SZ661

BY JIM DAWSON

MAY 8, 2017

BOMBS AWAY - RED SOX BATS EXPLODE

Right about the time that sports reporters were questioning the Red Sox lineup’s lack of home runs, Boston exploded against the Twins. Three homers on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. Yes it was the Twins pitching, but that included Ervin Santana who came in with the lowest starting ERA in baseball (0.66). Pedroia, Benintendi, Betts and Leon all took Santana deep before he departed after 6, ERA at 1.72.

So the stat I saw on NESN was that the Red Sox hit 7 homers in their first 17 games, but 20 in the last 14 games. So those who worried about the lack of home run support can harp on something else. Look at this lineup. The 4 Killer Bees all could hit 25-30 homers, even Jackie Bradley, Jr., off to a slow start. Add Hanley and Moreland and they’re good for 25 each. Sandy Leon busted out big, hitting 3 homers in two days, but it’d be unrealistic to expect that to occur often. Homers no problem, mon. Doubles too.

Chris Sale, coming in with the 2^nd best ERA in MLB (1.38), had his worst start but still struck out 10 for the 6^th game in a row. Per NESN, Sale leads the majors in strikeouts and has 20 more than Clayton Kershaw who’s in 2^nd place. The Sox offset Sale’s 4 earned runs with 6 of their own before adding on. The 9^th was pig piling. As Bill Belichick says, do it until the other team stops you.

On Saturday, the Sox had an 8-run inning. On Sunday, they had a 10-run inning, though it came in the 9^th after a nail biter 8^th, Craig Kimbrel facing the tying run at 3^rd and 1 out. A huge save, which Kimbrel didn’t get because wisely there was no need to go out for the 9^th with an 11-run lead.

The Sox starting pitching has been good, including Rodriguez and Pomeranz. Hopefully, David Price is back at the end of May. The Red Sox could go on a tear after running in place up until now. So, on to Milwaukee and old friend Travis Shaw who is batting cleanup, hitting .263 but with 7 HRs and 24 RBI.

BULLETS

• For baseball fans: what was the longest game in major league history? Answer at the bottom of this Bullets column.

• When the ‘N’ word is used at Fenway Park, I would hope that fans sitting nearby would alert security. This is intolerable. Center Fielder Adam Jones of the Orioles complained of that recently and added that someone threw a bag of peanuts at him. Reportedly the bag thrower was removed and someone who used that racial slur. Then Curt Schilling comes out, calls Jones a liar, and suggests it never happened. First, shut up Schilling! You have lost all credibility. You are part of the problem. As Bob Marley once sang, “Get up. Stand up. Stand up for your rights”. The right to oppose bigotry.

• The other day, Brad Stevens, a young, smart coach, made the mistake of saying that the Celtics were lucky to win the first two games against the Wizards. Can you imagine Bill Belichick ever saying the like? Never give the enemy a bullet. Danny, go talk to Brad.

• The Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato (5/7) had this stat re batters with two strike hits from 2015-2017: Xander Bogaerts leads in two strike hits with a .248 BA. Next is Paul Goldschmidt (.241), Nolan Arenado (.234), Mookie Betts (.233),Mike Trout (.231).

• It’s yachting, but the British team that is in Bermuda (where the America’s Cup race starts) brought a robot designed to vacuum up lionfish at depths that divers can’t reach. The lionfish is an invasive species with no natural predators. The robot is designed by RSE (Robots in Service of the Environment). It emits an electric charge that stuns the lionfish which is then sucked into the robot. It can capture 10 on a dive. Making the lionfish a popular seafood choice is the goal for control. (NYT/Chris Clarey - 4/17)

• May 2 the ProJo noted that it was the anniversary of Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908) being published. The lyrics were by Jack Norvath and the music by Albert Von Tilzer. When the song was composed, neither had been to a baseball game.

• Answer to longest MLB game: Online you will find a 25-inning game between the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee won by the ChiSox 7-6 (5/8/84). However my brother Brad said that the sports trivia calendar that I gave him has it as a 26-inning game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves which ended in a 3-3 tie as it was suspended by dark (5/1/20). On May Day. Thanks for the trivia, Brad.

EMAIL

Re the Music Quiz:

Do Wah Diddy Diddy” - Manfred Mann

Dave Knudson

Good guess on the music quiz, but No. Do Wah Diddy Diddy was a great song but not of the summer (to my knowledge). - Z

Hi Jim, How about School's Out by Alice Cooper?

Terry Canann

Terry, good answer but that's not it. - Z

Mungo Jerry "In the Summertime"?

Garry Gillett

Garry, correct-a-mundo, it's Mungo Jerry and In the Summertime.

Mungo Jerry -"In the Summertime"? I believe Mungo Jerry or Ray what's his name, received some flack about lines in song-'if her daddies rich take her out for a meal..if her daddies poor do what you feel"-there was some negative response-correct me -it's been years since I heard the song.

Ken Forestal

And you are correct, Ken - it is Mungo Jerry with the great In the Summertime, a 1970 smash hit. And another of my favorites is Summertime, Summertime by the Jamies which I can't find available anywhere. (Since writing this I found it on Pop Music: The Golden Era 1951-1975).Yeah I wondered about those lines but don't know about any specific flack. Ray Dorset was the lead singer. Great song with a sound all its own. - Z

Jim - How about Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" ??

Rick Poncelet

Yes it's Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime. - Z

Just hadda jump in on this quiz. I'm going with Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime." I hear it played dozens of times every summer in Newport.

B Shea

Bill,You are absolutely correct - it's Mungo Jerry and In the Summertime. - Z

Hey, Jim - "In the Summertime" Mungo Jerry. 1970 was so damn long ago, huh? Graduated from URI that year.

Dave Burlingame

You are right - it's Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime. 1970, the same year you graduated URI. I graduated from RIC in 1968. When this song came out, I had just returned to the US after being in Turkey with the AF. - Z

Morning Jim, I'm not going to mention "beach balls" anymore! I will take a humble stab at this one and say Mungo Jerry and the song is "In The Summertime".

Tom Robinson,

Tom, this time you are right - it's Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime. 1970's smash summer hit. - Z

How about Mungo Jerry and the song is "In The Summertime". Driller Killer

Driller Killer, you are right. It's Mungo Jerry and In the Summertime. - Z

THE HOT CLUB

Errata: Last issue I was talking about the Tesla that the Herbster plunked down a grand to reserve. I said it was a Tesla S. Herb checked and it is a Tesla Model 3. My mistake. It starts at $35,000 and will be in production mid 2017. Range on a charge is 215 miles.

Had to laugh Friday when I saw the tee shirt that Britt was wearing. I said is that a ‘Los Pollos Hermanos’ T-shirt? Yes it is. Oh and where’s Gus? In the back.

We were talking about women with tattoos and agreed that we preferred women without tattoos. Folklore said, “You don’t f**k up a masterpiece. Would you paint over the Mona Lisa?”

Told Making His Mark that I have tickets to see Bob Dylan at PPAC in June. Mark said he saw Dylan in the Rolling Thunder Revue in 1976. He said Dylan wore white face. I related to him about seeing Little Richard at Lupo’s. Buddy Cianci was the mayor and presented Richard with the key to the city. It was a toss up as to who wore more makeup.

LAST ISSUE’S QUIZ ANSWER

So what was the name of the summer song that sold 30 million copies and was a No. 1 hit in 26 countries? Why, In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry. According to Wikipedia,

Mungo Jerry is a British rock group which experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing line-up that has always been fronted by Ray Dorset. Dorset was the composer, guitarist, blues harp, kazoo player, frontman and singer. The group's name was inspired by the poem “Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer”, from T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The group's biggest hit was In the Summertime. It remains their most successful and most recognizable song. They had nine charting singles in the UK, including two number ones, and five top 20 hits in South Africa.

THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ

This folk rock singer didn’t do well with his debut album, but his second album was a big hit. Joe Walsh produced that 2nd LP and played on 10 of the 11 tracks. This performer had 5 albums in the Billboard Top 20, four of which were double platinum and the other a gold record. He even did an album with another artist that made it to #8 and went platinum. Sadly, he left this mortal coil at the age of 56. Name? For extra points, who was the other artist with whom he did the LP that went to #8?

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