Perseverance

Do-Over

L to R: Allyson Felix, English Gardner, Tianna Bartoletta, Tori Bowie

In most Olympic track events it is quite rare to get a second chance after a failure. The US women's 4x100m relay team got one, though, after it was ruled they were interfered with during their semifinal, causing them to drop the baton and fail to qualify for the final.

They ran a good-enough time in the make-up run to qualify, though, and then made the most of their second chance, winning the gold medal by running the second-fastest time in the history of the event.

"Awesomeness! How did the men's team do?"

Trust me, you don't want to know...

Six

Last night at Kauffman Stadium my beloved Kansas City Royals had to deal with a blown lead and a long rain delay, but they eventually prevailed 5-4 over the Minnesota Twins in 11 innings, their sixth straight win.

"Yeah, honey, I'm going to be home later than I said."

Royals starter Edinson Volquez couldn't protect a 4-1 lead in the top of the 5th, allowing the game to be tied before the rains came.
He didn't come back out after the lengthy rain delay, but a series of five relievers held the Twins scoreless through nine innings, then Chien-Ming Wang took over and pitched two scoreless innings to improve his record to 6-0.

"Bam!"

The Royals offense struck early and had built a 4-1 lead after four innings. Every starter wound up with at least one hit, but once the rains ended they struggled to put anything together until the bottom of the 11th inning.

3B Cheslor Cuthbert led off the inning with an infield single, and moved into scoring position when RF Lorenzo Cain drew a walk.

All-Star 1B Eric Hosmer then lined a hit over the rightfielder's head that landed at the base of the wall. It was scored as a single, and a walk-off win.

It remains to be seen if there will be any lingering effects to the lengthy game.

"Time to print the playoff tickets yet?"

Will you stop with that nonsense, please?

At Least the Coffee Was Good

From the indispensable comic strip Dilbert, by Scott Adams, which you should read every day, as I do.

Housekeeping

Just a quick reminder that you'll get more out of reading this blog if you click the embedded links (like this one) at least once in awhile. I also wanted to mention that comments are always welcome. Agree, disagree, or just wanting to say "Hi," I'd really enjoy hearing from you!

"Me too!"

Until Next Time...

On August 20, 1952 John Hiatt was born in Indianapolis. He learned to play the guitar at age 11, and by his teenage years he was playing the club circuit in Indy. When he turned 18 he moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter.

Hiatt was talented enough to get a record deal by age 21, but commercial success as
a recording artist proved elusive. As a songwriter, though, he achieved considerable distinction. The list of artists who have recorded his songs reads like a Who's Who of American folk, blues, rock, and country music. It includes Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Joan Baez, Three Dog Night, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Eric Clapton. In 2008 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting by the Americana Music Association.

Although John has never had a Billboard Hot 100 charting single, he has had some hits on the Mainstream and Alternative charts. He basically stopped releasing singles in 2001. His albums pretty consistently made the Billboard 200 Albums chart, including four which reached the Top 50.

The first time I actually heard Hiatt himself singing and playing was 2011, when a friend recommended  Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns.
I quickly became a fan of his lyrics, which are remarkable for their ability to paint vivid mental pictures which linger in the memory.

My favorite track on the album was "Down Around My Place," which showcased his skills as both a lyricist and a vocalist. It is on the list of songs I've been trying to learn how to play ever since I first heard it.


The album was Hiatt's most commercially successful since 1995, and led to two subsequent albums which both cracked the Top 50 on the Billboard 200.

Today's send-off is John doing a guest appearance at my hero Joe Bonamassa's 2011 concert at New York's famed Beacon Theatre. Much to my delight, the first song they did together was "Down Around My Place." It's an excellent rendition of a great song. Enjoy...