So Omar Sharif died on Friday. Which brings me to a little anecdote if you’ll indulge me – A while back I was approached by a Soviet emigre to do Russian Chanson music project. It’s a folk form that goes back to the White Russian to Bolshevik transition period, spread primarily by prisoners and ex cons from the burgeoning gulags. The original pieces deal with the fall from lofty position, struggle in the face of change, near certainty of a grievous fate, and an intense longing for a past that seems so far away it may not have existed. The only course left for the protagonist is constancy of passion.
Your Honour, Lady Farewell,
You and I are longtime friends, that’s how it goes.
Wait, don’t tear the letter in the envelope.
I’m unlucky in death, will be lucky in love.
Your Honour, Lady Luck,
To some you are kind, to some otherwise.
Wait, don’t call for the 9 grams* into the heart.
I’m unlucky in death, will be lucky in love.
Your Honour, Lady Foreign Land,
You embraced me tightly, but didn’t love.
Wait, don’t trap me in your caressing net.
I’m unlucky in death, will be lucky in love.
Your Honour, Lady Victory,
I guess my song isn’t over yet†.
Stop, you devils, swearing oaths of blood!
I’m unlucky in death, will be lucky in love.
Lyrics from here.
*: A bullet.
†: Russian idiom meaning “my number isn’t up yet”.
Anyway, I’ll be debuting Russian Roulette Band at the Elliot Street Pub on July 24.
Get well soon Grilli, great game Wisler, and RIP Dr Zhivago.
I should really listen to more Bulat Okudzhava. He’s really classic.
Wow.
Thank you, Alex.
Rather, thanks, spike.
Wow… that was a real gut-punch game yesterday. The Braves squandered numerous chances to pull ahead, and the winning run for the Rockies in the 9th reached base after a freak, season-ending injury to the Braves’ closer turned a ground-out into a hit. Guhhhhh.
Grilli is signed for 2016 as well right? It might be a good thing that he’s out for the rest of the year since it won’t deceive us into being buyers, and it keeps us from trading him. I’d love to have him back next year, and maybe the rest (minus rehab) might help him be effective next year. Plus, hopefully we only lose him for 2 1/2 months of actual in-season time.
Count me with the people that hope that they don’t make Folty a closer. He still has way too much potential as a starter, and while I do think he’d be a good closer, I’m still optimistic that could be a waste of his talent. Let Jim Johnson have the job the remainder of the season, see if he can leverage that into the next big opportunity for him, and let’s continue to figure out the pen. When does Shae Simmons return? Beginning of 2016, or later?
But you’re right, Blauser, what a gut-punch.
Russian Roulette Band link doesn’t work!
@5 – Shae went down in February, so hopefully he’s in spring training next year, even if not game ready by opening day.
Thanks jjschiller.
I also wonder if Grilli is done. He’s 39. I’m confident that he’s competitive enough that he would work his way back. Most guys wouldn’t want to go out like that. What a gruesome way he crumpled, by the way. Sheesh.
Last Grilli post:
Very funny looking pitcher of him signing with the Giants:
http://media.syracuse.com/post-standard/photo/2012/07/11286081-standard.jpg
https://www.facebook.com/Russian.Roulette.Rocks
Sorry about the Facebook link — it was yet another case of the incredible stupidity of “Smart” quotes. I hate them.
Whoops wrong link
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Russian-Roulette-Band/387465804786652?fref=ts
O’s Broadcast on Dan Uggla: Very dangerous hitter despite an off-year.
@13
Add an -s before that period and that statement is factual, but sounds as though it’s coming from an English-Second Language Learner.
I wasn’t watching when that happened yesterday and didn’t even know that it had until this morning. Reminds me of the Hudson injury minus the grotesque ankle contortion. Not a good look, obviously.
Ugh…what a disaster this series has been. It seems like the last few years in Coors Field have just been catastrophe after catastrophe for us.
Only had enough eraser left for one name, so Eury is batting second.
Come on, Braves, how about winning one? Just one?
@16
Yeah, I don’t know why managers do that. I assume it has something to do with some nonsense about the other players being comfortable in their spot in the lineup or being prepared to hit in the spot they thought they were gonna hit in or whatever. Whatever it is, it’s pretty dumb.
…which is to say brilliant, apparently.
Perez isn’t that bad at getting on base. Better option than anyone past the 5th spot in today’s order to bat 2nd.
Did they say Teheran was available?
He is.
What a miserable series.
Be gone, Gomes. Take CJ with you.
Just tuned in. Looks like a sweep.
There were some series late in the ’08 season that felt similarly hopeless, and we’ve got some more of these to come between now and late September. Forget about winning, we haven’t led once at Coors Field this series.
Let’s hope we can get some B prospects before the deadline.
In particular, we need a 3b prospect and some corner OF prospects. Rio Ruiz has fallen on his face at AA (though he is still young for the level), and we have no legitimate corner OF prospects in the upper minors. LF is a gaping hole at the major league level right now, and 3b will be after we trade Uribe.
Human sacrifice? Perhaps CJ would appease the baseball gods.
Ruiz was .310 /.424/.380 in June. let’s give him some time. He wouldn’t be the first good young player to have a bad half season at AA
You have to hit for Wood here. We have a deep bullpen today.
*roll eyes*
Not if you’re throwing games
I agree…you had to hit for Wood there
You guys and your second-guessing. Wait, is it second guessing if you critique the move before it’s made?
Still haven’t led this series.
There is no way Wood doesn’t get in trouble now and pulled.
And, on cue.
With Teheran available, I would have pinch-hit for Wood in the third, so I can’t really complain.
Weiss knows when to pinch-hit. How about a managerial trade?
This is like a horror movie that is replayed over and over and you know what will happen, scream at the main character not to do it, and inevitably it happens again.
If we hadn’t already tied the game, I’d probably agree, but given you already have the tie game, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of acceptable decisions to try and get two more innings out of your starter with only one out in the inning.
What a horseshit pitch! Goddammit!
But why? There is no need to squeeze more innings out of your starter when you have everyone available except for Miller, Wisler, and Grilli, and a 4 day break for the bullpen to rest.
F you, Fredi.
I know it’s typical to get less effective as the game goes on, but it feels like the rotation just collapses after their last at-bat.
Fredi is literally wrong every time he has the opportunity to make this same decision
Yeah, pull him now. Jackass.
I just know that four innings of this bullpen in Coors Field is pretty much a guaranteed loss. If he’d have found a way to work Teheran in there or something, OK, but otherwise, I’m not going to them unless I have to. And I don’t think that situation reached “have to” levels.
To wit, that freaking meatball.
Can we leave Fredi in Colorado? I am so pissed at him right now.
#FireFredi
47 — Yes, because what just happened was a guaranteed win!
We had a effing chance to take a lead, have the bases loaded with 1 out in a tie game, a pitcher due to hit who has thrown over 80 pitches and hasn’t exactly been dominant, I just don’t know how you can let him hit with the game on the line.
@47 Yeah, I’d be more comfortable with Teheran in long relief.
A good portion of managerial decisions have to do with bullpen use, I’m not sure there’s a manager in baseball that could look smart with this ‘pen.
Someone needs to alert ADC that in order to get the Double Grybo, he can’t give up his own run there.
@50
Not a guaranteed win, obviously, but you’d have seen a full inning of that fun-tastic display from Carpenter rather than just two batters, so yeah… Admittedly it didn’t work out, but it’s the choice I’d have made, too. We had a better chance with Wood for potentially two more innings than with the bullpen for four innings. Again, unless Teheran is seriously in play rather than just on emergency duty, but I get the feeling he’s not. Now why he’s not would be a good question.
@52
I was thinking in terms of having him pitch the 6th-8th or something like that. I guess getting him warmed up would probably be an issue, though.
This team seems so close…. yet so far away.
@54 Maybe Perez or Banuelos can do that twice a week in the second half.
This is ugly.
DC2.0 is tossing up 88 and 89 MPH fastballs. The lollipop to Tulo was 88.
Heh
Another run without a blown save for Kimbrel.
His ERA is double what it’s been in any of his last three seasons, but he’s on pace for his best save percentage as a pro since going 1/1 in 2010.
Alex, please check your e-mail.
@Ken_Rosenthal: Sources: #Braves, #Indians discussed trade of Chris Johnson for Nick Swisher in early June, before Swisher went on DL with knee issue…
Ok, I’m still good with jt
Jose Uribe has hit 5 HR for my fantasy team since I picked him up. He has scored 6 runs, and has 7 RBI’s.
Recapped.