Links for groundhogs, goalposts and other creatures

Nate Chinen reviewed Trio M at Hotel Kitano in New York. A different, but equally positive take on the band to my reactions.

Ethan Iverson scores again with a parsing of Oscar Peterson and his notable critics. My reaction to come. And staying in the family, Ethan's fantastic wife Sarah reposts her amazing essay about vacuum cleaners and loss.

One concert note, my friends Prana Trio will play the Lily Pad tomorrow night. I would be there, but I'm afraid I'm a homer, and there's this little football game. But if that doesn't interest you in the least, go check 'em.

One note on that game. There has been a lot of blowback this week in the papers against the Pats, which I understand. It's hard to like a juggernaut for very long, especially one whose boss sometimes resembles a cross between a poorly dressed Dr. Frankenstien and a football Grinch who may have used, er, less then ethical scouting tactics. But those of us who live here are still pinching ourselves. My first football memory is watching an horribly inept Patriots squad on television give up a game winning pass to Buffalo (1979? 1981? someone help me here). We had three defensive backs in the area, they had one receiver- guess who caught the pass? That pretty much set up the football of my youth. I also remember losing to Tampa Bay back when they were god awful, and had lame pastel orange uniforms to boot. Likewise, my first baseball memories are 1.) seeing Dwight Evans on TV getting hit in the face with a beer while trying to catch a fly ball in Yankee Stadium, and 2.) having to leave my first ever game at Fenway Park because my grandfather had broken his hip. Paged over the stadium PA and everything. I'm not making this up. So forgive me and me ilk for reveling in our good fortune. And enjoy the game!

(Shakes head in disbelief that someone actually put up a Dewey Evans page on Wikepedia...)

Current listening: Bobby McFerrin, Medicine Music. Was reminded of this album recently, so I went out and finally got it on CD. (I had it on cassette 15 years ago.) Am I the only one that thinks that McFerrin is criminally underrated, partially due to his pop success?

UPDATE: One of the few bright spots of the aforementioned Pats from my youth, the amazing linebacker Andrew Tippett, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame today. That makes me happy.