Colorful

Getting Closer

Almost there...

Not many leaves on the ground yet, but at the rate the trees are changing colors it won't be long until it will be completely autumn.

The sight of those leaves everywhere and the sound and feel of them crunching under my feet is one of my favorite things about this time of year.

"I presume you don't ever have to rake any leaves?"

Not since my childhood days, no...

Things That Make Me Happy: Goose Egg Edition

The 2015 American League Championship Series got under way last night at Kauffman Stadium, and my beloved Kansas City Royals took the early lead in the best-of-seven playoff with a 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Royals starter Edinson Volquez didn't give up a base hit until there were two out in the top of the 4th. Edinson struggled with his pitch count, but left after throwing six scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, four walks, and striking out five. It was the longest postseason stint of Edinson's career so far.

"No runs tonight, Blue Jays!"

The bullpen only allowed two baserunners over the final three innings, and because the Royals added a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th, manager Ned Yost was able to give closer Wade Davis an additional day of rest.

Seven of the Royals' nine starters had hits, and All-Star SS Alcides Escobar had a pair of doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored.

"Bam!"

All-Star C Salvador Perez had a booming solo home run in the 4th inning off of losing pitcher Marco Estrada that gave Volquez and the Royals a bit of breathing room...

"Boom!"

Game 2 will be this afternoon, with the Royals' Yordano Ventura facing the Blue Jays' David Price. Neither pitcher has done well in the playoffs this year (both have ERAs over 7.00), so both are hoping to regain their form.

Be Careful What You Wish For

From the astute Michael Ramirez, one of the top editorial cartoonists working today.

Until Next Time...

On October 17, 1967 a troubled musical production that had been rejected by several Broadway producers finally opened at Joseph Papp's new Public Theatre, located in Manhattan's East Village. The self-described "American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" was a mess, but did well enough in its six-week run at the Public to be given new life.


After extensive revisions to the show's "book" and the addition of some new songs, a new version of the show opened at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway in April of 1968. It ran for 1,750 performances, and The Great White Way was never the same again.

There isn't enough space here to recount all the ways in which Hair influenced Broadway musicals, but even today it is a rare production that doesn't draw upon the show's theatrical legacy.

Among other things, this show is a main reason people often refer to the 1960s as the Age of Aquarius...




The Broadway cast album was released in the fall of 1968, just as I was beginning my first year of high school (10th grade is where high school began in those days). I knew basically nothing about Broadway or musicals at that point, but all the speech and drama kids I hung around with had the record, so of course I bought it too. It was, culturally speaking, A Big Deal. It was a hit on the album charts, and won the Grammy Award for Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album in 1968.

Songs from the show eventually provided several Top 5 hits, including "Easy to Be Hard" (Three Dog Night, Billboard No. 4), "Good Morning Starshine" (Oliver, Billboard No. 3), "Hair" (The Cowsills, Billboard No. 1) and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (The 5th Dimension, Billboard No. 1).

The anthemic refrain at the end of the 5th Dimension's hit is actually the chorus of the musical's final number, "The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)." Today's send-off is that finale from the Original Broadway Cast album. Even 47 years after first hearing it, I still get chills. Enjoy...