Culture Greyhound

Series Preview: Boston Red Sox @ Texas Rangers

Yu Darvish’s Two Curves – An Analysis

Baseball’s MVPs

I just spent the weekend with Dwight Yoakam. Ok, well not really. I actually just saw him perform two nights in a row at ACL Live downtown. And it was incredible, as per usual. I was kind of bummed he didn’t play any new songs, but I’m completely over it, because today Dwight has announced the release date for his first new album in seven years!

3 Pears comes out September 18th on Warner Bros. Records. That’s right, Dwight’s back with his old label. It will be his first album of new material (not including Dwight Sings Buck, a Buck Owens tribute album) since 2005’s Blame the Vain. According to the release:

3 Pears exemplifies Yoakam’s ability to incorporate multiple, competing influences into a piece of cohesive art. It balances his country core with a fiercely independent embrace of rock, Americana, pop and soul and builds on his trademark edginess with a notable, growing positivity. 3 Pears contains heartfelt love songs, which showcase Yoakam’s authentic country vocals while maintaining his unmistakable classic sound.

Sign me up! He recently relaunched DwightYoakam.Com with a funny intro video and a Soundcloud-uploaded snippet of a new song! Go check it out. 2012 is getting better and better, you guys.

Yours Truly and Adidas Originals recently got together for a Songs From Scratch music series, releasing new original tracks from buzzed-about groups. Danny Brown and araabMUZIK got together for the first time ever for such a track, a quick one called “Molly Ringwald,” which you can stream below. It will be released through Yours Truly and Fool’s Gold records via the Love Letters Ink imprint as a 7-inch and part of a Loosies comp, respectively. Here’s hoping we see these two tear this track up together in November at Fun Fun Fun Fest, as both artists are part of the stellar lineup.

I know what I’m typing here isn’t revolutionary, and since the All-Star Game was last week, it’s more than a little past due in Internet terms. But it’s on my mind and I’ve got nothing better to blog about today, unless you guys want to hear the new Green Day song. Here you go. It’s awesome. Listen while you read. It’ll be all over the radio in 24 hours, if it isn’t already.

So anyway, we all know the Pro Bowl sucks. We hate it. It’s pointless, nobody’s playing hard, nobody cares, it means nothing, it’s a dumb exhibition game.

Well, the MLB All-Star Game is dumber. A lot dumber.

Why? Because ten years ago, MLB decided to incentivize the game. You know, to make the ratings go up, to make the players play harder, etc. To make it more than just a dumb game. “It’s not a break!” went the commercials I kept seeing everyday leading up to it this year.

And it’s been working on the ratings front. This year’s ASG was the most watched program of the week, with over 10 million viewers.

So what’s the incentive? Money? Some sponsored gift, akin to the Super Bowl MVP getting a car, but maybe not as nice? Maybe something dealing with the draft? Nope. It’s HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE for the World Series.

That’s right. A game with several players, voted in by the fans (perhaps undeservingly), who the vast majority won’t be in the World Series, some not even close to the postseason, decide the fate of the two final teams standing in October. In the past 9 years, the league that’s won the All-Star game and earned home field advantage has won the big game 6 times.

So that means my beloved Rangers, who have a pretty great shot at going to the World Series for the third straight year, also have a great shot at losing it for the third straight year and essentially becoming the modern-day Buffalo Bills of baseball. Every team is represented at the ASG, not the best of the best, and you can’t tell me these guys are actually out there, playing with good acquaintances and former teammates, and taking the game seriously. It likely never crosses their mind that potential Game 7 doom rests on the outcome of what they perceive as a more casual affair than the game-every-day grind they’re used to. “Not a break”? Give ME a break.

I know what you all are thinking: “Dude, your team had 8 people on the ASG this year. The AL lost 8-0. It’s on you guys more than anybody.” Well, ok, no, it’s on Verlander, who is an amazing pitcher overall, primarily for that game-deciding 1st inning. Harrison played awful, too. And for the record, my opinion is that Napoli, who has been dismal this season, and Darvish, who was up against far better players in the final vote, shouldn’t have even been there, among many, many other players. Do I think all the Rangers are the best players in the MLB? Of course not. Am I loyal and proud of my team? Absolutely. So yeah, I did the whole #VoteYu thing; he didn’t even play, so whatever. I mean, they’re letting us vote, which is stupid, so why not, right? Vote for your team. Duh.

I’m digressing a bit because I’m in soapbox mode, but what I’m trying to say overall is: either make the game best of the best and have it mean something important, or let fans vote in whoever and bring in undeserving reps from every team and have it mean little to nothing. You can’t have it both ways, MLB. The Royals didn’t deserve to have a spot this year, and everyone knows it. Who cares if it’s in Kansas City? If the fans don’t like it, maybe they should blame management.

My vote? Make it a dumb exhibition game, with every team represented, give them a middling incentive, make it fun. Make it meaningless. Make it a break. Make it the Pro Bowl. The ratings battle has ruined this game, and ultimately it may have ruined my World Series. So, sure, let the fans vote in the highly-paid rookie who’s nailing the strike zone decidedly less than the vets, but crowds love him. Let some rep for a well-under-.500 team have his two or three at-bats and come up short in all of them. That way, when the game everyone cares about comes around in October, we won’t already have a pretty good idea of the outcome.  We can enjoy the second half without the beginning of July looming over us.  We can watch the team with the best record garner home field advantage.  And I would be cool with that.

Because that team would be the Rangers.

Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.

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Similar to the way Nicki Minaj received (possibly over-validated) comparisons to Lil Kim, Angel Haze is an up-and-comer that reminds me of Da Brat and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. This is never more apparent than on the newly leaked track from her forthcoming Reservations EP, a song called “Hot Like Fire.” Take one listen and tell me you aren’t taken back to the 90’s, the days when we had unbeatably talented female MCs getting love.

Where Nicki has ultimately failed, Haze is shining. Similar to Dominique Young Unique and Azealia Banks, she has swagger on the mic, even if her skills aren’t completely comparable. The advantage over those two, especially Dominique, is the ear for sharp hooks. It remains to be seen whether she will rise to the level of success Minaj has, then ultimately squander it overall for a more Euro-pop, radio-ready flavor, but as it stands currently, with tracks like “Werkin’ Girls” and the Gil Scott-Heron sendup “New York,” Haze has potential to break through and still remain sharp. So far, this upcoming EP sounds very promising; hopefully when she’s on the BET Awards years from now, her sound will remain this throwback, this substance-over-style, something Minaj buries deep within her albums amongst overplayed club fodder.

Year 7 of Fun Fun Fun Fest is ridiculously baller once again. This will be my sixth year to attend, and the first with a PIP pass (what what!). If you’d like some mental preparation/headbanging and booty shaking practice, peep the celebratory playlist I made today for Do512 below. Also: the fest made their own as well. Tickets are available at this very moment here. But they’ll be gone soon. Just a heads up.

A lot has happened in the land of Green Day since we last spoke. I know, I know. I’ve been slacking. You may have even found another source for all things Green Day! Or maybe you just read my blog because you know me personally and check it from time to time and don’t really care about Green Day. Your kindness knows no bounds. Rest assured, I am here to deliver the most pressing news on the greatest band ever. I will take care of you like a lion takes care of her cub. So here we go!

The cover above is Tre!, the final album in the trilogy, to be released in January. Here’s the trailer!

But wait, there’s more!

Green Day are releasing two documentaries alongside the trilogy! To be directed/produced by the same dudes who brought you Bullet In a Bible, several recent awesome Green Day videos, and that one badass White Stripes concert film. Read more from a more reliable source here!

And finally, “Oh Love,” the first single from Uno!, will be released on Monday. You can listen to it at GreenDay.Com Monday morning and preorder the whole trilogy as well. Here’s the cover:

And here’s the trailer!

So, yeah. That’s a ton of stuff, y’all. Green Day’s back baby! Get psyched!

Woah! Ok, so today Fun Fun Fun announced their biggest leak yet: the reunion of the one and only Run DMC.

It will be their first performance since the untimely death of Jam Master Jay. It’s a pretty big deal, you guys. And in honor of said FUN DMC announcement, the Transmission crew is hosting a bomb-ass happy hour for your chance to win some tickets!

So yeah, that’s gonna be tight. In addition, they’re announcing the whole lineup and releasing the rest of the tickets on Thursday morning. But if you live here in the glorious ATX, you don’t have to wait. Wednesday night is Fun Fun Fun Lineup Bingo, where you’ll get the scoop on who’s playing ten-twelve hours before the rest of the world.

On top of what’s already been announced, it’s likely this is going to be another crazy awesome Fun Fun Fun this year. Follow the fest on Twitter, Facebook, and their web page, and I’ll see you at the bingo parlor!