SZ709

BY JIM DAWSON

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

PATRIOTS WEATHER THE STORM VERSUS THE COWBOYS 13-9

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of this rain-soaked soiree, I just want to applaud Robert Kraft and the Patriots for honoring our military at this game. There was a pre-game ceremony to honor veterans and active duty service members as well as a special swearing in of 50 soldiers into the Army.

The National Anthem was sung by Musician 2^nd Class Rachel Vennel, who is an active duty member of the Navy stationed in Newport, RI. Ms. Vennel delivered one of the best renditions of our National Anthem that I’ve heard in a long time. No trills nor embellishments, just a gorgeous on-key, full-throated delivery of the song. It was greeted with a great response by the fans which was well deserved. Kudos to Rachel Vennel.

When you are playing in a constant, wind swept torrent of sheets of rain, the players have another obstacle to overcome besides their opponent. Sunday it was the Cowboys who made the key mistakes that contributed to their loss. That and the combination of just enough offense, a powerful defense and strong special teams play that won the game

After the rain and wind caused a 46 yard Dallas field goal try to bounce off the upright, the Cowboys made the mistake of having a punt blocked by special teams stud

Matthew Slater which was recovered by Nate Ebner on the Dallas 12. Two plays later Tom Brady threw the perfect back shoulder pass to rookie N'Keal Harry for a 10 yard TD, Harry’s first ever in the NFL.

The rest of the Half would show the resilience of the Patriots D as they held on a 3^rd and 1 (incomplete pass), 3^rd and 2 (interception by Stephon Gilmore at the Dallas 29) which culminated in a Nick Folk 44 yard FG into the wind (10-0 Pats); 3^rd and 3 (incomplete pass), but a Brett Maher 46 yd FG, and after a 3^rd and 7 stop at the NE 11, another Maher FG from 27 yards out. 10-6 Pats at the Half.

During that 1^st Half, the Patriots Nick Folk would miss FGs from 46 yards and 48 yards, both wide right (that’s for you ‘Gunner’). Danny Shelton had a bad penalty (false start) on that first miss with the ball originally on the Dallas 23.

The 3^rd quarter was scoreless, but again the Patriots Defense was as strong as the unyielding rain, making Dallas go three and out twice. On their 3^rd possession, a holding penalty negated a 15 yard catch by Amari Cooper and Dallas ended up punting.

At this point, it was the 4^th quarter. The Patriots went on a 12 play drive that took 5:28 off the clock. It concluded with a Nick Folk 42 yard FG (with the wind) to make it 13-6.

The next series is the one that would doom Dallas. The Pats defense was burnt for the longest play of the game as Dak Prescott hit Randall Cobb for 47 yards. Devin McCourty caused Cobb to fumble, but he recovered his own fumble and got an extra 12 yards down to the NE 25. The Cowboys got it to the NE 14 and then had 2^nd and 3^rd from the 11. Gilmore left his man to break up a pass to Witten and then Prescott missed his other tight end Blake Jarwin. Faced with 4^th and 7, the ‘brain trust’ Jason Garrett elected to kick a FG. That made it 13-9 but the Cowboys still needed a TD with time running out. Dumb call. I turned to El Jefe and Driller Killer and said they should have gone for the TD and will lose because of it. They did.

Dallas got the ball back with 2:38 left. On 4^thand 11 from their 25, Prescott hit Amari Cooper for a 1^st down, but replay showed the ball hit the ground. It was left for the Pats to run out the clock which they did aided by runs of 5 and 12 yards by Sony Michel.

A hard fought win against a very good team that played better than I thought they would considering the elements. On to Houston.

LEFTOVERS (ALL STATS VIA GAMEBOOK UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)

The Patriots beat Dallas, the #1 offense in the NFL (total yards). They did it with a depleted receiver core. No Dorsett (concussion). No Sanu (high ankle sprain). NE had Julian Edelman and two rookie receivers, N’Keal Harry and Jacobi Meyers. All 3 dropped passes. Harry only had one catch - the 10 yard TD. Meyers was targeted 9 times with 4 catches for 74 yards. Edelman had 12 targets and 8 catches (93 yds).

With the return of LT Isaiah Wynn, the Pats were able to run the ball. Sony Michel ran for 85 yards (54 in the 1^st half). His yards per carry (4.3) were slightly better than Zeke Elliott’s (4.1) on 21 carries for 86 yards. Wynn wasn’t perfect as he had a false start penalty and gave up a sack to Robert Quinn, one of the NFL’s best. Great start anyway.

Stephon Gilmore so blanketed Dallas’ best receiver Amari Cooper that he was only targeted twice with no completions. The last ‘catch’ was ruled incomplete. Cooper did have one catch, but it was negated by a penalty. Gilmore switched off on Jason Witten on the play from the NE 11 where Dallas settled for a FG. In fact, Witten, who was targeted 4 times, only had 1 catch for 5 yards.

Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz

There was consternation by Pats fans about who would handle punt returns. Gunner Olszewski originally handled punts but was placed on IR. After the trade for Sanu, he had been handling punts, but was injured on one last week and was out. Old reliable Julian Edelman was back there, but wisely stayed away from the ball, not even making a fair catch. It was obvious that the coaches didn’t want to risk him being injured. At the end of the 3^rd quarter, the Pats elected to have no one back to return the punt. Amazingly Dallas got called for delay of game. On the ensuing punt, Rex Burkhead was back and called for a fair catch.

On 3^rd down, the Patriots Defense held the Cowboys to 2 for 13. The Pats weren’t much better at 3 for 14. Interestingly, NE had 27 rushes to Dallas’ 26. The Pats had 10 first downs by pass and 6 by the run. That’s closer to the balance that they need to succeed.

Dallas sacked Brady twice (I think Cannon gave up the other) and 6 QB hits.

NE had no sacks and 5 QB hits. Per the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan (11/24), the Cowboys have allowed a league low 12 sacks.

Dietrich Wise had a dumb penalty for the 2^nd week in a row, a roughing the passer.

EMAIL

Shawn Colvin

Special K

Special K, very good guess but incorrect. I have seen Colvin a few times and always enjoyed her music. - Z

Hi Jim, how about Emmylou Harris. Thanks for sending the"zine". David Annese Sorry David, good try, but no, it is not Emmylou Harris. - Z

Glad to have you back in the game!!

My TRIVIA QUESTION guess is Sheryl Crow.

Go NAVY. Beat ARMY. 

Richard Flinn

Good guess, Richard, but no, Sheryl Crow is not the correct answer. - Z

One last guess- Emmylou Harris?

Richard Flinn

Hi Richard, no, not Emmylou Harris either, but thanks for trying to answer the trivia question. - Z

THE HOT CLUB

Since the Sportzine comes out on Monday, the chance to see Martin Scorsese’s The

Irishman is almost gone. For Rhode Islanders, it’s only playing at the Avon and Cinemaworld in Lincoln. The run ends tomorrow, Tuesday, then it will be shown only on Netflix which funded the movie. However in order for The Irishman to qualify for an Oscar, the movie had to be released to theatres before the end of the year. As a Scorsese aficionado, I will try to see the movie. At 209 minutes, that’s a long film. But this is Scorsese, one of the preeminent American directors, and someone that I’ve been tracking since Mean Streets (1973). Hope you see it.

Special K made an excellent observation on Netflix’s ploy. She referenced the loss of drive-in movies and said Netflix and other streaming services would like to do away with movie theaters.

Dr. John was back at the Hot Club after a time away. When I said that I had just seen Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite at the Avon, he recalled seeing Aliens 2 there. John said it was filled with Brown students and their dates, who mostly hid under their seats during the movie. However when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) dons the metal superstructure to face off against the Mother Alien creature and says “Get away from her, bitch”, there were loud cheers from all the women.

ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

Last issue, I asked you to name the woman who is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who had success with others covering her songs, but won a Grammy for Best Country Song and then had a breakout album that garnered her a Grammy for Best Folk Album and later won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. No one got it. The answer: Lucinda Williams. Lucinda won her Grammy for Best Country Song when Mary Chapin Carpenter covered her Passionate Kisses. The breakout album was Car Wheels on a Gravel Road which went Gold and won her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Later she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for Get Right with God from the album Essence. I still love her Sweet Old World album (1992).

THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

A change up: this double album was the sole studio album by a group. It was not received well, never charting in Britain, and reaching only #16 on Billboard’s Top LPs chart in the US. Yet the album has since made the Grammy Hall of Fame. Name?

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PATRIOTS EKE OUT WIN IN WINDY PHILADELPHIA 17-10
If you believe analyst Tony Romo, the swirling wind had something to do with the errant passes by not only Tom Brady but Carson Wentz as well. That said, it is highly unusual to see Tom Brady go 11 for 25 in the 1st Half, the most incompletions in a half ever for him per Romo. Equally surprising was that Brady did not have a TD pass in the game. That honor went to Julian Edelman, a trick play where Brady lateraled to Edelman who hit Phillip Dorsett in the end zone. That touchdown was the game winner.

Initially the Pats defense struggled with the Eagles offense. A long pass on the very first play resulted in pass interference against Jason McCourty and the Eagles had the ball on the NE 26. The Defense stiffened and K Jake Elliott hit a 42 yd FG.

More problematic was that after the Patriots went 5 plays and 6 plays and then out that Philly drove 95 yards in 16 plays, taking 9:33 off the clock and scoring on a TD as TE Dallas Goedert beat Jonathan Jones on a slant. At 10-0 Eagles, Patriots fans were concerned. There was 12:30 left in the 2nd quarter when NE ran its next play.

In that time, the Patriots would score (settle for) 3 field goals by Nick Folk 35, 22, 39. The last of those FGs was set up when Danny Shelton sacked Wentz causing him to fumble. Lawrence Guy recovered on the Eagles 22.

Wentz, up to that point, had skillfully eluded the Pats pass rush. My game notes show Wentz escaped the rush 5 times early on, including the first play of the game (McCourty’s interference) and later a jump pass to Zach Ertz.

A turning point came after the Eagles went up 10-0. Bill Belichick could be seen with the Defense gathered around him on the sidelines as he gave a teaching lesson. The Eagles never scored again.

The proof that the Patriots Defense stiffened can be seen in a comparison of 1st Half stats and the Final stats. The Eagles had 55 yards rushing in the 1st Half but ended with 81. The Eagles were 2 for 6 on 3rd down. They ended up 3 for 13, so one first down in the 2nd half. Wentz was 11 for 16, but finished 20 of 40. That’s 9 for 24 in the 2nd half.
LEFTOVERS (ALL STATS VIA GAMEBOOK UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
Missing Patrick Chung, who usually covers the best TE, initially the Pats had Devin McCourty on Zach Ertz, who had 5 catches on 5 targets 1st Half. Ertz ended with 9 on 11 targets. More importantly, Stephon Gilmore had been switched to covering Ertz, and did a great job holding Ertz in check.

Similarly, after the other Eagles TE Dallas Goedert beat Jonathan Jones on a slant for a TD, DB Terrence Brooks could be seen covering Goedert, who was 2 for 2 in the 1st Half, but ended up with 3 catches on 6 targets. Another job well done.

Julian Edelman had the big play on the pass to Dorsett for the game winner (the two point conversion run by James White helped). Edelman had 5 catches on 10 targets and dropped a TD pass in the end zone. You could see how distraught he was on the bench. However on that series which led to Folk’s 2nd FG, Eagles safety Rodney McLeod missed an easy interception. So some bad luck and some good luck and a made FG.

Defensive stats show that DB Terrence Brooks led with 7 tackles. He was followed by Danny Shelton with 6 tackles, 1 assist (7) and that important strip sack. Kyle Van Noy was next with 5 tackles. The team had 5 sacks (Shelton, Van Noy, Dont’a, Butler and Roberts). The D had 12 QB hits and 5 tackles for a loss.

Tom Brady ended up 26 of 47 but hit 10 different receivers. N’Keal Harry had his first ever catch (a 1st down) and had 3 catches on 4 targets. He saw more playing time when Dorsett was injured on his TD catch. Ben Watson (4/3) had some big catches. Ironically the longest pass for Brady was a shovel pass to Rex Burkhead that went for 30 yards.

Other heroes: Nick Folk, perfect on the day, 3 for 3 on FGs in a swirling wind. And punter Jake Bailey whose booming kicks put the Eagles in poor field position much of
the game. Bailey had a 55 yarder to the Eagles 5 in the 1st Half. 2nd Half: 55 (19 yd line), 42 (3), 54 (5) 55 (6) and 54 (12). Wow! Ask Bill Belichick about field position.

One negative (besides the struggle by the Offense): Philly had 21 first downs, 5 by penalty. The Pats had 6 penalties for the game. Bill B won’t be happy with that stat.

The Patriots will need to be better against the Dallas Cowboys next week at Gillette. Dallas leads the NFL in Total Offense (nfl.com).

EMAIL
Jim-good Zine-the Patriots hand Ravens the Game on platter-Jackson is for real-I just finished reading my thought is Nina Simone is who your looking for-if not mistaken there was some flack about her entering Hall of Fame last year.
Ken Forestal
Thanks Ken, Nina Simone is a very good guess but not who I was looking for.    -  Z

I cheated but think your quiz question was Florence Ballard, a Supreme. I loved the Supremes, the Temps, and the Four Tops….went a few years without listening to any caucasian musicians, from about 66-70.
Dave Knudson
Dave, it's a no go with Flo     -   Z

I think I deserve bonus points for Nina Simone as she fit the profile of your inquiry
Ken Forestal
Ken, after reviewing Nina Simone's bio, I have to agree that you deserve points since she fits the profile of the question. The one element that I left out regarding Laura Nyro is that she was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. I don't think that Simone was so honored (but could have been).   -  Z

Jim- in an effort to broaden my ukulele playlist I was prompted to look up one of my my old favorites, Wedding Bell Blues, by Laura Nyro. This led me to a Laura Nyro tribute film on YouTube made in 2014. A gifted performer in her own right, many of her songs were huge hits for other artists- I am thinking you are surely paying homage to her in this week’s music trivia question.
Mark Allio
Hi Mark, yes, the trivia question is about Laura Nyro (née Nigro) which you suggested to me recently.   -   Z

Interesting Headlines N’est Pas?
Ken Forestal
Ken, you mean about the Astros stealing signs?
Now Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran are implicated.
Supposedly there was a TV monitor in the tunnel leading from the dugout to the locker room. If the pitch was a curve, someone would bang on a trash can.
Doubt that MLB will take away the WS win, but I think there will be a huge fine and loss of a draft pick or two.   -  Z

The banging on the trash can should have been a give away (you'd think)-I believe if proven there will be much more severe response than fines and draft choices-suspension or worse-MLB is going to send message-methodical process will come into play-the 1st player to bring to light said it was a coach and player-that would be Cora and Beltran.
Pedroia returning?? He's already cost us (would they have let Kinsler walk?).
Ken Forestal
Ken, rather bang on the drum all day. Reference? I think Pedroia, the gamer is done. - Z   

Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz
THE HOT CLUB
We were talking movies and Kevin Bacon’s name came up. FootJoy noted that National Lampoon’s Animal House was Bacon’s first movie. I thought Bacon’s first movie was a small part in Friday the 13th. So we looked it up and FootJoy was right. Animal House was in 1978. Friday the 13th was 1980. Fleet Feet Pete recalled seeing a movie involving National Lampoon that was earlier than Animal House. We checked on that and found  a National Lampoon TV special, not a movie, on HBO (51 minutes). It was called Disco Beaver from Outer Space, and actually it came out in 1979.

The conversation turned to food and someone brought up muffuletta sandwiches. Cap’t. Jack had never heard of them. Special K said that if you go to New Orleans, you have  to visit Central Grocery and buy a muffuletta sandwich. Making his Mark described the ingredients: salami, ham, provolone, Swiss cheese, mortadella and marinated olives on top. I said that I had one last time in NO, and the sandwich is so huge that I got half a sandwich, and I added that the taste of that sandwich stayed with me for days.

ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION
So last time I asked you to name the American female singer/songwriter/pianist who had a hybrid sound of pop, jazz, R&B, show tunes, rock and soul, and who had a number of hits on her own that were also recorded with great success by others. Another clue was that she was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame posthumously. No one got the answer. A tough question that was suggested by Mark Allio (well, he got the answer). My thanks to Mark for submitting the trivia question. When he sent his email (see EMAIL), he did not know that I was going to use it.
Laura Nyro was born in the Bronx (10/18/47). Some of her hits: Wedding Bell Blues, and Stoned Soul Picnic (both done by the 5th Dimension), Eli’s Coming (covered by Three Dog Night), And When I Die (done by Blood, Sweat and Tears and Peter, Paul and Mary). In high school, Nyro sang with friends on street corners and in subway stations.
Nyro had a relationship with Jackson Browne (’70-’71), later married two different men and had a son Gil. However she was actually bisexual and her longest relationship was with Maria Desiderio, which lasted 17 years. Sadly, Laura Nyro died of ovarian cancer at the age of 49. Her mother has also died at age 49 of ovarian cancer. Nyro was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame posthumously. (Source - Wikipedia)
THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION
This American rock, folk and country singer/songwriter/guitarist had early success when others covered her songs (a Grammy for Best Country song). She hit it big with a Gold record and Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and later won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Name?

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BY JIM DAWSON

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

ERRATA

Last issue I mentioned that Dolly Parton wrote I Will Always Love You for her mentor and then partner Porter Wagoner. However I misspelled his last name as Wagner. Mea culpa. I corrected it for the print copies. Also, I neglected to give Bill LaPlante credit for getting the quiz answer, Dolly Parton, correct. Mea maxima culpa.

RAVENS FLY HIGH, LEAVE PATRIOTS LOW 37-20

Patriots fans were well aware that the Ravens would be a serious test of how good that NE defense really is. Well, not only the Defense, but the whole team flunked that test.

When your star QB contributes an interception at a crucial time and your star receiver coughs up a fumble that is returned for a touchdown, there’s a strong chance that your team is going to lose. And so it was.

The Patriots have jumped on their opponents in the 1^st quarter. Not this game as Baltimore held them to zero points while scoring a TD and FG both on 11 play drives. In fact, the Ravens were up 17-0 before NE scored.

Down 17-13 at Half, the Pats would make adjustments and come out strong with the 2^nd half kickoff. Well all of it was trending that way until Julian Edelman tried to gain more yards and fumbled on the Baltimore 30. Whereupon Marlon Humphrey took it for a TD.

The Patriots would then score a TD on their next possession to make it 24-20 and offer hope for a comeback. Alas, the Ravens would go on a 14 play drive that ended with a

TD pass to TE Nick Boyle. The uphill climb at 31-20 just got tougher.

It was now the 4^th quarter and the Pats had the ball with 14:54 on the clock. NE got the ball to the Ravens 48 when Tom Brady tried to hit Mohamed Sanu with a deep pass. Earl Thomas intercepted. The Ravens then used 14 plays, took 9:35 off the clock, and scored the back breaking TD to make it 37-20, and leave NE with barely 3 minutes left.

That last drive was helped twice by Pats’ penalties when Baltimore was stopped on 3^rd down. Dont’a Hightower was called for offsides, resulting in a 1^st down. Jason McCourty was whistled for hands to the face also giving the Ravens a 1^st down. The Patriots don’t usually contribute to their own demise but did so in this game.

LEFTOVERS

The Ravens ran for 210 yards (155 in the 1^st half!). The Pats entered Game # 9 ranked 9^th best in the NFL against the run. Allowing the speedy and elusive QB Lamar Jackson to get 61 yards was one thing. Letting running back Mark Ingram rumble for 115 (97 in the 1^st half) was not. The inability of NE to stop the run gave Baltimore a huge Time of Possession edge (37:01 to 22:59).

The Patriots gave the Ravens 1^st downs by penalty 4 times. On the very first Baltimore drive, they were about to kick a FG on 4^th down when DE Shilique Calhoun went offsides (neutral zone infraction). The Ravens then scored their first touchdown.

The Ravens were 4 for 4 in Red Zone Efficiency. The Pats were 2 for 4.

NE sacked Lamar Jackson only once (Lawrence Guy) and had 3 QB hits. The Ravens sacked Tom Brady twice, but hit him 10 times. Pats fans better hope that LT Isaiah Wynn makes it back for Game #12 versus the Cowboys. They need him protecting Brady’s blind side. Also Wynn may help with blocking on run plays which has suffered from his loss, that of center David Andrews and FB James Develin.

On a positive note, Mohamed Sanu had 10 catches on 14 targets. Julian Edelman had 10 catches on 11 targets. If N’Keal Harry can contribute after the bye week along with TE Ben Watson and the running back receivers, it’ll give Tom Brady more weapons.

This game was the sports equivalent of Sisyphus pushing that boulder up the hill.

BULLETS

• Congratulations to St. Raphael Academy classmate Ray McGee who was inducted into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame last Friday. Ray was inducted for his mentoring and coaching and directing numerous athletic programs. A well deserved recognition.

• Congratulations to the Washington Nationals on their World Series win. They are the first team in MLB history to win 4 games on the road. The Nationals got good pitching from their starters, especially WS MVP Stephen Strasburg, and timely hitting. It was a fun bunch who knew how to rally when the chips were down. Games 6 and 7 were great.

• The Bruins are off to a red hot start (10-1-2) and with 22 points have moved ahead of 2^nd place Buffalo (20 points) in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division . They are fueled by their fabulous first line: Pastrnak (13-14–27), Marchand (8-15–23) and Bergeron (6-8–14). Tuukka Rask has been stellar in goal (7-0-1). Go Bruins!

• The new look Celtics are also doing well and even knocked off the Bucks after trailing by double figures much of the game. They are 4-1 and 2^nd only to Philly in their division.

Go Green!

• Today JD Martinez decides whether to opt out of the last three years of his contract for which he’s owed $62.5 Mill (per the Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato - 11/3). It’s doubtful that he’d get more as basically a DH (back issues). If he does it helps Boston cut payroll.

The Boston Globe just reported that JD will not opt out of his contract.

• My daughter Cara texted me because she was curious about the Pats jettisoning of Josh Gordon. I sent her a link to a piece quoting Tom E. Curran that Gordon may have been late for meetings and was hard to find at times. Not a good sign. By cutting Gordon after the trade deadline (and having Seattle pick him up), the Pats were able to save the final 9 weeks of his $1.07 salary.

• I got a head start on the Christmas season by viewing Black Christmas (1974), a horror movie with Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Andrea Martin and John Saxon. IMDb gave it a 7.2. It has some unbelievably salty dialogue for the time and was directed by Bob Clark. While Clark is also known for directing the Porky’s movies, he also did A Christmas Story (with Darren McGavin), still one my favorite yule time films. IMDb gave it an 8.0.

EMAIL

Jim,

I'll take a crack at the music trivia a bit later. However, if you've never seen "The Hunger" with Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon, I'd say to give it a roll (Deneuve & Sarandon do in the film) as it is a pretty story of vampirism.

Woman protagonist. Well directed and cast. 

I just wish the Broncos would send John Elway away from headquarters, quarterbacks, and coaches. Ol' horse-teeth John is on every commercial that comes out of the Denver market. He'll shill anything to make a buck and I say that he needs to move into a full time job selling clog proof gutters or some sort of super adhesive tape for groin injuries.

How are you liking the Series, Jim? Was pulling for the Nats and I hope that they push it to game 7 with a win tomorrow night. Strasburg vs. Verlander, though all the great pitchers haven't been dominating the hitters. Big early innings for both teams.

I am enjoying the heck out of it because no Yankees anywhere in the mix.

Bill LaPlante

Hi Bill, I did see The Hunger some time back. Might be time to re-visit it.

I've been rooting for the Nats too. Let's see if tonight they can force a 7th game. Strasburg has been very good, but the Astros are hot.

As if the Broncos didn't have enough trouble, I see that Flacco is out. The Avalanche are doing well. Your Canadiens are doing OK. The Bruins are starting to get scoring from other players besides the 1st line but wow, what that 1st line has done already is amazing. Let's just hope everyone stays healthy.

Will await your trivia answer. - Z

Hey Jim,

I just remembered seeing the news that Scotty Bowers recently passed away on the 19th of October at the ripe old age of 96. It would seem that lots of sex is good for you....

CM

Hi CM, yeah old Scotty passed away recently. I read his book and saw his documentary. Had mixed feelings about the Hollywood Stars that he outed, but as a movie fan found it interesting. Brad and I had just watched Forbidden Planet and the first person Bowers mentioned in his book was Walter Pidgeon. - Z

Jimbo: As always, a great read, the 'zine, that is. I'll go with Tom Rush, for the trivia answer. I, too, saw him @ Salt, circa 1974-5.

Tom Wallis

Tom, good guess, but no, not Tom Rush. I love Rush and have seen him several times. He did one of the last shows at the old Leroy Theater in Pawtucket. He commented that the place was falling down when a piece of plaster fell from the roof onto his head. Besides Urge for Going, Circle Game, Rockport Sunday and No Regrets, another favorite is Lost My Driving Wheel. Thanks for emailing. - Z

Jim,

I'll go with James Burton for the trivia answer. Certainly a versatile performer on stage and in the studio. He just came to mind when you spoke of Memphis, he being associated with Elvis for many years as well.

"Big White" Bill LaPlante

Bill, good guess, but no, not James Burton.

JD,

Zine always a fun read - even if I'm humbled by most of the trivia questions. You're a fortunate man - with the colorful (and musically savvy) friends you mention in the Zine, and your sense of humor.

I'll do some additional research on this week's trivia question due to the Newport connection. Of course, I missed most of the 70's while "defending" our southern border stationed at USAF bases in Laredo, San Angelo and San Antonio. 

Bill Shea

Hi Bill, thanks for the kind words. We needed your defense of the Southern border during those '70's.

Usually there is some remnant regarding places that have gone under, disappeared, etc., like the Slater Park Zoo. However I couldn't find anything about Salt except a very limited set list for Muddy Waters from 1975. Nothing about the venue at all, like how long it was in existence, when it folded, etc.

One of my readers emailed about seeing his fave - Aztec Two Step - at Salt. I also liked that duo and saw them there multiple times. Then I listed some other performers that I saw there and the list, while not complete, was extensive (ED.: See Garry Gillett’s email below). Back then we didn't mind driving from Pawtucket to Newport and then back on any given night. Much more selective now. Will await your trivia answer. - Z

Jim,

The Trivia Q: After considering Prine, Sam the Sham, Randy Newman, I still only have a WAG --> Dr John. The timing of Dr John's career seems to fit a late 70's swing thru Newport, but Robbie Robertson as his first producer (?)

Bill Shea

Bill, nice try but it isn't Dr. John. Hint: most of the artists who appeared at Salt were folkies.

Hi Jim,

Great time of year for football and horror fans. I am both! I own over 3500 horror movies from all over the globe.

You mentioned “The Salt”, man I spent so many nights there. I am a big Aztec Two Step Fan and saw them there many times. Is the guy in the trivia question named Winchester? Haven’t had much luck with the questions lately.

Garry Gillett

Garry, yes a great time for football, especially if you are a Patriots fan.

I'm impressed that you have that many horror movies. I have a lot but nowhere near that amount. Am waiting for Parasite. I liked Snowpiercer which the same director did.

Glad to hear that you also frequented Salt in Newport. Aztec Two Step was also a favorite and I saw that duo multiple times there. Among others, I also saw Tom Paxton, Eric Anderson, Dave Van Ronk, Ian and Sylvia, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Tim Buckley, Gordon Lightfoot and Tim Hardin there (if memory serves me correctly).

As for your trivia answer, yes it's a man named Winchester, Jesse Winchester, who did Yankee Lady, Biloxi and Brand New Tennessee Waltz. He fled to Canada rather than serve in the Vietnam War. Came back when Jimmy Carter pardoned those that refused to serve. Saw him upon his return to the US. Thanks for your email. - Z

Jim-I believe it's Jesse Winchester-I saw a Documentary recently and Winchester was one of the artists discussed-The Salt - saw Pearls Before Swine/Jim Kweskin/Maria Muldaur and others there.

Ken Forestal

Ken, you are absolutely correct - it's Jesse Winchester. Had to flee US and go to Canada because he got his draft papers and didn't want to go to Vietnam. That's probably why Canadian Robbie Robertson produced his first album. - Z

THE HOT CLUB

Was discussing Martin Scorsese’s newest movie The Irishman with Cap’t Jack, Dr, John, Making his Mark, Special K and Fleet Feet Pete. It’s long - about 3 hours and 29 minutes but getting great reviews. IMDb gave it an 8.5. The first info that I saw said it was only available on Netflix, but would then be released to movie theaters (to qualify for an Oscar). Well, that info was incorrect. The Irishman was released to theaters on November 1, and will be shown only during the month of November, and then will go to Netflix November 27 . Current update – The Irishman will only be shown on a limited basis in US theaters. I just looked and it is listed as playing Cinemaworld in Lincoln from Friday Nov. 22 – Tues. Nov. 26. That’s it! Blame Netflix. While they backed the movie financially, this is a travesty. A pox on Netflix.

The Bear said he and Mrs. Bear just saw Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. While he thought that it was the newly released one with added footage, I told him that I doubted that one was out yet (online look says it was released to some theaters Oct.25). The original movie is long. A check of Wikipedia shows that it is 2 hours and 41 minutes (161 minutes). The newest release is 10 minutes longer (so 171 minutes or 2 hours and 51 minutes), and includes 4 extra scenes that are bookened at the beginning and end as ‘commercials’. I’ve seen it already but would see it again, extra 10 minutes or not.

LAST ISSUE’S QUIZ ANSWER

So last time I asked you to name the singer/songwriter/guitarist and keyboardist who was more known for other people doing his songs and whose first LP was produced by Robbie Robertson and engineered by Todd Rundgren. Garry Gillett and Ken Forestal had the correct answer – Jesse Winchester. Rather than serve in the military during the Vietnam War, Winchester fled to Canada in 1967. He was given amnesty in 1977. Winchester was born in Louisiana and grew up in Mississippi. He was related to the Lee family of Virginia (Henry Lee II and Richard Henry Lee). While in Canada, he joined up with the Rhythm Aces. Winchester was the first to record Third Rate Romance. His highest charting song was Yankee Lady (#8 in Canada). Michael Martin Murphey recorded Winchester’s I’m Gonna Miss You Girl which went to #3 on Billboard’s Country chart.

THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

This woman was an American singer/songwriter/pianist. Her style was a hybrid of pop, jazz, R&B, show tunes, rock and soul. A number of artists had hits with her songs as she did also. She was posthumously inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Name?

SZ706

BY JIM DAWSON

OCTOBER 28, 2019

CLEVELAND WASHED AWAY BY DUMB PLAYS AND PATS’ DEFENSE 27-13

(For the appropriate atmosphere, the following may be read to the refrains of Who’ll Stop the Rain by CCR, Here Comes the Rain Again by the Eurythmics, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head by BJ Thomas and A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall by Bob Dylan.)

This was a game that only the hardy (and lucky) Patriots fans could have endured due to the steady, and at times, torrential rain that started before the game and lasted much of it. Driller Killer and I have seats in the lower level and are blessed because those seats are under the 2^nd deck overhang so that once we walked up to Gillette Stadium, we were protected from the elements. We were joined by Driller’s brother Matt, the Grid General.

Even with rain pants and waterproof shoes/boots (my Merrells succumbed to the waves of water), it was not a pleasant walk up, but the game sure was. The Cleveland Browns won the opening toss and deferred. It was one of their few correct moves.

After both the Pats and Browns did nothing on their first possessions, NE used their second to march down the field, settling for a 20 yard field goal. This occurred after Julian Edelman caught a 10 yard pass on 4^th and 7 from the Cleveland 33.

It was at this point that the Browns began their self-inflicted sloppiness that would spell doom. On second down, Nick Chubb took a hand off and was hit by his own lineman, fumbling the ball right to Dont’a Hightower who said thanks for the largesse and ran 26 yards for a touchdown. 10-0 Pats.

On 1^st down on Cleveland’s very next possession, Chubb broke loose for a 44 yard run down to the Patriots 16, but Jonathan Jones punched the ball out and Devon McCourty recovered it. The Pats didn’t do anything with the ball (poor field position starting at their 4), but the great play by Jones prevented a Browns score.

So on the 1^st down of the very next Cleveland possession, Baker Mayfield tried a shovel pass which went directly to DL Lawrence Guy (good hands, Guy) who ran with it to the Browns 11. It took Tom Brady two plays to hit Julian Edelman with an 8 yard TD pass.

The extra point made it 17-0 and the Browns were swimming upstream from that point on. So on 3 consecutive offensive plays, the Cleveland Browns had turned over the ball 3 times leading to 2 Patriots touchdowns. This was all in the first quarter.

The Browns however did not throw in the towel. After getting good field position (their own 46), they drove and scored on a 21 yard TD pass from Mayfield to his TE Demetrius Harris. It was only the 2^nd passing TD given up by the Pats D all season. The half would end with the score 17-7 and the Browns had the 2^nd half kickoff. Cleveland would use that possession to move 55 yards and kick a 38 yard FG to make it 17-10. Pats fans were clearly not happy with the Browns being within a score of tying.

‘We need 7’ was the rallying cry. The Patriots answered on their next possession. On a 3^rd and 10, Brady hit James White with a short pass and White weaved his way 59 yards to the Browns 25. Sony Michel would convert on a 3^rd and 1 and then Brady hit Edelman with a 14 yard TD. At 24-10, Pats fans felt more comfortable (except those in the rain).

The rest of the game included some strange calls by 1^st year coach (and maybe soon to be fired coach) Fred Kitchens. A punt was ordered with Cleveland having 4^th and 11 on their own 24. After a Browns’ penalty made it 4^th and 16 from their 19, Kitchens had his team go for it. Huh? Mayfield was then sacked. However Nugent missed a 34 yard FG.

Later Kitchens had his team kick a FG to make it 27-13. Why? Dumb. The Browns were their own worst enemy on this day as they amassed 13 penalties, several of which negated positive offensive plays. All that hype about Mayfield and Co. All wet.

LEFTOVERS

Nick Chubb ran hard. He had 131 yards on 20 carries but 92 of those were in the 1^st half and included his 44 yard run. He was responsible however for at least one of 2 fumbles.

Sony Michel had 74 yards on 21 carries, but misses lead blocker FB James Develin. The Pats also had to have James Ferentz play RG for Shaq Mason (out with an ankle injury), so that is 3 different players on the O Line. Expect LT Isaiah Wynn to be off IR soon.

Mohamed Sanu Sr. was targeted 5 times with 2 catches. His first Patriots catch was on 4^th and 4. He got the 1^st down and it survived an appeal by Kitchens. Unfortunately Mike Nugent had his 29 yard FG blocked. Nugent also missed a 34 yard attempt.

The amazing Julian Edelman was targeted 11 times and had 8 catches, 2 for TDs.

Mayfield looked better in the 2^nd half and was 20 of 31 with 1 TD and 1 INT for the game. Look for a replay of that shovel pass that Lawrence Guy intercepted. It was one of the strangest and dumbest passes ever.

Brady was 20 of 36 with 2 passing TDs and no INTs. He was sacked 3 times. Interestingly, stud Myles Garrett had one of those sacks but not until it was 27-10.

Jamie Collins had a monster game. He had 12 tackles and 1 assist plus 1.5 sacks. Adam Butler had 2 sacks, Van Noy 1 and Winovich .5. The Pats had 7 QB hits in total.

HORRORWEEN

So it’s that time of year for witches and goblins and things that go bump in the night. As a service to my readers who are into horror movies, here are some suggestions. Everyone knows about scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis and the original Halloween. However the 3rd installment of that series Halloween III: Season of the Witch with Dan O’Herlihy has a nasty plot device involving kids and their masks. There is no Michael Myers in it either.

More in the mainstream is Trick ’r Treat which has its moments. There are 5 different stories. IMDb gave it a 6.8 which isn’t bad for a horror movie since they’re frequently given short shrift.

If you want some movies out of the Halloween sphere, you can’t go wrong with The Descent, The Babadook, Get Out, The Thing (John Carpenter’s version), Let The Right One In (the Swedish version), House of a 1000 Corpses (only for the devoted horror fan)

and Feast (a personal favorite).

A few others with horror elements: Dressed to Kill (a favorite of Victoria’s), Don’t Look Now and Wild Tales, which IMDb gave an 8.1. It’s not strictly a horror film but is an anthology of 6 stories, some of which will make a lasting impression.

Recently I mentioned Psychotronic movies, a term coined by Michael Weldon, who has two wonderful video/movie guides filled with examples. One movie that fits that bill is Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. It’s a strange movie that has an early performance by Matthew McConaughey, who is as over the top as you can get. You will not forget the character he plays. And Renee Zellweger is in it too!

Don’t forget to hand out candy to the kids. Sweet Dreams!

E-MAIL

Hey Jim,

My guess to this week’s trivia question is Linda Ronstadt. What a voice! I have recently seen a piece on her brave battle against Parkinson’s.

Bruce Irwin

Bruce, good guess but not who I was looking for. I hear the documentary on Ronstadt is very good. - Z

Hi Jim-

I am inspired after watching Ken Burns' Country Music documentary to suggest Dolly Parton…

Making His Mark

Yes Mark,it's Dolly Parton. Good for you. You're the first to get the correct answer.

There wasn't a lot of space for this issue's trivia which worked out. Had I included that she had 25 certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, I think more people would have gotten it. Way to go Mark. - Z

That is awesome, Jim!

Even a blind pig finds an acorn every once on a while (;) Mark

I’m going to guess Dolly Parton on the Country Chart. My second guess was Diana Ross, third Aretha. Dolly is something else. One of the best song writers in history. Wrote I Will Always Love You and Jolene on the same day. Good Day. Matt, yes, you are right - it's Dolly Parton. Hope you've been watching the Ken Burns documentary on Country music. - Z

Jim,

That sweet slice of a voice from heaven in the personage (especially of her ample endowments) of one Dolly Parton; she would be my choice for a prolifically and gifted songwriter in the modern country world. She is feisty, sly, and savvy when it comes to the recording and performing business. A powerhouse. Her records with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt are of legend when female harmonies come to mind.

Bill LaPlante

Right you are, Bill - it's Dolly Parton, she of the angelic voice. - Z

Driving home from the pool I have heard 2 Beefheart songs on radio-10 days ago "Ella Guru" from 1st album - today " Cugamanga" from " Bongo Fury"-W/Zappa -- Is a bigfoot sighting next??

Ken Forestal

Ken, that's amazing that two Cap't Beefheart songs were played. Two of my favorites are Lick my Decals Off Baby and I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby. Then I just found out that Zappa and Don Van Vliet went to HS together, that Zappa gave him the name Cap't Beefheart and that Beefheart recorded on Zappa's label when he was looking for a new label. - Z

Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz

THE HOT CLUB

We had been talking about Jerry Lee Lewis and I mentioned that his rock n’ roll career took a big hit in the ’60’s after he married his young (13 y/o) cousin in late 1957, and had to convert to country music. Special K was skeptical about this and also when I said it wasn’t necessarily good to be married to him. So I researched it and told her, Cap’t Jack, Mark and Peter the following: Wikipedia indicates that Lewis had minimal success in the ’60’s until switching to country music in 1968. After that, Lewis had 30 songs reach the top 10 on Billboard’s C&W chart. As for being married to The Killer (wed 7 times), his 4th wife died in a swimming pool accident before divorce proceedings were finalized, and his 25 y/o 5^th wife lasted 77 days, dying under dubious circumstances. Rolling Stone (’84) covered the strange death of Shawn Stevens Lewis.

So I told Foot Joy, the Bear and Peter that they were like my therapists but they weren’t doing a very good job because they made fun of me and things that I said. FootJoy replied: “You get what you pay for.”

ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

Last time I asked you to identify the woman who has had 25 #1 songs, 41 top 100 albums and is in a Hall of Fame. Making His Mark and Matt Dawson had the answer: Dolly Parton. Hope you’ve seen Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary which salutes her work. Dolly also has won nine Grammy Awards and had two Academy Award nominations. She was inducted into the Country Hall of Fame in 1999. Dolly has written over three thousand songs! Her song I Will Always Love You written as a farewell to her former mentor and partner Porter Wagoner went to #1 in 1974. Whitney Houston did her version of it for the movie The Bodyguard. It also went to #1 and according to Wikipedia (the source for all this) is considered the best selling single by a woman in music history.

THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

This singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist was more known for the songs that he wrote which were recorded by many other artists. Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, the Everly Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris are some who covered his songs.

His first album was produced by Robbie Robertson of the Band and engineered by Todd Rundgren. He’s in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. I saw him perform at Salt on Thames Street in Newport, RI in the late 70’s. Name?