band called Hearts and Flowers who had their moment in the sun in 1967-68 and are best remembered for being the second stopping point for Bernie Leadon. I think this was the second band of his illustrious career. He joined them for their second album “Of Horses, Children and Forgotten Women”. The band couldn’t decide whether they wanted to be The Byrds, early Simon & Garfunkel (think Wednesday Morning Three A.M.) or straight country. Folk-rock, then. Consequently, the albums are eclectic and a lot of fun with great harmonies and bags of energy and youthful enthusiasm. The songs include a cover of the Tim Hardin song I’ve used for the title of this journey entry, and bizarrely a version of “Two Little Boys” which was made famous a few years later here in the UK by wobble-board-playing Australian, Rolf Harris. Eclectic indeed.

Mostly the albums have been making me sit up and listen for all the right reasons but there are a couple of moments which have touched my funny bone. The guitar on the track “Now is the Time for Hearts & Flowers” and the backing vocals on “The View From Ward 3” (both on their first album) put me very much in mind of the vocals and guitar on that other forgotten classic of the ’60s “(Listen to) the Flower People” by the quite wonderful Spinal Tap. It’s hard to keep a straight face. I seem to have that clip from the rockumentary on regular playback in my head.

I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy – Baseball update

Posted on June 21, 2008 by twilightdawning

Team	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	46	30	.605	–
Tampa Bay	43	30	.589	1.5
NY Yankees	40	34	.541	5.0
Baltimore	38	34	.528	6.0
Toronto	35	40	.467	10.5

The Yankees are enjoying their best run of the season. They’ve simultaneously put themselves in the reckoning for the division title and the wild card. So who has made the difference?

Pluses

Johnny Damon. I’m still reeling from the day that Damon went six-for-six. He was the first Yankee to do this since 1934. He’s batting .331 on the season and .434 on the month. Last year, he seemed to be fading. This year he has bounced right back.

Alex Rodriguez. 14 home runs on the season. Batting .431 on the month. Slugging .629 on the season, .831 on the month. He’s on a real tear.

Jorge Posada. He’s back. He’s more than holding his own. He’s lifted the weight off Molina. He’s being patient at the plate. ‘Nuff said.

Mariano Rivera. Early in June, he encountered his first wobbles of the season. Two home runs in consecutive games. He’s overcome that problem. His ERA on the month is now back down to 2.00. He’s just picked up his twentieth save of the season.

Jose Veras. Prone to injuries and inconsistent since he joined the Yankees, I’d placed him down amongst the also-rans and was looking forward to the day when the Yankees could consider letting him go. 2 wins and a 1.93 ERA on the month so far has turned all that around.

Mike Mussina. Despite yesterday’s defeat against the Reds, you have to acknowledge that the aging Moose has exceeded all expectations. Like Damon, there were real doubts about him coming into the season. That he has 10 wins prior to All Star day is simply outstanding.

Minuses

Melky Cabrera. He’s still inconsistent at the plate. .215 on the month. His fielding makes him a regular but he’s number 4 of the regular outfielders at the moment.

Bobby Abreu. He’s had a pretty good year but the last two weeks have been his worst – just when the team are at their best.

Alberto Gonzalez. He was called up to replace Shelley Duncan who was not getting any playing time and must be fast running out of chances. Shame is the same can be said for Gonzalez. 5 at-bats since his call up and he’s just swinging at air.

Edwar Ramirez. He has gone from a plus to a minus very quickly. In 6 games in June, he has produced a 9.00 ERA. Fortunately, the rest of the bullpen is more than holding its own but he needs to turn it around.

Surprises

Jason Giambi. He has consistently hit for power since he pulled himself out of his early season funk but now he’s boosting his average too. .314 average in June so far.

Chad Moeller. The big surprise is that he is giving Cashman a reason to keep him in the Bronx and to carry three catchers. He’s proving a good pinch-hitter and it seems that until we’re 100% sure that Posada is going to have no more problems, then we’re not going to risk losing him entirely.

Wilson Betemit. He’s bounced back from injury and he’s holding his own. At the start of the year, given the choice between Duncan, Gonzalez and Betemit for the utility infielder, I would have placed Betemit third. Now, he is showing he is the most useful by some distance.

LaTroy Hawkins. He is doing well in June but the surprise is that the Yankees aren’t trusting him with the ball. So early in his time at the Yankees, this doesn’t bode well for a long term future in the Bronx.

Chris Britton. Like Bruney, he achieved more than expected and then got injured. His 1.29 ERA (0.00 in June) would hopefully have led to a regular spot but he’ll have to prove himself all over again, now.

Dan Giese. Where did this guy come from? Patterson was called up for one day and then replaced by Giese. It seemed like Giese wasn’t going to stay but he had just been called up to allow Patterson time to rest without relying on the relatively small number of pitchers we’re carrying. However Giese did better than Patterson had and just kept over-performing. Tonight, he has a start because of the injury to Chien-Ming Wang. I’m surprised.

Joba Chamberlain. Well, he still not making wins but he’s adapting quicker than I’d anticipated and he’s not losing. It’s enough for now.

Darrell Rasner. Seems to have lost his consistency. Hasn’t had the run support that Mussina has had but his head is beginning to drop a little and we need to take care of this guy if the rotation is going to hold together.

Billy Traber. I thought we’d seen the last of Traber but because of the injury situation, he’s got another chance. We need him to take that chance.

Fool, if you think…….

Posted on June 13, 2008 by twilightdawning

One of the great trademarks of Shakespeare’s plays is the way that the fools and clowns of the various plays are the deliverers of so much wit and wisdom. From the erudite fool in King Lear via the midpoint of the humour of the Porter in MacBeth to the comic turn that is Launcelot Gobbo in Merchant of Venice, the collected works are full of them.

So you’d expect that there would be a fool in Titus Andronicus and indeed there is and we’ve not yet looked at his role. The simply-named “Clown” does not arrive on the scene until Act 4 Scene 3, line 76.1. He is asked by Titus to deliver a message to Saturninus, the Emperor. He tells us no hidden truth and aside from one strong joke which would be understood by the audience of the day, he has no particularly witty words to give us and he understands less. By scene 4 of the same Act, he delivers his message and by line 48 of that scene he is led away to his death. Don’t shoot the messenger, indeed!

If this was a late play in the Shakespearean writings, then you might think that old Will is ironically dispelling our expectations. After a career of using the fools of the theatre company to deliver insight, here is one who has nothing to say and only a brief moment upon the stage ending in his own death. But Titus Andronicus, as far as we know, is the earliest of the Shakespearean tragedies. So what are we to understand through this?

Well, perhaps, Shakespeare is pointing out that in corrupt society even truth dies. Even the hidden channels by which truth sometimes comes are closed off. In the scene that has Clown’s appearance, old Andronicus is firing arrows into the heavens (no mean feat with one good arm) with messages attached, hoping to contact the Divine who seems to have hidden his face. He then proceeds to fire them towards the Emperor’s palace in the hope of at least notifying him of his complaint. Neither tactic seems to produce much (except a bird that falls from the heavens) so Titus depends on the Clown to deliver his message for him.

The final channel for truth in this corrupt society is stopped and is hung upon the gallows. Redemption, if there is any, must come from without.

Will you still have a song to sing when the razor boy comes and takes your fancy things away……

Posted on June 12, 2008 by twilightdawning

So I’m into my seventh week of hanging around with Titus Andronicus. If you’ve seen me on the tube, I bet I was reading Titus Androncius. If you’ve seen behind a plate of food, I’d guess that Titus Andronicus was there too. And everywhere that me and my trusty “Steely Dan – Everything Must Go” bag have gone, well, Titus Andronicus was right along with us. But I’m coming towards an end. I’ve read everything I can find that’s related to it. I’ve absorbed the text and I guess I only have two or three more journal entries to bore you with. One of which is here and now……

So if you read the play or you’ve read one of my musings on the subject, you’ll remember that one of the key events of the story is the rape and mutilation of Titus’ daughter, Lavinia. The play was one of the most popular of his works during Shakespeare’s lifetime. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the play was virtually unstageable. It was thought to be indecorous. It was thought to be in bad taste. When Peter Brook directed it with Laurence Olivier in the 1950s, he was credited with saving “this dreadful play”. I’ve already mentioned T.S. Eliot’s condemnation in a previous journal entry.

But I think that it is a great play (as if my voice matters!) and every major production of the last century has been (or seems to have been) a landmark in the history of Shakespearean theatre.

I think that is obvious that the root of these widely divergent views lies in the aforementioned rape and mutilation (mercifully, portrayed offstage) but also in the depiction od the reaction to these crimes.

If Shakespeare was living in the 21st century and if he was a film director, there is no doubt that the revealing of Lavinia after her assault would be done at the end of the scene rather than at a beginning. Also, there seems little doubt that the reaction to her assault would include many meaningful silences, mood-driven stares and tears. But the standards of the theatre of his day were the standards of his day and it is how the play works within these standards that we must judge it. In a Shakespearean script there are no silences, there are no pregnant pauses. There are only words and a very minimum of stage directions. The convention was for three, four, five acts with a few scenes with in each and so there is no space for us to withdraw and find out how the family has dealt with these horrendous events months later. The story is the thing and the action must roll remorsefully on. And there are always words and more words. But what words do you speak when you are presented with your daughter raped and with both hands cut off. There are none that are fit and certainly none that Shakespeare had. So instead he concentrates not on the emotion of the moment but what the mutilation means. And this he does very well indeed.

Marcus: This was thy daughter
Titus: Why, Marcus, so she is

Marcus’ (Titus’ brother) use of the past tense implies that Lavinia is less than she was before the assault – perhaps that in her current physical state, she has become less than human. Titus is the voice of compassion. He knows that she is still what she was before but great violence has been done to her. She has not lost her honour or womanhood. Others have tried to take them from her and they have failed but he cannot help with the shame feels. And to reckon all of these things is hard and Titus loses his sanity. His mind breaks. In the process, Shakespeare teaches us that there are no great nations, no great empires, by definition – only nations that are great for a time because they are driven by great and moral men. The Romans, in the story, have already adopted the morality of the Goth people they have defeated – they had to descend to their level in order to win the war but now Lucius, son of Titus, most leave Rome to keep his life and to avoid being part of the dreadful decline that has begun.

Shakespeare shows us that the pattern of people’s lives doesn’t change across the century. He uses Ovid’s depiction of Ancient Greece (another empire that came to naught) and it’s mythology to show that the pattern that was then was re-occurring in Rome and perhaps by extension that it was capable of happening in his own generation — and therefore, as we read today, in ours.

Chiron (son of the Goth queen) declares in an earlier scene: “I love Lavinia more than all the world”. He has confused love with lust. And he satisfies that “love” through rape. Sex is debased in a society that is debased. Lives are destroyed. And eventually a new kingdom arises. And men have the chance to fail again….. or even succeed, perhaps.

Talkin’ Baseball (part 2) – The pitchers

Posted on June 2, 2008 by twilightdawning

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – May

Name                    IP  H RA ER BB SO W L Sv NOP NOS    ERA   OBA

Rivera, Mariano       14.0  7  1  1  2 13 1 1  7  50  48   0.64  .146

Ramirez, Edwar        11.2  8  1  1  6 10 1 0  0  49  43   0.77  .186

Rasner, Darrell       25.0 19  5  5  3 14 3 1  0  95  92   1.80  .209

Britton, Chris         4.2  1  1  1  4  0 0 0  0  19  15   1.93  .067

Chamberlain, Joba     12.1  8  4  4  8 16 0 1  0  52  44   2.92  .186

Mussina, Mike         29.0 34 20 12  5 21 5 1  0 126 120   3.72  .283

Veras, Jose           11.2  9  5  5  2  9 0 0  0  46  44   3.86  .205

Pettitte, Andy        29.0 36 14 14  6 30 2 2  0 128 121   4.34  .300

Farnsworth, Kyle      12.0 13  6  6  4  8 0 0  0  50  46   4.50  .295

Wang, Chien-Ming      39.1 37 22 22 18 18 1 2  0 171 153   5.03  .248

Hawkins, LaTroy        8.1  7  5  5  3  8 0 1  0  34  31   5.40  .226

Kennedy, Ian          18.2 18 14 13  7 11 0 1  0  82  74   6.27  .250

Ohlendorf, Ross       11.2 17 11  9  5 11 1 0  0  57  52   6.94  .327

Albaladejo, Jonathan   5.0  9  4  4  3  5 0 1  0  24  21   7.20  .450

Igawa, Kei             3.0 11  6  6  0  0 0 1  0  20  20  18.00  .579

New York Yankees – Pitching – whole season

Name                    IP  H RA ER BB SO W L Sv NOP NOS   ERA  OBA

Rivera, Mariano       25.0 11  1  1  2 24 1 1 15  87  85  0.36 .131

Ramirez, Edwar        16.0 11  1  1  7 15 1 0  0  67  59  0.56 .186

Bruney, Brian         11.1  7  2  2  6 12 1 0  1  48  41  1.59 .175

Rasner, Darrell       25.0 19  5  5  3 14 3 1  0  95  92  1.80 .209

Britton, Chris         4.2  1  1  1  4  0 0 0  0  19  15  1.93 .067

Chamberlain, Joba     23.2 16  6  6 11 30 1 2  0  96  85  2.28 .190

Veras, Jose           11.2  9  5  5  2  9 0 0  0  46  44  3.86 .205

Albaladejo, Jonathan  13.2 15  6  6  6 13 0 1  0  58  52  3.95 .294

Pettitte, Andy        65.2 77 33 30 17 50 5 5  0 285 265  4.11 .294

Wang, Chien-Ming      78.1 72 36 36 29 45 6 2  0 332 302  4.14 .242

Mussina, Mike         61.1 70 38 29 10 33 8 4  0 261 247  4.26 .286

Farnsworth, Kyle      25.1 28 12 12  9 22 0 1  0 106  97  4.26 .295

Traber, Billy          8.0  9  4  4  5  6 0 0  0  38  31  4.50 .290

Ohlendorf, Ross       31.2 38 23 21 14 31 1 1  0 146 131  5.97 .290

Hawkins, LaTroy       24.0 25 18 18 10 15 1 1  0 101  91  6.75 .278

Kennedy, Ian          37.2 41 32 31 24 26 0 3  0 177 152  7.41 .279

Hughes, Phil          22.0 34 23 22 13 13 0 4  0 110  96  9.00 .362

Igawa, Kei             3.0 11  6  6  0  0 0 1  0  20  20 18.00 .579

Pluses

Mariano Rivera. There is never going to be enough to say about this guy. 25 innings pitched and 1 run given up. And he does this season after season. A marvellous May to follow on from an astounding April.

Edwar Ramirez. Wasn’t reckoned good enough to make the opening day roster but has hardly put a foot wrong since being called up. 0.77 ERA in May continues the trend.

Mike Mussina. Took five wins in May after a struggle in April. The surprise is that I thought his performance in April was as good as the Yankees could hope from the aging starter.

Minuses

Kei Igawa. What a washout this guy has been. Huge contract. 2nd year at the club. Fourth visit to the majors. One weak game (3 innings, 6 runs) and then back to Scranton.

Ian Kennedy. One good start but then back to the standard he has produced most of the season and now to the disabled list. He had a slightly better May, statistically speaking, but it was still pretty horrible.

LaTroy Hawkins. Was meant to be one of the mainstays of the bullpen this year but the 8 1/3 innings he was given throughout the whole month show how much confidence in him has already begun to slip.

Surprises

Kyle Farnsworth. Perhaps Mr Farnsworth is finally coming good. The statistics don’t quite capture it but he has settled well this month and has been dependable in the majority of his appearances.

Joba Chamberlain. He will be promoted (if that’s the word) to the starting rotation in early June. It’s a surprising risk to take brought about by ownership pressure. We’ll see what happens.

Chris Britton. The surprise is that this guy has not become a regular on the roster yet. He is a frequent flyer between the majors and triple-A despite a 1.93 ERA this month. Surely he is a better bet on current form than Hawkins and as good as Veras. Hope they let him stay around for a while this time.