"I know that I would be a fool, not to bet it all on you and let the chips fall where they may....."

A song by Raul Malo to start the blog entry off, his voice and style has caught my ear. He certainly has some of Mr. Orbison's spirit in him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOrou5PQYas
Lucky One
You come in from the light and are feathered by the night. There are friends, there are angels, there are strangers and there is music. You walk around amazed you feel alive because you usually do not. The wind is cool and frustrating on a Saturday in May because you long for warmth or some expectation of it. Then you are hugged by the warmth of kindness and realize it never really leaves. It is only us who leave it.
A few Counting Crows clips to share.
Hanging Tree (Summer 2007, somewhere out in America)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3wckZaZJ08
Richard Manuel Is Dead (Acoustic) (August 19, 2008 Toronto)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNMaL9PRXkY
Mr. Jones (Acoustic) (August 19, 2008 Toronto)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQX0BoQVWXM
Come Around (May 8, 2009 Dublin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7n5MD3x3r0
Le Ballet D'Or (May 8, 2009 Dublin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jAAwEjHV0c
Recovering The Satellites (May 8, 2009 Dublin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqfoD9u68j8
Have You Seen Me Lately? (May 8, 2009 Dublin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq05IZ5lNhE
Cowboys (May 8, 2009 Dublin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00nvJQYVwbw
Ghost Train (May 8, 2009 Dublin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI8H-Qsq1F0
So another baseball star is a cheater. Is anybody surprised? Probably not. Am I surprised? Not at all. Manny Ramirez has always played for himself. "Manny being Manny" was always everyone's reaction to his laziness or lack of interest at times. Well I guess now "Manny being Manny" includes talking drugs banned by Major League Baseball, drugs used after a cycle of steroids. Manny's career numbers are amazing, .315, 535 homeruns and 1745 rbi's but like the rest of the cheaters he will forever reside outside Cooperstown, and rightly so. He should not even play another game in the league but like Alex Rodriguez, we are stuck watching these frauds make their millions. This is because we still love the game and it perhaps explains everything about love.
The last book I finished reading yesterday, A Good House by Bonnie Burnard is a very good read. I would recommend it.
http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=0312420323
john.