Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Diggin in the Crates Vol 2

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Suggested Reading

Alex:
Ray Negron part 1 2 3 4
Dad, Reggie and Me
Slaughterhouse Five
Way Out in Brooklyn
Heat Fave
Passing
Love, Death and Baseball

Cliff:
The Ugly Truth About the New Yankee Stadium
First-Half Review
2008 Draft Roundup
July Farm Report
2008 Campers
All-Star Game: 1977, 2008
The Holy "Trinity": 1904 1949
Yankees by the Numbers
SportsIllustrated.com archive

Other Writing

Alex:
Strikes and Gutters: A Year with the Coen Brothers: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
My 20 Favorite Hip Hop Albums
Greatest Singles from Hip Hop's Golden Era (1986-1994)
Ten Neglected Hip Hop Classics

Cliff:
Tin Ear
Pazz & Jop ballots: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 (post), 2002, 2001
Clem Snide
Eminem
Sleater-Kinney

Bronx Banter Interviews

Roger Angell
Allen Barra
Jim Bouton
Howard Bryant: Part 1, Part 2
Ken Burns: Part 1, Part 2
Will Carroll
Ethan Coen
Harvey Frommer
Malcom Gladwell
Bill James
Pat Jordan
Chuck Korr: Part 1 Part 2
Jane Leavy
Michael Lewis
Tim Marchman
Marvin Miller
Rob Neyer: Part 1, Part 2
Buster Olney: April 2003, Sept. 2004
Buck O'Neil
Joe Posnanski
Alan Schwarz
Joel Sherman
Tom Verducci

Excerpts

Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant Part 1 Part 2
Forging Genius by Steven Goldman Part 1 Part 2
How About That! by Stephen Borelli
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner
Clemente by David Maraniss
The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanaski
Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson:
Yankee Century: Part 1 Part 2
Red Sox Century: 1 2 3 4
The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball

Players

Major Leauge Roster:

Infielders:
J. Giambi BR BP E MLB
R. Cano BR BP E MLB
D. Jeter BR BP E MLB
A. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
W. Betemit BR BP E MLB mi
C. Ransom BR BP E MLB mi
J. Miranda BR BC mi

Outfielders:
B. Abreu BR BP E MLB
J. Damon BR BP E MLB
X. Nady BR BP E MLB
H. Matsui BR BP E MLB mi
B. Gardner BR E MLB mi
M. Cabrera BR BP E MLB mi

Catchers:
I. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
J. Molina BR BP E MLB
C. Moeller BR BP E MLB mi
F. Cervelli BR BC mi

Starting Pitchers:
M. Mussina BR BP BC E
A. Pettitte (L) BR BP BC E
P. Hughes BR BP BC E mi
C. Pavano BR BP BC E mi
A. Aceves BR E mi

Relief Pitchers:
M. Rivera BR BP BC E
J. Chamberlain BR BP BC E
D. Marte (L) BR BP BC E
J. Veras BR BP BC E mi
E. Ramirez BR BP BC E mi
B. Bruney BR BP BC E mi
D. Giese BR BP BC E mi
C. Britton BR BP BC E mi
P. Coke (L) BR BC E mi
D. Rasner BR BP BC E mi
S. Ponson BR BP BC E mi
D. Robertson BR BC E mi
H. Sanchez BC mi

15-day DL:
C. Wang BR BP BC E
60-day DL:
J. Posada BR BP E MLB
J. Albaladejo BR BP BC E mi
A. Brackman BC

Coaches:
J. Girardi (Mgr) BR BP BC
R. Thomson (Bench) BC
Kevin Long (Hit) BR
D. Eiland (Pitch) BR BP BC
B. Meacham (3B) BR BP BC
T. Peña (1B) BR BP BC
M. Harkey (Pen) BR BP BC

40-man Roster:
AAA
S. Duncan BR BP E MLB mi
J. Christian BR BP E MLB mi
I. Kennedy BR BP BC E mi
C. Wright (L) BR BP BC E mi
J. Marquez BR BC mi

Designated for Assignment:
B. Traber (L) BR BP BC E mi

Select Minor Leaguers:

AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees:
B. Castro BR mi DL
C. Basak BR BP BC E MLB mi
E. Duncan BC mi
N. Green BR mi
B. Broussard BR mi
M. Carson BC mi
C. Stewart BR BP E MLB mi
J. Brown BC mi DL
K. Igawa (L) BR BP BC E JB mi
M. Melancon BC mi
J.B. Cox BC mi
S. Strickland BR BC mi
S. Jackson BC mi
E. Milton BR BC mi DL
V. Zambrano BR BC mi DL

AA Trenton Thunder:
K. Russo BR mi
R. Peña BC mi DL
C. Malec BC mi
M. Vechionacci BC mi DL
A. Jackson BC mi
C. Curtis BC mi
E. Gonzalez BR mi
P.J. Pilittere BC mi
J. Jones BC mi
G. Kontos BC mi
J. Nuñez BC mi
B. Smith BC mi DL
A. Claggett BC mi
O. Perez BR BC mi
M. Gardner BC mi
K. Whelan BC mi
W. Arias (L) BC mi

A Tampa Yankees:
E. Nuñez BC mi
C.J. Henry BC mi DL
T. Battle BC mi
K. Anson BC mi
J. Gil BC mi
A. Horne BC mi DL
Z. McAllister BC mi
W. De La Rosa (L) BC mi
C. Garcia BC mi

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:
J. Snyder BC mi
M. Cusick BC mi
B. Suttle BC mi
A. Romine BC mi
J. Montero BC mi
D. Betances BC mi
J. Heredia BC mi
J. Ortiz BC mi
C. Heyer BC mi

Low-A Staten Island Yankees:
D. Adams mi
P. Venditte mi

Rookie Gulf Coast Yankees:
C. Joseph mi
C. Smith mi
K. Higashioka mi

Key:
BR = Baseball-Reference
BP = Baseball Prospectus
BC = Baseball Cube (past mL stats)
mi = MiLB.com (current mL stats)
E = ESPN (current splits, game logs)
MLB = MLB.com hit charts
JB = Japanese Baseball.com

The Recently Departed

2008 Yankees:
R. Sexson BR BP E MLB
M. Ensberg BR BP E MLB CLE mL
A. Gonzalez BR BP E MLB mi WAS
K. Farnsworth BR BP BC E DET
L. Hawkins BR BP BC E HOU
S. Patterson BR BC mi SD

Nady/Marte Trade:
J. Tabata BC mi
J. Karstens BR BP BC E mi
R. Ohlendorf BR BP BC E
D. McCutchen BC mi

2008 Campers/mLers:
C. Woodward BR BP BC E MLB PHI mL
J. Lane BR mi BOS mL
G. Porter BC mi WAS mL
J.D. Closser BR mi SD mL
S. Henn (L) BR BP BC E mi SD
H. Phillips (L) BR BC mi TB mL
S. White BR BC mi

2007 Yankees:
J. Torre (Mgr) BR BP BC LAD
D. Mientkiewicz BR BP BC E MLB PIT
A. Phillips BR BP BC E MLB mi CIN
J. Phelps BR BP BC E MLB STL
M. Cairo BR BP BC E MLB SEA
K. Thompson BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT
B. Sardinha BC mi SEA mL
W. Nieves BR BP BC E MLB WAS
R. Clemens BR BP BC E mi
T. Clippard BR BP BC E mi WAS
L. Vizcaino BR BP BC E COL $7.5m/2yrs
M. DeSalvo BR BP BC E mi ATL mL
M. Myers (L) BR BP BC E LAD mL
R. Villone (L) BR BP BC E mi STL
S. Proctor BR BP BC E LAD
J. Brower BR BP BC E mi CIN mL
C. Bean BR BP BC E mi ATL mL

2007 Campers and mLers:
E. Durazo BR BP BC E MLB mi
A. Cannizaro BR BP BC E MLB mi TB mL
A. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi LAD mL
K. Reese BR BP BC E MLB mi
R. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT mL
O. Santos BC mi BAL mL
T. Pratt BR BP BC E MLB
T.J. Beam BR BP BC E mi PIT mL
B. Kozlowski (L) BR BP BC E mi Japan

Molina Trade:
J. Kennard BC mi

Abreu Trade
M. Smith (L) BR BP BC E mi PHI
C. Monasterios BC mi PHI
J. Sanchez mi PHI

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Diggin in the Crates Vol 2

2008-07-02 10:11

by Alex Belth

I always wanted an older sybling as a kid. That wss the best way to learn about cool music, or so it seemed to me. My parents had a decent-sized record collection but my father did not like Rock n Roll. He was always too grown for that. My mom did, however, she didn't buy many albums, so the hardest-rockin records we owned were Simon and Garfunkel, Judy Collins and A Hard Day's Night (and the only reason we had that was because Dad was friends with one of the actors in the movie). Most of the vinyl in our house was comprised of original cast recordings--My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, The King and I, West Side Story, A Chorus Line. My twin sister became an avid fan of the Musical Theater, while I...did not.

There were a handful of comedy records however (Tom Leherer, Peter Sellers, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner), none more enticing than this one, Bill Cosby's third album, released in 1965. First of all, there is cover, with a young Cosby, the most amiable-looking of guys. Two, the title fascinated me. I mean, when you are seven-years old there aren't many deeper philosophical questions than the simple ones--"Yeah, why is there air anyway?" (One of the other Cosby records we had, I Started Out as a Child, struck me as being very deep too.)

Above all, there was Cosby's material, instantly accessible and appealing. The man simply sounded funny. He made my father laugh and that was a big deal. At a time when my father was often sullen, his moods increasingly dark due to too much drink, listening to him laugh was a thrill. It was exciting to see him happy, if only for a moment. My father laughed from the gut--it was an almost violent reaction. He laughed loudly and his face would turn red. I remember being both charged-up by the force of his laughter and also frightened. Mostly, I recall sharing something with him. Being connected by laughter. If he thought Cosby was funny, it was okay for me to laugh as well. To this day, when I listen to this record, I can tell you where my dad laughed.

Here is one routine from the album. Enjoy.

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Comments

2008-07-02 10:33:47

1. Shaun P

I haven't listened to any of Cosby's comedy stuff, except one show from 1983(?) that HBO replays some times. I loved "The Cobsy Show" though; it always made everyone in my house laugh out loud. Even my mother, who, to this day, does not understand why Cheers, Taxi, the Simpsons, Seinfeld, Frasier, etc. were/are soooo damn funny.

Now, as a parent myself, I enjoy "The Cosby Show" in a whole different way. I guess I ought to check out Cosby's early stuff too. Thanks, Alex.

2008-07-02 10:34:24

2. Cliff Corcoran

Nice. I just picked up this LP plus "Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow . . . Right!" and "Revenge" on vacation. About 90 cents each.

2008-07-02 10:36:49

3. Cliff Corcoran

1 that one show you refer to is "Bill Cosby: Himself," which for my money is one of the greatest standup performances of all time (even if Cos does sit through most of it). The first season, if not the first two, of the Cosby Show was almost entirely based on his routines from that special. I'd own Bill Cosby Himself on DVD if it' weren't for the fact that I can still recite almost all of it verbatim.

2008-07-02 10:45:35

4. Jon Weisman

I listened to Cosby endlessly as a kid. Memorized his routines. I had a big collection of tapes of his that were lost when our basement flooded during the Northridge earthquake.

2008-07-02 10:56:40

5. Shaun P

3 Ah ha - that's the one! Its similarity to the first two years of the The Cosby Show might explain why I enjoyed "Himself" so much.

My favorite part is when he talks about dentists, which is on YouTube:

http://tinyurl.com/2cwtj7

When searching I also found his Noah's Ark routine (from "A Very Funny Fellow" wikipedia tells me). I totally forgot about this skit! One of the nuns who taught me in elementary school played this for my class; the principal (the head nun) later gave her a bit of hell for it, and told her that "the classroom is no place for modern comedy." Ah, Catholic elementary school . . . good times!

http://tinyurl.com/2c7acj

2008-07-02 10:58:45

6. Alex Belth

Cliff, those are his first two that you picked up. Great football toss bit, Noah, etc. I think his best early period record is "Wonderfullness" though my favorit is probably "To My Brother Russell, Whom I Sletp With," half of which is devoted to one long routine about sleeping in bed with his brother.

2008-07-02 11:03:35

7. Alex Belth

I saw Cosby live during the "Himself" tour, which, as Cliff noted, was the premise for his show. That show is also notable for one of the few off-color jokes Cos ever told, and it's a good one...

2008-07-02 11:16:50

8. cult of basebaal

dad is great, give us the chocolate cake!

2008-07-02 11:39:01

9. Alex Belth

Another one of my favorites is hard-to-find..."Disco Bill," the only one of his singing records that I liked even a little bit. It's not great, but does include the minor classics, "Don't Boogie on My Face," and "What You Think About Lickin' My Chicken?"

2008-07-02 11:39:51

10. domvjr

Woody Allen's double album of his stand up, and Robert Klein's "Child of the 50's" are two of my favorite comedy lp's. You really don't hear much of Woody's stand up days, but if you can find this record out there, I would highly recommend it.
Being a child of the 50's Kleins bits resonate with some of my childhood experience. Only I didn't grow up in the City!

2008-07-02 11:41:21

11. Cliff Corcoran

6 Yeah, I know. I had "Russell" already and had been on the lookout for the others. I still need Wonderfulness and I Started Out as a Child.

9 I always like his version of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight"

2008-07-02 11:57:09

12. Alex Belth

Cliff, I never heard that. Sounds promising.

Oh man, the Woody double lp (subject for another installment of ditc) was a bible for me growing up, some of the Wood Man's best stuff.

2008-07-02 12:19:03

13. Rob Middletown CT

""Bill Cosby: Himself" is absolutely hysterical, and all the more impressive b/c he's so clean about it.

I'm no moral crusader on this - I liked Carlin too and I swear like a sailor. But I think it's cool that Bill can be so funny without profanity. Skills, man.

2008-07-02 12:24:10

14. pistolpete

My favorite Cosby records, in order (parents had a big crate full of em', what a treasure trove for a 10 year old):

1.) Wonderfulness (must have listened to 'Chicken Heart' 200 times in a year's time)
2.) Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right! (Loved the setup on 'Superman' and 'Pep Talk')
3.) I Started out as a Child (check out 'Ralph Jameson' - very unconventional Cosby track)
4.) Why is There Air? (Never knew what Midol was at the time, but 'The Toothache' was still hysterical)
5.) Revenge (Junior Baaaahhhhhrrnnness....you gunky!)
6.) To Russell... (the title track could have been my brother and I growing up)
7.) Himself (everyone knows this one, and maybe it doesn't rank higher for me because I'd seen the HBO special so many times I got burned out on it)
8.) My Father Confused Me... (actually has the 'Dentist' and 'Dudes on Dope' routines that were made more famous by the 'Himself' special.
9.) 200mph (another long title track, classic Cosby build-up)
10.) It's True! It's True! (great track - 'Mr. Ike' - about life in the early days of television)

I have about 4 or 5 more (some had to be downloaded for lack of availability), but a lot of it is retreads/reworkings of the older stuff. "Oh Baby" was really the last true comedy album (1991), nothing really memorable save for the skiing routine.

2008-07-02 15:49:03

15. yankster

I don't know how or why since I wasn't born when most of the early Cosby came out, and I certainly never had a tape of it, but Cosby was THE defining source of wisdom for me growing up. I also know many of these routines by heart, which is why I'm surprised that while listening to the youtube selection, I just managed to laugh so hard that I blew my green tea and oreos through my nose - which sucks, cause I'm not 12 anymore - I'm at serious suit-wearing work and my keyboard is now funked up.

genius! Thanks for the post.

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