41 Going on 14

Following my softball game this past Friday night, I commented to a teammate that I think I've just finally realized that I'm in my 40's. Despite the fact that I'm still in pretty good shape, and still run pretty well, I'm not holding up as well as I used to. Yet, I still play as hard as ever, and always seem to be the guy with the dirtiest uniform.

But, sometimes this is unnecessary. Take Friday night's game, for example. On one play, about midway through the game, I'm running from first on a groundball hit in the hole between short and third. I don't even remember who came up with the ball, but he didn't field it cleanly. By busting my ass and sliding hard into second, I was able to beat the throw, and knock the ball loose in the process. Well worth the effort, of course.

Then, later in the game, I do the same thing, in a similar situation. This time, however, the ball is fielded cleanly by the shortstop, and, while I make the play closer than most would have, I'm still out by five feet. After realizing that I had jammed my left hand into the ground in the process, and can barely grip the bat and squeeze my glove afterwards, I decide this one was not worth it.

So, at my game last night, my hand is feeling better, but I still can't grip the bat really well, and it occasionally hurts to catch the ball. So, what do I do? Late in the game, in trying to avoid being forced at second again, I slide into the bag, and wouldn't you know it? The same hand hits the ground, slightly aggravating the injury.

After the game, it takes me ten minutes to remove my cleats, put my sneakers back on, and tie the laces. Then, I limp to the car, my bad ankle suddenly feeling tender again, while each knee takes a turn feeling like it's going to give out. In the process, I'm reminded that, despite being a fairly svelte 5'10" and 160 lbs, and the fact that I still play like a kid, I am definitely getting old.

21st Century Schizoid Ale

A new subject comes from out of left field. I've never discussed my home brewing endeavors here because, frankly, I hadn't brewed in years until recently. After getting back in the swing of things by producing a mediocre batch we decided to call AfroDan's Inaugural Ale, my new apprentice and I set out to brew possibly my most ambitious recipe ever.

Aptly named 21st Century Schizoid Ale due to the use of some experimental brewing methods in an attempt to produce a beer that is the hybrid of several styles, this is easily the second best batch I've ever made. It's going to be hard to ever top my 1995 tour de force, Mr. Pither's Imperial Stout, just as it's extremely difficult to make this comparison 13 years later, but this one comes close. Although we were aiming a little higher, this brew fermented out to an ABV of 8.5%. While it definitely tastes like a strong ale, it goes down rather nicely, with just enough hop bitterness to prevent it from tasting too malty sweet, but not so much that it scares away the novices. I wouldn't recommend drinking more than a couple, though, on a summer day where temperatures reach the high '90s. Our decision to brew it this time of the year could certainly be called into question, but we're quite happy with it regardless.

As for its moniker, of course it is named after King Crimson's signature song, "21st Century Schizoid Man", so yesterday's festivities were also a celebration of Robert Fripp's crew as well as other things prog. My trivia question proved to be a little more than anyone in attendance could handle, but it stirred up some interesting drunken musical discussion, as well as a brief attempt at a game called Six Degrees of John Wetton. In case you're interested, here's the question:

Name as many members of the 1969-1974 era Crimson lineup as you can (two points each), with a bonus point for naming one other band that each member played in.

Because the definition of band member never seems to be as cut and dried as you would think, there were a total of 15 correct answers, with two others that were somewhat debatable, but that I decided I would accept. I think two guests combined for a total of 11 points (four members plus additional bands for three of them). Not very impressive.

Not surprisingly, if you know me well enough, there's a commemorative mix. Interestingly enough, or not, I almost committed an Apostrophe Catastrophe on the cd sleeve. After typing "Lark's Tongues in Aspic", I realized that, unless a lark can have more than one tongue, it has to be Larks' Tongues in Aspic. I have to say thank you to my frequent softball teammate, Becky, for her vigilance against bad punctuation. Otherwise, I may not have been as careful in my own editing.

So, if you'd like a copy of the 21st Century Schizoid Mix, leave me a comment or send me an email. I apologize in advance that I won't be able to mail you one of the beers.

N.L. All-Stars

I actually thought putting together the American League team was pretty easy, with Daisuke Matsuzaka being the most glaring omission. But, with not even close to 100 IP at beyond the season's half-way point, I don't feel so bad. Same goes for Scott Kazmir.

The NL squad was a little more difficult. I left off two pitchers with 10 wins (Ricky Nolasco, Kyle Lohse) and three hitters with 20 or more home runs (Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, Ryan Braun), just to name a few.

Starters
C - Brian McCann, Atlanta
1B - Lance Berkman, Houston
2B - Chase Utley, Philadelphia
SS - Hanley Ramirez, Florida
3B - Chipper Jones, Atlanta
LF - Pat Burrell, Philadelphia
CF - Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh
RF - Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis
DH - Albert Pujols, St. Louis
P - Tim Lincecum, San Francisco

Reserves
C - Geovany Soto, Chicago
1B - Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego
2B - Dan Uggla, Florida
SS - Jose Reyes, New York
3B - David Wright, New York
3B - Aramis Ramirez, Chicago
OF - Matt Holiday, Colorado
OF - Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh
OF - Jason Bay, Pittsburgh
OF - Carlos Lee, Houston

Pitchers
SP - Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati
SP - Ben Sheets, Milwaukee
SP - Brandon Webb, Arizona
SP - Aaron Cook, Colorado
SP - Carlos Zambrano, Chicago
SP - Ryan Dempster, Chicago
SP - Dan Haren, Arizona
SP - Cole Hamels, Philadelphia
RP - Brad Lidge, Philadelphia
RP - Billy Wagner, New York
RP - Jon Rauch, Washington
RP - Kerry Wood, Chicago

A.L. All-Stars

Forget the fan voting, the player voting, the one player per team rule, and Jason Varitek. Here's who should be on the A.L. All-Star squad. Period.

Starters
C - Joe Mauer, Minnesota
1B - Justin Morneau, Minnesota
2B - Ian Kinsler, Texas
SS - Michael Young, Texas
3B - Alex Rodriguez, New York
LF - Carlos Quentin, Chicago
CF - Grady Sizemore, Cleveland
RF - Josh Hamilton, Texas
DH - Milton Bradley, Texas
P - Cliff Lee, Cleveland

Reserves
C - Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay
1B - Kevin Youkilis, Boston
1B - Jason Giambi, New York
2B - Brian Roberts, Baltimore
2B - Dustin Pedroia, Boston
SS - Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland
3B - Mike Lowell, Boston
3B - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
OF - J.D. Drew, Boston
OF - Jermaine Dye, Chicago
OF - Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle

Pitchers
SP - Joe Saunders, Los Angeles
SP - Justin Duchscherer, Oakland
SP - Roy Halladay, Toronto
SP - Gavin Floyd, Chicago
SP - Ervin Santana, Los Angeles
SP - Mike Mussina, New York
RP - Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles
RP - Joe Nathan, Minnesota
RP - Mariano Rivera, New York
RP - Joakim Soria, Kansas City
RP - Jonathan Papelbon, Boston

Frequent Spins (2008.4)

I was in what I'd call an extended music rut there for a while. Though I've been coming out of it of late, and although I am still not feeling totally inspired to write much about the recent releases I've enjoyed, I'm going to give it a whirl. So, here's what I've listened to and appreciated since I last wrote a Frequent Spins entry.

Centro-Matic - Dual Hawks
Recently saw these guys play the Middle East Upstairs, and as usual they failed to disappoint. Dual Hawks is a double-disc split release with their alter ego, South San Gabriel, and the SSG disc is solid as well, though I haven't spent all that much time with it yet.

Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Clocking in at just 39 minutes, this album fails to capture the band's penchant for treading the fine line between epic and overdone, but it's still a really enjoyable effort from one of my new favorites.

The Low Lows - Shining Violence
A little reminiscent of the lo-fi sound of early My Morning Jacket here.

M83 - Saturdays = Youth
When a co-worker asked me to burn her a copy of this, it prompted me to give it another chance after I had inexplicably dismissed it prematurely. It turned out to be a smart move, as this one's been growing on me little by little ever since.

Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
Another strong effort from the only twee pop band that really matters.

Matthew Ryan - Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State
Back in the days when I used to read comic books, I found it confusing when an issue would be referred to as a "Super Hero Team Up", yet it would be titled Hero #1 Vs. Hero #2. Were they teaming up or battling each other? Am I confused as to the meaning of the word versus? The same concept applies here. Matthew Ryan teams up with a band called The Silver State, but apparently they're both fans of the Golden Age of Marvel Comics.

Sun Kil Moon - April
The proper follow up to 2003's debut, Ghosts of the Great Highway, is further evidence of the genius of Mark Kozelek.

Also spin-worthy
The Apples in Stereo - Electronic Projects for Musicians
Eef Barzelay - Lose Big
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
The Futureheads - This is Not the World
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
R.E.M. - Accelerate
Shearwater - Rook
Spiritualized - Songs in A & E
Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw