What if the Beatles hadn't broken up?

I originally moved "A Spot of Red in Cubland" over to blogger.com in part because I thought it was a bit more appropriate to blog about non-Baseball topics on a site that wasn't hosted by MLB.com. In typical fashion, since making that move, I don't believe I've written more than one or two posts that were non-sports related. So time to change that....

This past week, we passed the 30th anniversary of the day that John Lennon was killed outside of the Dakota in New York City. The increased coverage has had me listening to more solo Lennon work than is really typical for me. Honestly, I've never been a HUGE fan of Lennon's solo work, and prior to this year was content to own a couple of greatest hits type compilations. And honestly, if it weren't for library cards and CD burners, I wouldn't own any proper albums by solo Beatles aside from Harrison's "Cloud 9", "Brainwashed" and the first Traveling Wilburys album.

That is until the magic of iTunes hit me -- I did buy a copy of "McCartney" a year or so ago when a remastered version became available (and really, can honestly say I don't care for it as an album). And then this past October, another round of remastered Lennon albums were made available, and I has a gift card or two to burn -- so no I own "Plastic Ono Band", "Imagine", "Mind Games" and "Walls and Bridges". As with the other solo Beatles stuff, I don't care for it anywhere near as much as my least favorite Beatles album (probably "Let It Be", but might be "Magical Mystery Tour"). But, as a -- I guess -- more mature consumer at the time of purchase, I do find them to be fairly interesting.

So between the press over his 70th birthday and the 30th anniversary of his death, I've spent a bit more time listening to solo Lennon work and thinking about it in the context of the Beatles (which are always in rotation on my iPod). Perhaps it is because I'm finally listening to his music with some kind of recognition of where it appeared in relation to the final Beatles albums, but my thoughts finally turned to the idea of what the next Beatles album might have sounded like had they averted the breakup. Sure, I've made mixes before where I alternated solo Lennon and McCartney hits, but these were greatest hits mixes with no attempt to discern what an actual Beatles album would have been in the early 70's.

Then, my thoughts turned to what I knew of the breakup. I'm far from a scholar, but I have read a couple of books -- on transcribing tapes from the "Get Back" sessions (sorry, it hasn't found its way to my bookshelf in my last move, and can't remember the title/author) and a great history of the Beatles by Bob Spitz. As you may or may not know, the final years of the Beatles were full of turmoil, and I believe every member "quit" the band before McCartney's press info for his first solo album announced things officially. At one point, there was even talk that Eric Clapton would join in to take George's, and later Paul's spot (I think I have my facts correct on "God" replacing Paul, though I'm sure a real Beatles scholar will correct me).

So -- In my head I have a sort of alternate history....everything that we know happened does happen, but pleas to Paul to hold off on releasing McCartney work, and that album never hits as we know it (he does release it, but in a bit different form). He does also briefly quit the Beatles and is replaced by Clapton. During sessions, the other 3 realize that, while a special musical "happening", they aren't the Beatles with Clapton (oh, and Billy Preston, too). So the sessions yield a fantastic one-off album of blues/classic rock n' roll covers, but that is not the next Beatles album. After some time away, the Beatles get together and start to work through the material that all of them had been putting together for their intended solo albums. But realize that they are, and have always been, better together than apart.

So I get through all of this thinking, and do a few quick google searches on the subject only to find that it is a favorite hobby (and blog topic) of Beatles fans all over. Not sure why that surprised me. Also surprised to find out that a lot of what I picked is chosen by my fellow fans. I find that interesting. A couple of articles I enjoyed are an idea on "Alone Together", which while a good article, a title I can't accept mainly because I remember a Crowded House album called "Together Alone." Then there's "Hot as Sun" and an article I point out because it references similar articles and concepts. I'm sure there are an infinite number out there, and these are only just a few that I've found.

So for what it is worth, here is my "next Beatles album." I imagine that the title would be simply "John, Paul, George and Ringo." I did follow a couple of rules:

1. With one exception, all of the songs had to be from, or at least known to have existed, in the 1970-71 time frame. I imagine this album to have appeared in late '71 or early '72.
2. Usual "Beatle" rules were followed -- meaning a fairly consistent mix of Lennon vs. McCartney songs. When he agreed to come back, George would have insisted on more than two tracks of his own. He didn't get two that he actually sang, but did get a 3rd song that he helped write. Ringo gets to sing two....because he never really caused much turmoil and it was his plea to Paul that prevented the release of "McCartney" at the same time as "Let It Be". That plea was made in reality, but as we know, Paul did not listen to it.
3. Tried to keep the running time consistent with what would have been possible on vinyl. I'm a bit over, but assumed that these songs would have turned out a bit differently had they been Beatles songs.

So here goes.....

Side A:

• We open with "Too Many People". And, yeah, the veiled comments on John do make it into the final. For a time, the album would have included either "How Do You Sleep?" and/or "God", but eventually Paul clears the air and explains that really only one line refers to Yoko in the studio. (As a side note, Ringo and George tell Paul that they don't like Linda being in the studio any more than they like having Yoko around).
• Next comes "Remember". Of all of John's early solo music, this is the one that sounds the most Beatle-ish to me. Plus, I like the reference to Guy Fawkes and the abrupt ending of the song.
• Next comes "Instant Karma", which had been intended to be a solo single by John, but was held because the other guys loved it.
• Then Paul chimes in with "That Would Be Something". George admitted this one was a good one, and I agree with Allyn Gibson that the song is much better once the other Beatles have their input.
• Then we get "Wah-Wah". You listen to "All Things Must Pass" and you wonder how Paul and John kept some of these off their albums. This one was written when George briefly quit the group, and it's a nice, peppy song. And it's not the best George has to offer, so John and Paul still have the satisfaction of keeping George in the background.
• So my one big cheat -- "I'm the Greatest" from the "Ringo" album. I picked this one specifically because it's really a Beatles song in a very broad sense. John wrote it, and all four play on it. So while no one really thought Ringo ought to sing more than one song on an album, he gets to sing one that John wrote for him.
• We close out side A with "Another Day." A song John hates, but Paul won't agree to leave out.

Side B

• The second side opens with "Mind Games". The song sounds a bit different without Phil Spector's production, but this is one John had been working on as early as the "Let It Be" sessions, and fits perfectly with his love and peace message of the times.
• Next up...."Dear Boy." Paul always seemed to have one of these kinds of songs ready, although this one isn't nearly as cheesy as "Martha My Dear" or many of his solo hits.
• "Hold On" is next. The rest of the band wasn't wild about the Yoko name check, but John agreed to put "How Do You Sleep?" on the shelf as long as he could include a song that reflected his love for Yoko.
• George gets his second track with "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp". Many of you would probably say that this was an odd choice when "My Sweet Lord", "What is Life", "Isn't It A Pity"....and many others have been left off. The reason, to me, is simple....John had already rejected "Isn't It A Pity", and neither he nor Paul were wild about George showing them up as he'd already done with "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" on "Abbey Road". So George throws out this underrated gem.
• John's "Gimme Some Truth" comes next. As with "Remember", it had more of a Beatle feel to me than some of his other solo songs, and choosing "Imagine" seemed too easy. In truth, "Mother" probably would have been John's contribution, but I've never cared for that one, so I'm sticking with this.
• "It Don't Come Easy" features an unheard of 2nd song sung by Ringo, but since George gets the co-writer credit, he's happy to have this one make the final cut.
• And we close out things with "Maybe I'm Amazed"....which is hands down my favorite McCartney song....Beatles, solo or otherwise.

I was very tempted to include "God" in the mix, but couldn't imagine the other members allowing the line "I don't believe in Beatles." At one point, though -- before I had settled on "Remember" -- I had that one closing the album, and the Beatles announcing their break up with the release of the album. But the band never did things with that much forethought, and while was a better storybook ending than what happened in reality, just didn't seem to feel right.

I listen to this collection of songs -- and try to imagine what they'd have sounded like with George Martin producing and I think this is a fine album, though perhaps not "the greatest album never made." But let's face it....."Let It Be" wasn't a great album by the Beatles' standards either. So that's how I see it -- and I'd love any comments you might want to leave.

Thanks for reading.

Jeter, Gonzo, Crawford and Waiting for Lee

So, quick tangent before I get to my main topic....Finding time to write anything is a little tougher when you have a 8-10 month kid cruising the house. I'm as worn as I've ever been in my life, but no way would I trade one second of it for anything. Not conducive for blogging, though.

But, seeing as my last post was in late September, a lot has happened since my last post. First off, the Giants became the latest team to end a long wait for a title, the Yankees were made to look like a 2nd rate team against the Rangers, and the Phillies are starting to look like the 2003-04 era Yankees.

The off season has also been somewhat tumultuous. As I'm writing, we still don't know if Cliff Lee will be a Yankee or a Ranger or whether or not a mystery team will swoop in at the last minute. Smart money (and a dumb 7th year) says the Yankees get this done now that they have Jeter and Rivera resigned.

Speaking of Jeter -- I was a little disappointed in how the Yankees went about these negotiations, although not surprised. But Jeter has been the picture of class for his entire tenure in the Bronx, and for the club to try out the "greedy player who wants more than he deserves" angle....well, that's a bit of an insult to the fans. We all knew that Jeter wanted to remain a Yankee, that the Yankees wanted him back, and that whatever they paid him -- it would be more than he was worth on the open market. Look, we all know he's an aging shortstop with declining range (that many will say was never that good anyway). He was coming off his worst year of his career, too. But Derek Jeter IS the Yankees. Plain and simple, and if you didn't take care of him, you'd have angered quite a bit of your fan base. I can say that aside from Albert Pujols, he's hands down my favorite player, and I'd have strongly considered turning my back on the Yankees had they let him go. I've been a Yankees fan for a long time, but it has been during Jeter's time in the Bronx that I've been at my most passionate. I'm sure many of you would point out the fact that I sound like a fair weather fan with that statement, but Jeter, much like Ozzie Smith in the 80's, is a guy that I will always root for no matter what uniform he puts on (although I don't ever want to test that out if he should sign in Boston).

The big players in the offseason, though, have been the Red Sox. They pulled off the big move for Adrian Gonzalez -- who was formerly #3 on my list of current favorite players. I saw him play for our local A club, Kane County, when he was coming up in the Marlins system, and saw him play during Spring Training just after he had been traded to the Padres. Right after that, I grabbed him off the wire for my fantasy baseball team, and I've been a huge fan since. He'll do well in Boston, and I'll miss having him play for a team where I was able to root for him. The Sox also added Carl Crawford to play left, and now have the option of trading either Mike Cameron or Jacoby Ellsbury for some more pitching. The Red Sox -- on paper at least -- look to have put themselves back in the conversation in the AL East, and will very likely be a power.

Talking to a friend of mine -- a fellow Cardinals fan who spent his college years in Boston. He is now and always will be a Cardinals fan, but did begin rooting for the Sox while living out East. His comment was that the Red Sox have become a bit tougher to like the last several years because they are now just as bad as the Yankees (he, like most other baseball fans, hates the Yankees with a passion). Hard to argue with that after the two moves they've made.

Of course, that is until the Yankees make Cliff Lee an unimaginably rich man and lock him in for 7 years.

Revisiting the NL Playoff Picture

As we head into the final week of the 2010 regular season, I thought it might be worthwhile to revisit a post from a couple of weeks ago... In that post, I bemoaned the fact that the Cardinals weren't able to do the one thing that is required of all good/great teams -- beat up on the little guys. The Cardinals have been terrible against "lesser" competition, and in the time since I wrote that post, they've only gotten worst. You might not realize it, but they've posted the worst record in the NL since the All Star break. Of course, on weekends when they do play a team that still has a shot at October, they surprise by taking 2 of 3. Then they play the Cubs and get swept. And thus you have the frustration of the 2010 season as a Cardinals fan.

But, my intent here is to revisit the teams I talked about in that previous post -- the Padres, the Giants, the Reds, the Phillies and the Braves. Since they've put themselves squarely in the hunt, I'll also touch on the Rockies.

Let's start with the Phillies.....Back in June, it looked like they wouldn't even make the playoffs, but as they have the last several years, they turned on the jets at the right time, and basically wrapped up the division with their recent sweep of the Braves. They head into the playoffs with a rotation that starts with Roys Halladay and Oswalt followed by Cole Hammels. Yeah, they have a great shot at reaching their 3rd consecutive World Series.

The Braves have slipped a bit since my last post. They still have a lead in the Wild Card race, but the 3 teams in contention for the NL West are still in the mix. I think the season is a disappointment for the Braves if they don't make it as the Wild Card, and personally, I would love to see them make the World Series and send off Bobby Cox in style (provided they don't have to go through the Yankees to do that).

The NL West remains the last compelling race in any division in baseball. The Padres decided to quit winning and saw a 6+ game lead evaporate. Since that time, they've spent days alternating with the Giants for the division lead. The Padres play a Cinci team that may be resting stars for the post-season and then welcome the Cubs, who have played better under interim manager Mike Quade. The Giants get the Rockies and then the Diamondbacks. Then the two teams square off in San Fran, and just might have the division and a spot in the playoffs on the line.

Unless of course the Rockies spoil everything by getting back in the groove after stumbling a bit against the D'backs. Troy Tulowitzki has had a September to remember and has been clubbing home runs at an unconscious pace. He's cemented his spot as the premier short stop in the NL, and might just earn a spot in the MVP voting if he can help the Rockies turn October into "Rock"tober.

The Reds, of course, have things basically wrapped up as the Cards are starting to give time to their September callups. Dusty Baker worked magic with the 2003 Cubs, and may be improving on that story with the 2010 Reds.

It is going to be a fun October.

Much Ado About Nothing

During last night's Yankees/Rays game, Derek Jeter spun away from an inside pitch, immediately grabbed his left arm and wrist as if the pitch had hit his elbow, and was awarded first base by the umpire. Before taking first, the Yankees trainers came onto the field to check out the damage done. Only problem with all of this is that replays showed that the ball hit the end of the bat -- not Jeter's arm. So he was acting -- and now has thrown the baseball world into a tizzy.

Honestly people, get a grip. Did Jeter fake things and play it up to get on base? Of course he did -- he admitted as much after the game, saying that it was his job to get on base any way that he could. So now, the twitterverse, blogosphere and sports talk radio is abuzz with the great debate: IS DEREK JETER A CHEATER?

Look, this is a fact of life in sports -- not just baseball. How many wide receivers dive for a ball, tumble over things and then come up holding the ball as if they just one-upped the "Immaculate Reception"? Happens several times a game. How many times does an outfielder dive for a ball that bounces on the ground and quickly in his glove and them holds his glove up to sell the catch? Everyone this side of Adam Dunn pulls that one. The flop that gets the charging call -- yep, those are part of the game, too.

I know these things are maddening when they happen against your favorite team. I'm as guilty of villifying a player for these types of things all the time. But I fail to see the side of this argument that would suggest that Jeter's somehow a tarnished idol now, or that this kind of thing is beneath him. This is part of the game, people, and we'll ALWAYS have to live with players trying to get away with some little thing or another to gain an edge. It's not cheating, it's not amoral, it's just a fact of life in the sporting world.

I'm fairly certain that there's perhaps maybe two players in baseball that might have stirred up a bigger mess of ridiculousness than the one that's surrounded Jeter today -- ARod and Manny Ramirez. Aside from those two guys, if ANYONE else does this, we're roundly saluting him as a heads up and savvy baseball player. Dustin Pedroia does that, and he's a "gamer", but somehow it's beneath Jeter. (That's not a shot at a Red Sox, plug in any player you want, and I'd make the same argument.)

Now, having said all this, I do agree that this is just one instance where we see that MLB really could benefit from the use of instant replay. The technology is there, and with a little planning and forethought (I know, not exactly Bud's strong suit), the game can be even better than it is, and I don't think the fan will have to suffer through too much dead time during a game -- or at least won't suffer through any more than they've become accustomed to.

But for now, let's all take a few deep breaths and just realize that this really isn't that big of a deal.

Time to look ahead

Not exactly breaking news to say that the Cardinals' season is over. If 3 straight losses to the Cubs don't signal the end in humiliating fashion, then I don't know what would. The way it is ending is not quite what I had envisioned -- nor I suppose what most experts envisioned. Some had tabbed the Reds to surprise and win the NL Central, but many of those same experts also picked the Cards for the Wild Card.

What's upsetting is this is a team that clearly has the talent to make a playoff run, and they just don't play up to their potential. When that happens, you start doing what Cubs fans have become famous for -- waiting for next year. The Cardinals future might be equally as uncertain as the Cards, too.

If I were GM, here's my list of priorities:

• The team may be in the market for a new manager. TLR has been taking it year to year for some time now, but this is the first time I've wondered if he'll come back or not -- and also whether I WANT him back. He's a hall of fame manager, and one of the greatest of the modern era if not all time. But, maybe he's finally reached the end of the line in St. Louis. The team certainly seems to have tuned him out, and with rumored friction with some of the young stars (Rasmus), might be time for a new voice. I'm not opposed to bringing in that new voice, but worry that Mozelik isn't the guy to find him. A bigger concern to me is the fact that if TLR hangs it up, it probably means that Dave Duncan is on his way out, too. Now, there certainly are other great pitching coaches out there, but Duncan is a true wizard and has more reclamation projects on his resume than anyone else.
• Pujols -- you have to get him signed to an extension this offseason. We, as a fan base, don't want to see what would happen if 2011 opens and talks are stalling.
• Role players. The team has guys that looked to be solid role players, but all of them seem to have gone in the tank at the same time. Brendan Ryan, Felipe Lopez, Nick Stavinoah....all have shown they have it in them to put up solid numbers, and all of them have had disappointing seasons. Plus, TLR relied too heavily on rookies such as Craig and John Jay. While they've given an indication that they are legit big leaguers, they just can't match the veteran presence -- such as what Ryan Ludwick brought to the table.
• A closer. I like Ryan Franklin, and he's been better than any of us had a right to expect. But -- he isn't a guy that is going to close for a World Series contender. It may be that one of the other arms in the bullpen will step up, but I think the team needs to look elsewhere. Perhaps Matt Capps, Brian Fuentes from the Twins will become available. Or, maybe the Twins would look to trade Joe Nathan as he rehabs his injury.
• Third Base -- We can't trust Freese to stay healthy. A third baseman with a little power and a decent average would do wonders for the offense, and give the team another option behind Pujols, Holliday and Rasmus.

I suppose the optimist -- which I try to be -- believes that a little retooling will do the trick. It might be, though, that some of the pieces that we thought were solid enough are little more than filler. It should be an interesting offseason to watch.

Good Teams Beat the Teams They Are Supposed to Beat

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, a World Series contender is supposed to beat the bottom feeders, not play to their level. If the Cardinals end up on the outside looking in when the playoffs open, they'll have no one to blame but themselves. Yet again, we see a team that was supposed to be the class of the NL Central drop two games to a team they should be taking 2 of 3 from (if not sweeping). No disrespect meant to the Pirates -- they have some intriguing young talent for the first time in what seems like forever. But, the Cardinals have a payroll that suggests contender, they've signed free agents thinking it enhanced their standing as contenders, and they've made late season trades that are consistent with moves a contender would make. Yet here we sit on 8/25 and they are 3.5 games behind the Reds for the NL Central lead and are 1 game out of the NL Wild Card. Obviously, plenty of time left, but you gotta get it going. NOW. This season won't be considered successful in St. Louis without a solid showing in the playoffs.

Here's a quick look at what's at stake for other NL playoff contenders:

Reds - The season's a success at this point -- no matter what happens. That said, Walt Jockety has done a nice job of mixing veteran players with the young talent that the Reds had developed. This team has really taken on the challenge of being a power in the NL -- not just a surprise.

Braves - Many tabbed them to have a good season, and they've delivered. Winning one last division for the retiring Bobby Cox would be a fitting end to one of the greatest managerial careers in the history of the game. I don't see them letting go of a playoff spot at this point, but Philly always seems to make a late charge, so they may end up the Wild Card. Missing the playoffs is always considered disappointing for a team with Atlanta's recent history, but would be especially painful after the season they've had so far.

Phillies - While currently on a 3 game losing streak, the Phillies are starting to play like the team that many expected them to be when 2010 opened. They are currently tied atop the Wild Card standings, but are only 2.5 out of the division lead. Outside of the Yankees, there probably isn't another team in baseball that will see more negative press for missing the playoffs. If/when they make it to October baseball, they'll be a tough out for anyone with a rotation of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels.

Padres - They've been the surprise team of the year, and they just keep rolling. Their pitching is as good as anyone's despite the fact that it doesn't have the name recognition. Their offense isn't as feared as other teams', but they excel at getting the key hits when they matter. A nice playoff run, and Adrian Gonzalez could be a full fledged star -- not to mention one step closer to being a former Padre. It'd be disappointing, and a little surprising, to see them lose their 6 game lead at this point, but the season is a huge success simply because they played well enough to hang onto A-Gon and Heath Bell all season -- players many predicted would be gone long before the non-waiver trading deadline.

Giants - The division is a longshot at this point, but they're tied for the Wild Card. Buster Posey has had a monster season, and could easily end up winning Rookie of the Year, which would be quite a feat considering the great play we've seen from rookies in 2010. Their big guns in the rotation haven't been as good as expected, but you can't count out a team that can go into a short series with Lincecum and Cain pitching the first two games.

Where Did the Fight Go?

I had the best intentions of writing a post about the now infamous fight in Cincinnati last week, but the reality of life with a 6 month old child and 40+ hour a week job (not to mention being old and needing sleep) got in the way. With the extra few days of perspective, my viewpoint changes, and not really for the better.

The Cardinals finally looked like the team most expected them to be during that series versus the Reds. They were ticked at Brandon Phillips calling them "little bitches", and they set out to show him and his team why they were still the team to beat in the NL Central. It was a much anticipated series, and turned out to be a bit of a yawn. With sweep in hand, the Cards returned home to face the lowly Cubs and a roster that looked like it belonged in Des Moines. I was thinking sweep, or 2 of 3 at the very least.

Now that the Cards have dropped 2 of 3, I'm starting to become more and more convinced that this is a team destined to go out with a whimper once October rolls around -- assuming they even make it that far. For the second straight series, the Cardinals can only manage one win against the Cubs. Had the Redbirds shown any streak of consistency at all in 2010, I might chalk this up to the rivalry and the fact that these series against their biggest rival are about as close to meaningful baseball as the Cubs are going to see from here on out. We've seen this series after series with this year's Cardinals, though, and unless that mythical switch is out there just waiting to be thrown, we might be seeing a team falling far short of expectations. A shame, given that so many things are going right:

1. Wainwright is having his second straight Cy Young worthy campaign.
2. Pujols has turned things on and just became the only player in history to hit 30 HR in 10 straight seasons.
3. Matt Holliday is putting up numbers consistent with a guy who commanded huge money on the free agent market.
4. Jaime Garcia has more than made up for the departure of Joel Piniero and softened the injuries of Lohse and Penny.
5. Rookie Jon Jay has been raking and is an almost permanent fixture in the 2 hole.
6. Colby Rasmus still has some room to grow, but is clearly blossoming into one of the team's best players.
   

In spite of all of this, the Cards still find themselves trailing the Reds on 8/16. Why is that? You can point to some of the under-performers -- Ryan, Schumaker, Lopez, etc. Then there are injuries to guys like Freese, Lohse, Penny and (since traded) Ludwick. The big problem, though, is that the team doesn't seem to play with that "Win or Die" mentality that Tony LaRussa managed teams seem to carry. Tough to pinpoint a simple reason why that is missing, but if this team doesn't find its heart soon, then we'll be talking 2011 much sooner than any of us would have thought.