What We’re Listening To – U-Mass by The Pixies

Once in a while you are reminded of a great song. You put it on, and it blows you away, reminding you of how great music can actually be. It’s subjective, because we’ve all got our own lists of songs that light that fire in our hearts and bellies, but one at the top of my list is U-Mass, by The Pixies. The Pixies are still a great band, but in 1991, when they released their final studio album “Trompe le Monde” after a 5 year run together, they seemed somehow even better. The late 80’s and early 90’s were a weird and great time for music, a kind of last gasp before the “alternative” became the mainstream. Stalwarts of the dangerous and subversive fringe of rock & roll like Jane’s Addiction were calling it quits after beating their heads and hearts against the wall of society for half a decade, despite Lollapalooza having hit the amphitheaters and coming out a huge success, while Nirvana, Mudhoney, and seemingly everyone else in Seattle were taking the baton for a few more years of legitimate thrashing around before the whole thing blew up in a sad mess of sanitized, canned angst, a la Weezer and Bush. On MTV you were likely to see a Soundgarden video bracketed by C+C Music Factory on one end and Color Me Badd on the other. It was a confusing time. No wonder so many of us young guys wore nail polish.

Continue reading →

What we’re listening to — The Replacements

I was surprised and delighted to find out the other day that 80s Indie stalwarts and coulda been contenders The Replacements had just played a sold out show out in Forest Hills, Queens apparently having lost none of their edge. It’s always somehow reassuring to see that the heroes of one’s youth are still kicking ass even if three members from their heyday have died, become too ill to perform or gone missing. But as long as the formidable Paul Westerberg still roams the earth I hope these guys will keep performing their hits with their characteristic ragged gusto and swagger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZi-dw03fE8

And what hits they were. With a combination of pop sensibilities and punk ethos, The Replacements blew out of Minneapolis in the mid-80s like a bracing, whiskey-soaked wind of Rock on the rocks. Along with the harder-edged but excellent Hüsker Dü (who they aped unsuccessfully early on) and the almighty Prince, it seemed like 1985 was the year that put the Twin Cities on the map musically… if only for that fleeting moment that finds a city du jour that is not New York or LA ever so briefly anointed as the New Happening Place for Music™. It wasn’t to last, of course, and neither were The Replacements. But they made a hell of a heavenly racket while they did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar4bhxR4ZK0

Starting out as drunk punk wannabes, Westerberg was joined by brothers Bob Stinson on guitar and Tommy Stinson on bass with drummer Chris Mars pounding the skins, and the group rapidly developed a winning brand of punk-infused pop that wasn’t afraid to take on the more sentimental side of adolescent angst. Continue reading →

It’s up to You, New York, New York…

OK, four weeks into another injury riddled and genuinely odd (albeit wildly entertaining) NFL season, and we’re starting to get an idea about contenders and pretenders. Today, I would like to focus on the New York teams and their respective division races.

NFC East

The New York football Giants looked dismal in weeks 1 and 2, and I truly thought it may be a lost season for Big Blue. Surely, it would be the season that finally ushered curmudgeonly Tom Coughlin out the door (is it me, or does this guy belong in a trash can on Sesame Street?…but I digress). Instead, the offense of new OC Ben McAdoo is really starting to click…to the tune of 75 points in it’s last two games. It’s a testament to Coughlin that he was able to introduce a new system with a gaggle of new players and get the ship righted after just 2 weeks. Kudos to you Oscar the Grouch.

To my eye, this division is going to come down to the G-Men and the Cowboys, but when it’s crunch time, who do you trust? Eli Manning’s got a couple of rings. Tony Romo has got a couple of the most egregious playoff meltdowns in NFL history. So go Big Blue!

The Eagles are enigmatic. Defensive Coordinators seem to have caught up to Chip Kelly’s hurry-up offense and even a defensive and special teams performance for the ages weren’t enough to get Philly past the Niners last week.

As for Washington, they’ll be lucky to win 6 games with Cousin’s behind center.

AFC East

Things are not so rosy for the co-tenants of MetLife stadium. In fact, if you listen to the New York media, the sky is falling all around HC Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik. I, for one, don’t share their dire perspective. There are a couple of reasons for NYJ fans not to lose heart.

The Jets have had a chance to win every game this year, and they’ve played some pretty good teams. They gave away the Green Bay game and the referees took the Bears game away from them
No one in the division has better than a 2-2 record (1 game ahead of the Jets)
Most importantly, who in the AFC East scares you?

The mighty New England Patriots are 2-2, and they’ve won those two games by scheme alone. The talent level is way off this year, and we’re starting to see that even Tom Brady can’t do anything without the Offensive Line that gave him hours to sit back and pick defenses apart.

Miami has some talent, but is riddled with inconsistency. Without a real playoff push, this could be the end for Jerry Philbin.

The Bills are also in a bit of disarray. They just benched sophomore phenom EJ Manuel and got journeyman Kyle Orton out of mothballs to try to right the ship, but even with some more consistent QB play, the Bills are not a playoff team.

I suppose this is my long-winded way of saying that the first quarter of the season is in the books, and the Giants are poised to make a great push for the division title. A week 5 win in San Diego (a city traditionally kind the visiting Jets), could be a great deodorant for the Jets and moreover for beleaguered signal caller, Geno Smith!

Enjoy the games and feel free to start or join a pool at TheOfficePool.com

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — September selection

Speaking of Grails: As September winds down to a close it’s my great pleasure to offer on behalf of a friend a very rare and iconic vintage Porsche Design by IWC Ocean 2000. This cult tool watch classic is crafted in all-titanium with a matching super comfortable and innovative bracelet and is the civilian version of a very famous German Navy-issued Bund military watch. At 43mm in diameter it’s the big size model and dates from the mid-1990s. Best of all, it’s in fantastic condition and not only has it been well maintained during its lifetime with the paperwork to prove it but the watch also comes with essentially every item that this IWC Porsche Design Ocean 2000 came with when it was bought new.

This is a rare opportunity to own a complete example of this avant-garde IWC diver with exceptional provenance. And while it’s certainly not inexpensive it is a quality collectible that’s well worth ponying up for if it tickles your fancy, as well a watch that has seen a pronounced increase in value the last few years. As the old saying goes: they’re not making any more of them!

Check out the complete ad with many more pictures and full description over at the Timezone.com’s Showcase. NOW ON SALE!

Watch Collector’s Notebook — Grail mania

If you hang around with watch collectors for any length of time you are guaranteed to hear the word “Grail” mentioned and probably more than once. I don’t know who coined this term for a particularly desirable watch (maybe the late, great Chuck Maddox?) but it has come to be the word of choice for that certain timepiece which most captivates us at a given moment and inspires an obsessive quest to obtain it. Which is not to say that a particular Grail watch remains a constant. On the contrary, the more driven collectors (guilty as charged) will constantly shift their definition of Holy Grail and apply it to multiple watches, especially as their tastes evolve and they wade ever deeper into the seemingly bottomless waters of the watch world.

It might happen that a beginning collector getting into vintage starts out with a particularly handsome Omega dress watch as his Grail but finds himself being attracted to the legendary Speedmaster chronograph line. So, having acquired his lovely dress Omega, he shifts his Grail designation over to the yet-to-be-acquired Speedy Moonwatch. Then, having acquired a conventional Speedmaster, he may learn through research and participation in the various forums about earlier, scarcer versions that were being used at the beginning of the NASA space program and before the design was completely standardized. And so with his classic Moonwatch acquiring mere “daily driver” status, now a pre-Moon straight lug cal. 321 Speedy becomes his new Grail.

Likewise, a budding Military Watch collector may start out feeling very well satisfied with a Benrus Type I or II, no small achievement to be sure. But soon enough, through discussion with other enthusiasts, a hierarchy of MilWatches is revealed to him and he discovers that his well-loved Benrus Type, while highly regarded, is nowhere near the top of the pyramid. Continue reading →

F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Results & aftermath

Reversal of Fortune: Hamilton’s Mercedes finishes first, Rosberg unable to start; Vettel & Ricciardo 2nd and 3rd for Red Bull

Pix from the always excellent GrandPrix247.com

The title pursuit may have found its turning point on a hot & humid race night in Singapore as Mercedes teammates and archrivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg experienced diametrically opposite fates at the hands of the racing gods. While Hamilton started from Pole and was sprinted away from the field to rack up a relatively stress-free victory under the lights, Rosberg’s Silver Arrow suffered a terminal failure due to a broken steering column wiring lume and was unable to start the race even as his team desperately tried to fix the problem on the grid and in the pits. So with the car’s steering wheel unable to handle its many intricate tasks properly Rosberg was forced to retire and possibly hope that Hamilton ran into similar troubles. It didn’t happen and as Hamilton sailed away flawlessly into the night and on towards victory, the Englishman also wrested the overall Drivers’ points lead away from his despondent German teammate. With luck now seeming to have deserted Rosberg and swung to Hamilton in the last several races and Hamilton having pushed through his own rough patches to recapture the edge in the mental battle with superb results the last two races, it could well be Singapore that we point to as the decisive moment in the 2014 Championship. But with five contests left there is still time for Rosberg to dust himself off and take the fight to the now supremely confident Hamilton… provided he has no more mechanical DNFs.

Finishing behind Hamilton were the two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo who took advantage of Rosberg’s absence and the RB10’s excellent handling on the tight street circuit to storm the podium. It was Vettel’s best finish of the season and only the third time the 4-time World Champion has finished in front of his junior teammate. Ferrari performed decently the week after their big team shake up with Fernando Alonso capturing 4th and Kimi Raikkonen taking 8th to earn valuable Constructors’ points, while Williams had a mixed result with Felipe Massa a strong 5th after nursing his tires effectively but Valtteri Bottas out of the points in 11th. Outgoing Scuderia Torro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne made his case to stay in F1 with a very impressive 6th place finish and the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg sandwiched Raikkonen in 7th and 9th respectively. Kevin Magnussen grabbed the last point for McLaren with a gutsy drive that saw the young Dane battling severe cockpit overheating problems leaving him unable to utilize the boiling hot drinks bottle and with burns that were treated after the race.

Top 10 finishers & times here:

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Pts
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	60	2:00:04.795	1	25
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing-Renault	60	+13.5 secs	4	18
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing-Renault	60	+14.2 secs	3	15
4	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	60	+15.3 secs	5	12
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams-Mercedes	60	+42.1 secs	6	10
6	25	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR-Renault	60	+56.8 secs	12	8
7	11	Sergio Perez	Force India-Mercedes	60	+59.0 secs	15	6
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	60	+60.6 secs	7	4
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India-Mercedes	60	+61.6 secs	13	2
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren-Mercedes	60	+62.2 secs	9	1

Complete results for the Singapore Grand Prix available at Formula1.com.

With the next race 2 weeks away at the storied Suzuka track in Japan, team Mercedes should have just enough time to banish all gremlins and insure that the Drivers’ Championship is decided on merit and not reliability issues. We’ll find out together the weekend of October 5th at spectacular Suzuka!

F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Qualifying results

Hamilton takes Pole over Rosberg by mere thousands of a second, Ricciardo a strong 3rd

It was truly last man standing Saturday under the enchanting lights of the Singapore street circuit as Englishman Lewis Hamilton pipped his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by a very Bondian .007 seconds to take Pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Even as it seemed that first the Williams of Felipe Massa and then the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo had done enough to grab the top spot, the Silver Arrows surged in the dying seconds of Q3 as they have so frequently this season. Ricciardo was left with the consolation of 3rd position on the race grid, while Massa was pushed down to 6th when the other Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel took 4th and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso grabbed 5th.

It made for a strong day for the Scuderia a week after long-time leader Luca Di Montezemolo got the sack by Fiat-Chrysler chairman Sergio Marchionne with the big boss also taking over Ferrari’s race operations. If not for software issues that brought Kimi Raikkonen’s Q3 session to a premature end Ferrari’s resurgent day might have been even better. With the tight Singapore street circuit favoring downforce and handling over top line speed, as well as almost always featuring a Safety Car period due to shunts, it could be Red Bull’s or Ferrari’s chance to upend Mercedes’ seemingly inevitable script of weekly victory.

Rounding out the top 10 were Massa’s young Williams’ teammate Valtteri Bottas in 8th, McLaren’s rookie Kevin Magnussen out-qualifying veteran teammate Jenson Button again for 9th and Torro Rosso’s 20-year-old Russian sensation Daniil Kvyat grabbing 10th.

Top 10 Quali results:

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:46.921	1:46.287	1:45.681	17
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:47.244	1:45.825	1:45.688	19
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing-Renault	1:47.488	1:46.493	1:45.854	12
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing-Renault	1:47.476	1:46.586	1:45.902	15
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:46.889	1:46.328	1:45.907	16
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams-Mercedes	1:47.615	1:46.472	1:46.000	20
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:46.685	1:46.359	1:46.170	14
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams-Mercedes	1:47.196	1:46.622	1:46.187	18
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:47.976	1:46.700	1:46.250	18
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	STR-Renault	1:47.656	1:46.926	1:47.362	21

Full Qualifying results via Formula1.com.

Live coverage of tomorrow’s night race at the beautifully lit Marina Bay Street Circuit, one of the most visually captivating and physically demanding on the schedule, begins tomorrow at 7:30am Eastern on NBCSports.

Cars we want — Maserati Ghibli S Q4

All right, so the Ghibli is Maserati’s “entry level” 4-door model with all the attendant compromises that implies for such a storied luxury marque. But it still flies that stylish Trident flag very impressively. Especially considering you can have all that panache and performance in a 5-seat sedan for a bit over $70k for the deluxe “S” version, certainly comparable with the attractive but Teutonically restrained (and much, much more common) Audi S7 and Mercedes CLS. And if the interior quality is not quite up to the Germans in terms of quality and tech savvy, the sexy exterior and only-from-Italy engine note is guaranteed to turn many more heads. And isn’t that a big part of why you fall in love with Italian luxury cars in the first place?

In its most appealing “S Q4” configuration, the Ghibli features rear-biased all wheel drive and a Maranello-designed twin-turbo 3.0 liter engine that puts out an impressive 404 break horsepower with 406 lbs of torque, which can shoot the rather hefty 4100 pound chassis from 0-60 in a decent 4.7 seconds. With the option to control the 8-speed automatic transmission semi-manually via the steering wheel paddles and the symphonic Sport mode selected, the Ghibli excels as a mid-size performance machine, more growling jungle cat than sedate sports sedan. Of course, you pay the price in gas mileage for all that uniquely Italian exhilaration at just about 20mpg highway and so you’ll constantly be filling its 21-gallon tank. But that’s because you’ll be driving the hell out of this beautiful machine.

Quibbles about the Chrysler-borrowed interactive touch screen system, which probably controls too many facets of the interior functions, and seats that look great but are not actually that comfortable are put aside when you put your foot down on windy, uphill roads and the Ghibli really begins to shine. With exceptional power-to-weight distribution and road handling ability, especially if you opt for the pricey but telepathic Skyhook adaptive suspension, plus an ingenious system for electronically controlling the torque distribution between front and rear, the car seems to perform better the faster you go and the curvier the road. Chances are, it will have you singing like Pavarotti as you blaze your way up California’s Route 1 or New York’s Taconic. Control, power and finesse in a beautiful package that always turns heads, all at a price that won’t break the bank? Now that’s amore.

Road & Track’s positive review of the S Q4 is here.

Car and Driver’s rather less complimentary review is here.

And a video review from Hooniverse.com:

NFL Early Results…Where To Go Next!

We’re now two weeks into the new NFL season, and to date, there have been far more headlines devoted to the off-field missteps of several star players than the action between the sidelines. I, for one, am a purist, and while I have my opinions about Mr. Rice and Mr. Peterson, I much prefer to focus on the early season trends and keeping my eyes on the prize (specifically another weekly pick ’em title come season’s end).

To that end, let’s see what’s happened in the first two weeks of the season, shall we.

Now, if you look back to my first post, you will notice the one (almost unfair) piece of advice that I gave.

“Pick lots of underdogs in the first three or four weeks of the season, as they do have a tendency to cover.”

If you look at week two, here were the four largest spreads:

Denver -12.5 vs. Kansas City
Green Bay -9.5 vs. New York Jets
San Francisco – 7.5 vs. Chicago
New Orleans -6.5 vs. Cleveland

I’m guessing that I don’t need to tell you that all four dogs covered the spread and two teams won outright (should have been three).

This trend will continue into weeks 3 and 4, but as the season wears on, big favorites are more and more likely to cover, so take advantage of it while you still can.

Here’s another piece of advice that doesn’t have an expiration date. One trend that will not fade is home dogs within the division. They tend to cover all year round. If you need and example, look no further than the Miami Dolphins. The Fins were a huge dog at home and beat the Pats in week one, only to lose as a favorite on the road in Buffalo week 2.

As for the action on the field so far, it’s been terrifically enjoyable. Injuries to established stars have provided opportunities for some young players, and they have not disappointed….especially the young receivers (Watkins, Cooks, et al). My favorite play thus far was the karate kick by Antonio Brown in week one (pictured above). Not since Necessary Roughness and The Replacements have I seen such a blatant disregard of the rules, or such a violent kick to the neck/chest area. A close second is the resurgence of yet another Antonio, Antonio “I-ain’t-done-yet” Gates, who had three touchdowns in week two (one of which was utterly spectacular). It’s great to see a true hall-of-famer still competing at the highest level.

So, make sure you keep to your plan. Have a strategy and stick with it….you will find yourself near the top come December.

-DB

What we’re listening to — Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

If you are just starting a Jazz collection there are a few seminal records you should acquire right out of the box. Anything by the Miles Davis Quintet from the 1950s, any of Coltrane’s Atlantic recordings, Stan Getz’s Bossa Nova years just to name a few. Another certain must-have is 1959’s Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Looking nothing like reefer-smoking beatniks with their spit-and-polish suits and heavy frame glasses, this classic ensemble featured Brubeck on piano, the great and super smooth Paul Desmond on alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass and the wonderfully nuanced Joe Morello on drums. But the four were actually radicals in geeky disguise. Inspired by Turkish and Bulgarian folk music, the whole album features compositions with weird time signatures like 9/8 and 6/4 and “Take Five”, credited to Desmond, swings ever so propulsively in 5/4 time.

Radiating cool and sophistication, “Take Five” sounds as fresh today as it did in 1959 even as it has permeated the entire pop culture subconsciousness with its omnipresence for over 50 years. It’s a must-have for the beginner, intermediate or expert Jazz fan because it is quite simply one of the greatest compositions in 20th century popular music. Put it on the hi-fi then slip into your smoking jacket, mix up some ice cold martinis for you and that special someone and see if you don’t feel like Hef at the Playboy Mansion.

Somewhat amazingly, you can get free unlimited streaming of Time Out and a ton of other classic Jazz albums with a subscription to Amazon Prime.

Man's Fine Life

The Return of the Well-Rounded Gentleman