Requiem For A Couple Of Braves #socs #jusjojan

I apologize in advance to those who might not know what I’m talking about.

Not surprisingly, the news here in Atlanta and throughout the baseball world has been about the death of Henry Aaron, the man who broke Babe Ruth’s seemingly insurmountable home run record of 714 home runs in a career. The video above shows Hank’s homer that broke the record on April 8, 1974. He ended his career with 755 home runs with the Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers and was enshrined as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When I moved to Atlanta and started following the Braves, Hank was around as an elder statesman from the team that moved here from Milwaukee in 1966. Everyone in the organization loved him and recognized him as the heart and soul of the Braves.

Atlanta Braves Broadcast Team, 1990’s. From left: Joe Simpson, Don Sutton Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray. Source: Atlanta Braves

The Braves lost another member of the family earlier this week. While Don Sutton never played for the Braves, he was a member of the broadcast team from 1990 until 2018, spending a couple of years in there announcing for the Washington Nationals. Don is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, having won 324 games and ringing up 3,574 strikeouts in a 23-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels. He came across as a friendly guy, loaded with baseball knowledge that he’d share with the audience on radio and TV.

We bought a new furnace and air-conditioning unit several years ago, and one of the reasons we bought this one was because the salesman told us he had sold one to Don Sutton. I figured if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you by Linda Hill and this station. During January, it’s also part of Just Jot It January.

And now a word about BelAir cigarettes. Breathe easy, smoke clean with new BelAir!

Limping Along #jusjojan

Since my stroke, I walk with a limp, when I walk. I’ve gone from using a cane to a walker to being pushed around in a wheelchair because my knees are so bad. Eventually, I hope to get them fixed, though my lymphatic drainage therapist said there might be trouble with my right leg because of my lymphedema. Just made me day when I heard that.

I’m feeling kind of limp now, as it happens. Tired, mostly. I think pushing the lymph out of my legs and through the rest of my lymphatic system leaves me feeling a little punk, like I need a good cleaning out afterward. Who knows? Maybe I do…

One of the running gags in Hogan’s Heroes is that everyone who ever flew with Colonel Klink, the Kommandant of Stalag 13 where Hogan and the rest are being held as prisoners of war, ends up with a limp. He speaks proudly of having been the person to teach them everything they know as a Luftwaffe officer, but they generally don’t want to be reminded. Fact is, Klink is scared to fly, which can be a definite negative in the German air force, or any other, for that matter…

Just Jot It January is brought to you, as always, by Linda Hill.

Five For Friday: Nathan East (One Guy, Multiple Acts)

I was wondering who to cover today for Five For Friday, and one name kept coming to mind: bassist Nathan East. He’s probably worked with more acts than anyone, everyone from Barry White to Eric Clapton and more. He’s a permanent member of the smooth-jazz group Fourplay, and has even done some solo work. The following is merely a taste, a soupçon if you will, of the work he’s done.

  1. Love Unlimited Orchestra, "Love’s Theme": I was surprised to learn that East had worked with Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra as early as 1971, because he’s only a couple of months older than I, making him no older than 16. Anyway, "Love’s Theme" was released in 1973 and reached #1 on the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary chart in the US, #1 in Canada, an d #10 in the UK.
  2. Kenny Loggins, "Footloose": From Kenny’s 1985 appearance at Live Aid. You can see him on the right side of the stage here, having a great time.
  3. Eric Clapton, "Old Love": East was working with Eric Clapton at the time Slowhand did MTV Unplugged in 1986. Again, you can see him on the right side of the set playing the acoustic guitar bass. At another point in the concert, when they play Jesse Fuller’s "San Francisco Bay Blues," Nathan can also be heard on kazoo.
  4. Fourplay, "Between The Sheets": In addition to being a much-in-demand bassist, Nathan has some pretty serious vocal chops, as heard here. "Between The Sheets" was the title track from Fourplay’s second album from 1993. He’s joined on the lead vocal by the beautiful Chaka Khan, while Phillip Bailey and Phil Perry sing backup. The rest of Fourplay are Lee Ritenour on guitar, Bob James on keyboards, and Harvey Mason on drums.
  5. Lari Basilio, "Not Alone": Those of you who follow here probably know that Lari Basilio is one of my favorite contemporary guitarists. On her most recent album, 2019’s Far More, she’s backed by East, Greg Philinganes on keyboards, and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums.

Nathan East, your Five For Friday, January 22, 2021.

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: “The Coffee Song” Results

Well, I did it again: I came up with a Battle of the Bands that ended in a blowout.

Frank Sinatra

  • Mike G
  • Mary B
  • Cathy
  • Stephen
  • Stephen’s brother
  • Dan
  • Maggie
  • Arlee
  • Eugenia
  • Revived Writer
  • Debbie

The Arrogant Worms

  • Birgit

Final score: Frank Sinatra 11, The Arrogant Worms 1.

I think I was saved from a shutout by the two Canadian voters who voted for the Canadian band. (NOTE: At least, that’s what I thought until I realized one of them also voted for Ol’ Blue Eyes.) Anyway, congratulations to The Chairman of the Board and a hearty "well done" to The Arrogant Worms.

Our next Battle of the Bands is on Monday, February 1. See you then!