1ST QUARTER :
- Chiefs(D/ST) Chiefs (RB/KR)Jamaal Charles 97 Yd. Kickoff Return for TD
- Colts (QB)Peyton Manning passes to (TE)Dallas Clark for TD
- Buccaneers (QB)Josh Freeman passes to (WR)Michael Clayton for TD
- Browns (QB)Brady Quinn passes to (WR)Mohamed Massaquoi for TD
- Saints (QB)Drew Brees passes to (WR)Robert Meachem for TD
- Ravens (K)Billy Cundiff kicked FG’s of 46 Yds, and 44 Yds.
- Browns (QB)Brady Quinn passes to (WR)Chansi Stuckey for TD
- Falcons (RB)Jason Snelling rushes for TD
- Browns (QB)Brady Quinn passes to (WR)Joshua Cribbs for TD

2ND QUARTER :
- Vikings (QB)Brett Favre passes to (WR)Percy Harvin for TD
- Lions (QB)Matthew Stafford passes to (RB)Aaron Brown for TD
- Jaguars (RB)Maurice Jones-Drew rushes for TD
- Giants (QB)Eli Manning passes to (TE)Kevin Boss for TD
- Vikings (QB)Brett Favre passes to (TE)Visanthe Shiacoe for TD
- Lions (QB)Matthew Stafford passes to (RB)Kevin Smith for TD
- Steelers (QB)Ben Roethlisberger passes to (WR)Hines Ward for TD
- Packers (QB)Aaron Rodgers passes to (WR)Greg Jennings for TD
- Ravens (K)Billy Cundiff kicks 38 Yd. FG and 36 Yd. FG (4/4 in FGA in the first half)
- Vikings (QB)Brett Favre passes to (WR)Bernard Berrian for TD
- Steelers (QB)Ben Roethlisberger passes to (TE)Heath Miller for TD
- Colts (RB)Joseph Addai rushes for TD
- Packers (QB)Aaron Rodgers passes to (WR)Jordy Nelson for TD
- Lions (QB)Matthew Stafford passes to (WR)Calvin Johnson for TD
- Giants (QB)Eli Manning passes to (TE)Kevin Boss for TD
- Saints (QB)Drew Brees passes to (WR)Robert Meachem for TD

3RD QUARTER :
- Chiefs (QB)Matt Cassel passes to (TE)Leonard Pope for TD
- Falcons (RB)Jason Snelling rushes for TD
- Bills (QB)Ryan Fitzpatrick passes to (WR)Terrell Owens for a 98 Yd. TD
- Giants (RB)Brandon Jacobs rushes for TD
- Vikings (QB)Brett Favre passes to (WR)Sidney Rice for TD
- Saints (QB)Drew Brees passes to (TE)David Thomas for TD
- 49ers (QB)Alex Smith passes to (WR)Michael Crabtree for TD
- Saints (RB)Mike Bell rushes for TD
- Lions (QB)Matthew Stafford passes for (TE)Will Heller for TD

4TH QUARTER :
- Vikings (QB)Tarvaris Jackson passes to (WR)Sidney Rice for TD
- Giants (QB)Eli Manning passes to (FB)Madison Hedgecock for TD
- Steelers (QB)Ben Roethlisberger passes to (RB)Rashard Mendenhall for TD
- Seahawks (RB)Justin Forsett rushes for TD
- Packers (RB)Ryan Grant rushes for TD
- Chiefs (QB)Matt Cassel passes to (RB)Jamaal Charles for TD
- Falcons (QB)Matt Ryan passes to (WR)Eric Weems for TD
- Saints (RB)Mike Bell rushes for TD
- 49ers (QB)Alex Smith passes to (TE)Vernon Davis
- Cowboys (QB)Tony Romo passes to (WR)Patrick Crayton for TD
- Jaguars (QB)David Garrard passes to (WR)Mike Sims-Walker for TD
- Jaguars (QB)David Garrard rushes for 2 Point Conversion
- Browns (QB)Brady Quinn passes to (TE)Michael Gaines for TD
- Falcons (QB)Matt Ryan passes to (TE)Tony Gonzalez for TD
- 49ers (QB)Alex Smith passes to (RB)Frank Gore for TD
- Lions (QB)Matthew Stafford passes to (TE)Brandon Pettigrew for TD

Over the next several weeks, we’re going to look at several different positions (I can’t yet promise all) to identify the best players wearing each jersey number at each position. If this goes as planned, we’ll then compile a list of the best player wearing each jersey number in the league.

If you have quibbles, or want to add someone I forgot, leave a comment and we’ll update this post. And please have patience – this is a big job.

We started this project with wide receivers in this post. Now we move to tight ends. In general, tight ends wear numbers between 80 and 89, but several also wear numbers in the 40s.

40 – Jim Kleinsasser, Vikings – It’s hard to tell whether Kleinsasser is a true tight end or more of a fullback/H-back, but he plays on the line enough to earn the nod here. Kleinsasser doesn’t get the ball much, but he remains a solid blocker deep into a solid career.

41 – Spencer Havner, Packers – OK, so Havner is the only tight end wearing 41. But we have to give a few props to a player who was playing linebacker until about three or four weeks ago and now suddenly has three touchdowns in the past two games.

44 – Dallas Clark, Colts – Clark is probably the best receiving tight end in the league at the moment. He’s not just reliable – he’s explosive down the middle of the field. He’s emerged as the complement to Reggie Wayne in the Colts’ prolific passing game, and Clark is just now hitting his prime.

45 – Leonard Pope, Chiefs – The former Cardinals starter landed in K.C. this year with a new jersey number. Pope has never played up to his immense physical gifts, but he is still a threat simply because of his size and speed.

46 – Daniel Fells, Rams – Fells is the only tight end wearing 46, but like Havner he has three touchdowns on the season. Of course, one came on a fake field goal, and the other two came from Kyle Boller in one game on the same play call, but three is three. Other notable 46: Delanie Walker, 49ers

47 – Chris Cooley, Redskins – Cooley is hurt at the moment, but he has proven to be a terrific pass catcher in Washington in recent years despite playing with subpar quarterbacks throughout his tenure. He’s also a serviceable blocker and a fan favorite because of his outsized personality. He’s one of the few home-grown players who has really paid off for the Redskins. Other notable 47s: Jeff King, Panthers, Billy Bajema, Rams; Travis Beckum, Giants; Gijon Robinson, Colts

80 – Bo Scaife, Titans – Scaife is the Titans’ most important receiver because he has great size and provides a great interior target. Tennessee recognized his value when it tagged Scaife as its franchise player this past offseason. That’s enough reason to give Scaife the nod at 80 over Zach Miller of the Raiders, who’s a great young receiver. Other notable 80: Derek Schouman, Bills

81 – Owen Daniels, Texans – Before he suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, Daniels was the most productive tight end in the league. That marked the third straight season he was one of the league’s most dangerous targets. That’s enough to earn him honors for this number over Minnesota’s Visanthe Shiancoe, who has blossomed as a receiving threat the last two seasons. Other notable 81s: Dustin Keller, Jets; Joey Haynos, Dolphins

82 – Jason Witten, Cowboys – Witten isn’t having his most sterling of seasons, but he has long been one of the league’s two or three elite receiving threats from the tight end position. He may be the receiver Cowboys opponents need to concentrate on stopping most. He’s an All-Pro level tight end, which puts him above young studs Kellen Winslow of the Buccaneers and Greg Olsen of the Bears at this number. Other notable 82s: Alex Smith, Eagles; L.J. Smith, Ravens

83 – Heath Miller, Steelers - Miller is a tall target who can really catch the ball, and that makes him a great mid-field target in a Pittsburgh offense where ball control is still important. Miller is also having a bit of a bounce-back year numbers-wise, which makes it even easier to give him the nod at 83 over the declining Alge Crumpler of Tennessee. Other notable 83: Jeff Dugan, Vikings

84 – Benjamin Watson, Patriots – The Patriots have never seemed completely satisfied with Watson, a former first-round pick, at tight end, but Watson continues to put up good touchdown numbers. He also has the longest touchdown reception in Patriots playoff history, a 63-yarder against Jacksonville in the 2005 season. So he gets the nod over Randy McMichael of the Rams, who has had some decent seasons, and rookie first-rounder Brandon Pettigrew of the Lions. Other notable 84: Robert Royal, Browns

85 – Antonio Gates, Chargers – Gates, who didn’t play football but basketball in college, has been one of the preeminent receiving tight ends in the league over the past decade or so. Injuries have slowed him a step or two, but he’s still really good. One day, Vernon Davis of the 49ers will claim this number, but that won’t happen until Gates retires. Other notable 85: David Thomas, Saints

86 – Todd Heap, Ravens – Heap is another tight end having a renaissance year this season, reminding all of us how good of a receiver he has been in his career. Like Heath Miller, his size is his biggest asset as a receiver. Other notable 86s: Donald Lee, Packers; Fred Davis, Redskins; Daniel Coats, Bengals; Chris Baker, Patriots

87 – Brent Celek, Eagles – Celek had a good game or two before this season, but he has seized his opportunity this season and established himself as a better-than-average receiver at tight end already. He brings an explosiveness to the position that the Eagles never got from L.J. Smith. Other notable 87: Kellen Davis, Bears

88 – Tony Gonzalez, Falcons – T-Gon is another of the classic tight ends of this era, and like Gates he had a basketball background. Gonzalez is still a prolific receiver, and his veteran presence has made the Falcons’ offense much more dangerous. He’s clearly the choice here over Jeremy Shockey of New Orleans and many others. Other notable 88s: JerMichael Finley, Packers; Tony Scheffler, Broncos; Dante Rosario, Panthers; J.P. Foschi, Bengals; Desmond Clark, Bears

89 – Daniel Graham, Broncos- This is a close call between Graham, who’s known more for his blocking than for his receiving, and young tight ends like Kevin Boss of the Giants, John Carlson of Seattle, and Marcedes Lewis of the Jaguars. We’ll give Graham the nod based on the longevity of his career and his blocking prowess. Other notable 89s: Will Heller, Lions; Sean Ryan, Chiefs; Matt Spaeth, Steelers; Ben Patrick, Cardinals; Shawn Nelson, Bills

1. Dub Housing
2. St. Arkansas
3. The Modern Dance
4. The Tenement Year
5. Ray Gun Suitcase
6. New Picnic Time
7. Story Of My Life
8. Why I Hate Women
9. Cloudland
10. Songs Of The Bailing Man

NP: Pere Ubu – “Long Live Pere Ubu!”

Ya hemos escuchado The Fountain, el décimoprimer álbum de estudio de los británicos Echo & The Bunnymen que se puso a la venta el pasado 12 de octubre y ya podemos dar una opinión sobre él. Se han hecho de rogar porque lo habían anunciado para el 2008 pero finalmente ha salido este mes. La reciente muerte de su teclista Jake Brockman el 1 de septiembre ha podido trastocar también los planes del grupo.

Han pasado 4 años desde el anterior, el formidable Siberia, que sacó la mejor versión de los de Liverpool en los últimos tiempos (hace tiempo reducido a dúo) aunque pasara desapercibido fuera de las islas como casi toda su obra desde los 90 principalmente. Si bien sus discos han mantenido siempre un nivel de calidad medio-alto, se echaba de menos una colección de canciones como las que incluyeron en el 2005. También es verdad que mi opinión es subjetiva (como todas, vaya) ya que siempre han sido uno de mis grupos favoritos desde que los descubrí en 1987 con canciones como The Game, Lips Like Sugar o Bombers Bay.

De esta nueva entrega lo que llama primero la atención es que el vocalista del grupo Ian McCulloch hace labores también de productor, además junto al reputado guitarrista de jazz John McLaughlin y Simon Perry. A su vez, estos últimos también colaboran en la composición de algunas canciones. Con tanto gallo en el corral, el resultado bien podría haber sido un pastiche de mucho cuidado pero el balance final es equilibrado. Echo & The Bunnymen nunca han dado giros estilísticos bruscos y siempre han mantenido un sonido personal e identificable. En The Fountain ocurre lo mismo. Uno de los responsables de que haya sido así es Will Sergeant (único miembro original junto al cantante), cuyas guitarras aparecen una vez más como catalizadoras de unas melodías que llevan el sello inconfundible del grupo. Así como contiene canciones rápidas, en su mayoría predominan los medios tiempos. Las más aceleradas son el primer single Think I Need It Too, Do You Know Who I Am? (próximo single posiblemente) y Shroud Of Turin (con un punteo impactante) tres ejemplos brillantes de lo que nos podemos encontrar después. Su música tal vez no nos haga saltar pero no por ello desmerece sino todo lo contrario, siempre es agradable su escucha para los oídos. Una colección de 10 canciones que nos han dejado un buen sabor de boca aunque si vamos buscando el recuerdo nostálgico de sus mejores momentos allá por los 80, no lo encontraremos. No porque no tengan nada que ver con ese cuarteto que marcó tendencia en la Inglaterra de aquella época (junto a Les Pattinson y al desaparecido Pete De Freitas) sino porque, como les suele pasar a muchos grupos de esta y otras generaciones, el nivel alcanzado fue tan alto que volver a conseguirlo se antoja muy complicado. En Siberia sí percibí más reminiscencias del pasado que en este disco, pero sin llegar a los momentos tan álgidos que nos dieron su magnífico disco de debut Crocodiles, su segundo Heaven Up Here (que no paré de escuchar en la cinta grabada que me pasó un compañero de clase en BUP) y su obra maestra Ocean Rain.

A mi nunca me defrauda Echo & The Bunnymen, espero que a vosotros tampoco si os decidís a escucharlo. Y creo que no lo hará. Pinchando en la carátula del disco os lo podréis descargar y confirmar (o no) lo que os digo. Os incluyo también 2 actuaciones en televisión en la que tocan el single de presentación y el probable sencillo Do You Know Who I Am?, y cerrando con The Fountain en la que colabora Chris Martin de Coldplay, un admirador confeso del grupo desde siempre, y que en este espacio así lo recordamos con una de las versiones que hizo Coldplay de Lips Like Sugar.

The Fountain

David Thomas (Pere Ubu) com Chris Cutler (Henry Cow, Cassiber, etc), Phillip Moxham (Young Marble Giants), Mayo Thompson (Red Crayola), Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention etc) , Eddie “Tan Tan ” Thornton (Aswad, Rico and His Band, Trojans, etc)

É mole?

With the news of the Braylon Edwards trade to the Jets today, I realized the NFL Trade Deadline is fast approaching with October 20th fast approaching. Here is a list of all of the trades that have taken place in 2009. This list does not include trades made during the draft, unless it involved player(s) in the deal.

To Minnesota Vikings : (QB)Sage Rosenfels
To Houston Texans : 2009 4th Round Draft Pick

To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : (TE)Kellen Winslow
To Cleveland Browns : 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick & 2010 5th Round Draft Pick

To Kansas City Chiefs : (QB)Matt Cassel & (LB)Mike Vrabel
To New England Patriots : 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : (CB)Lito Sheppard
To Philadelphia Eagles : 2009 5th Round Draft Pick & 2010 Conditional Draft Pick

To Dallas Cowboys : (QB)Jon Kitna
To Detroit Lions : (CB)Anthony Henry

To New England Patriots : (WR)Greg Lewis & 2010 Conditional Draft Pick
To Philadelphia Eagles : 2009 5th Round Draft Pick

To Detroit Lions : (LB)Julian Peterson
To Seattle Seahawks : (DT)Cory Redding & 2009 5th Round Draft Pick

To Miami Dolphins : (DT)Tony McDaniel
To Jacksonville Jaguars : 2009 7th Round Draft Pick

To Oakland Raiders : (OL)Samson Satele
To Miami Dolphins : 2009 6th Round Draft Pick

To Chicago Bears : (QB)Jay Cutler & 2009 5th Round Draft Pick
To Denver Broncos : (QB)Kyle Orton & 2009 1st Round Draft Pick & 2009 3rd Round Draft Pick & 2010 1st Round Draft Pick

To St. Louis Rams : (WR)Laurent Robinson & 2009 5th Round Draft Pick (#160) & 2009 6th Round Draft Pick (#196)
To Atlanta Falcons : 2009 5th Round Draft Pick (#138) & 2009 6th Round Draft Pick (#176)

To Carolina Panthers : (LS)J.J. Jansen
To Green Bay Packers : 2011 Conditional Draft Pick

To Philadelphia Eagles : (OL)Jason Peters
To Buffalo Bills : 2009 1st Round Draft Pick & 2009 4th Round Draft Pick & 2010 Conditional Draft Pick

To Atlanta Falcons : (TE)Tony Gonzalez
To Kansas City Chiefs : 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : 2009 1st Round Draft Pick (#5 Overall “(QB)Mark Sanchez selected”)
To Cleveland Browns : (S)Abram Elam & (DE)Kenyon Coleman & (QB)Brett Ratliff & 2009 1st Round Draft Pick & 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick

To Philadelphia Eagles : (CB)Ellis Hobbs
To New England Patriots : (2) 2009 5th Round Draft Picks

To New England Patriots : (TE)Alex Smith
To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Cincinnati Bengals : (RB)Brian Leonard
To St. Louis Rams : (DT)Orien Harris

To Detroit Lions : (WR)Dennis Northcutt
To Jacksonville Jaguars : (S)Gerald Alexander

To St. Louis Rams : (WR)Ronald Curry
To Detroit Lions : (DT)Orien Harris

To New England Patriots : (DE)Derrick Burgess
To Oakland Raiders : 2010 3rd Round Draft Pick & 2011 5th Round Draft Pick

To Denver Broncos : (DE)LeKevin Smith & 2010 7th Round Draft Pick
To New England Patriots : 2010 5th Round Draft Pick

To Kansas City Chiefs : (OL)Andy Alleman & (OL)Ikechuku Ndukwe
To Miami Dolphins : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Denver Broncos : (OL)Russ Hochstein
To New England Patriots : 2010 7th Round Draft Pick

To San Diego Chargers : (DT)Travis Johnson
To Houston Texans : 2010 Conditional 6th Round Draft Pick

To Atlanta Falcons : (CB)Tye Hill
To St. Louis Rams : 2010 7th Round Draft Pick

To Carolina Panthers : (DT)Louis Leonard
To Cleveland Browns : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Detroit Lions : (S)Ko Simpson
To Buffalo Bills : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Baltimore Ravens : (OL)Tony Moll
To Green Bay Packers : (S)Derrick Martin

To New Orleans Saints : (TE)David Thomas
To New England Patriots : 2011 7th Round Draft Pick

To New England Patriots : (TE)Michael Matthews
To New York Giants : 2011 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Jacksonville Jaguars : (QB)Luke McCown
To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 2010 Conditional 5th Round Draft Pick

To Oakland Raiders : (DT)Richard Seymour
To New England Patriots : 2011 1st Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : (QB)Kevin O’Connell
To Detroit Lions : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To New England Patriots : (LB)Prescott Burgess
To Baltimore Ravens : 2010 Conditional 7th Round Draft Pick

To Miami Dolphins : (QB)Tyler Thigpen
To Kansas City Chiefs : 2010 4th Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : (WR)Braylon Edwards
To Cleveland Browns : (WR)Chansi Stuckey & (LB)Jason Trusnik & 2010 Conditional 3rd Round Draft Pick & 2010 5th Round Draft Pick

To Chicago Bears : (DE)Gaines Adams
To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick

A caller to Bob McLain’s radio program on WORD this afternoon reported in on his experience at a Bob Inglis event earlier today. Bob McLain is always very kind, even when he finds it necessary to say unflattering things about people’s policies. Even so, he seemed generally to agree with the caller, whose overall categorization of Congressman Inglis could be summed up as “clueless.”  From opposing the surge, to voting with the Democrats to censure Joe Wilson, Bob Inglis continues to kick against the goads of his constituency. 

The McLain caller described a crowd of about 45 people, all but one of whom (the self-described Democrat in the room) seemed put out with Bob Inglis.  The caller also emphasized the degree to which Bob was unresponsive to questions asked of him, preferring instead to talk about “his” issues. 

That caller’s experience tracks my experience at a Bob Inglis town hall in Travelers Rest last August. At that event, Bob stood there for over an hour politely listening to–and then mostly ignoring–questions and comments about his positions. He also has picked up the habit of throwing out completely irrelevant stories in an effort to divert attention from the issues the people came out to talk about. Why does he feel the need to resort to such rhetorical sleight of hand? 

Bob Inglis has enjoyed enormous popularity here in the Fourth District of South Carolina, largely due to his very genuine likeability. But likeability alone does not a statesman make (though try telling that to President Obama), and it appears that a day of reckoning is coming for Bob in June, 2010.

What’s the alternative? Bob’s challengers, so far, include 7th District SolicitorTrey Gowdy, Wofford government professor Christina Jeffrey, six-term state senator (and legislative accountability opponent and Mark Sanford nemesis) David Thomas, and Jim Lee, an information technology consultant and Air Force veteran.     

Trey Gowdy is the only opponent that Bob Inglis seems to fear, judging from Mr. Inglis’ testy response to Gowdy’s announcement that he was running, and from his insinuation at the August, 2009, meeting of the Greenville County Republican Women, that Trey Gowdy had betrayed a friend (Inglis) by deciding to run after allegedly having told Bob at lunch earlier this year that he (Gowdy) was “an Inglis kind of guy.”

This is a guest post from one of our closest allies and an expert on boys, David Thomas. Find out more about David and his work on his website or at Daystar.

Its missing in our culture. We just don’t have the rituals seen in other cultures to celebrate a boy on his journey toward manhood. Take him in. He is a force with which to be reckoned and he needs to know it, see it and celebrate it in this culture that would attempt to emasculate him. We see a great picture of this in the Jewish culture with the Bar Mitzvah. In it the end of one stage celebrates with beginning of another.

I had an opportunity to be a part of celebrating a young man. He was an eagle scout. He loved the outdoors and had a long history of camping with others. During his journey toward manhood one day his father had mapped out a trail through the woods. The two them started hiking a journey together. This amazing dad had placed several important people in his life along this trail. They included his grandfathers, friends, uncles and me. Everyone shared key blessings of the past and future and hopes about him and his journey. At the end of the experience all of the participants joined other family members as they celebrated the son. This blessing ritual clearly marked his evolution into manhood. It is a memory that will fill campfire stories and remembrances that give life.

How do you celebrate your son? Is it an event? A weekend? Doing things with him he loves (whether you do or not)? Celebrate him between grade and middle school, middle and high, his first shave, the drivers permit or license. Celebrate him in a way that will pierce his heart.

So we’ve finished three of the four skill positions on offense and today we get to know the tight ends. Really? A whole column on these suck bags? Yup.

There are really only a handful of great tight ends in the league, Witten in Dallas, Gonzalez in Atlanta, Gates in San Diego and Todd Heap from Baltimore. I’m sure I may be missing a few in that handful, but really the Pats don’t have an impact guy at tight end. Although at one time they thought they did.

Ben Watson (84) – Remember that playoff game in Denver when he ran all the way down the field and caught Champ Baily?

We thought that he was one of the fastest guys on the roster and with speed like that coming off the tight end position, the Pats offense was unstoppable. Well, we soon learned that he has hands like Featherstone in Necessary Roughness. So many end zone drops and an inability to consistently block makes him another guy the Pats will let walk after this season without even tendering an offer. Like Daniel Graham.

Chris Baker (87) – The former Jet is brought in to push Ben Watson for the #1 spot. In his 7 sevens with the Jets he caught more passes against the Patriots that any other player. I’m hoping the fact that he’s off a crappy team and moved to the NFL elite with the best quarterback in the league throwing him passes, he’ll flourish and be the TE for years to come for the Pats (signed through 2013).

Alex Smith (80) – Wearing #80 on the Pats after Troy Brown is kind of a big deal, I think. Well, Smith was brought in from Tampa Bay this offseason. Smith is a decent tight end from everything I’ve read but isn’t a Gonzales or Heap. Maybe he blossoms having a real quarterback throwing to him. We’ll see. His style is very similar to Thomas, but Thomas’s inability to stay healthy has me ranking Smith higher on the chart.

David Thomas (86) – The late great Wendy’s founder would probably be as effective on the field and he’s dead. Thomas has yet to complete a full season as he’s injured every year. In fact last year when he played in 15 of 16 games, he still managed only 9 catches for 93 yards. That’s more than a third of his career totals in one season. Without a true fullback on the roster, look for Thomas in the backfield as a fullback. That’s really all he’s good for is being an extra tackle or a blocking back. That’s if he doesn’t get cut.

Just like the wideouts, there’s a significant drop off from there with Tyson DeVree (85). He’s been cut by the Patriots three separate times. Look for a fourth after this camp (if they don’t cut Thomas) as the Pats aren’t likely to carry five tight ends on the roster.

Monday we’ll hit the O-Line and Tuesday the D-Line (including newly acquired Derrick Burgess).

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090717/NEWS/907170309/1069/YOURUPSTATE01/Senator-plans-hearings-on-Sanford-affair

Nemam sad vremena da pišem impresije o sinoćnim nastupima na Ring Ringu, pošto polećem za Podgoricu, ali biće sutra ili preksutra. U međuvremenu evo integralne verzije intervjua sa liderom Pere Ubu, Davidom Thomasom, a koju je skraćenoobjavio Danas u jučerašnjem broju (ima ovde: http://www.danas.co.yu/20070514/kultura1.html)

Uživajte:

Osnovani 1975. godine u Ohaju, Pere Ubu su ime uzeli po glavnom junaku pozorišnog komada ’Kralj Ibi’ i sledeće tri decenije ispisivali jednu radikalno ličnu istoriju rok muzike. Ponekada opisivani kao ’jedini ekspresionistički rok bend na svetu’, Pere Ubu su uprkos avangardnoj oštrici svoje muzike uvek odbijali veze sa pankom ili nju vejvom smatrajući ih za korporacijsko karikiranje rokenrola. Zabeleženo je da su za sebe uvek smatrali da predstavljaju zvuk glavnog toka rokenrola koji bi se razvio u nekom ispravnijem paralelnom svetu. Njihova muzika je duboko prožeta literarnom i pripovednom estetikom a njihovi nastupi u sebi imaju jednako mnogo pozorišne i ’čiste’ rok ekspresije. Radikalno suprotstavljeni idejama ’uspeha’, ’promocije’ i muzičke ’karijere’, Pere Ubu će biti upamćeni i po metodologiji rada koja se često oslanja na primitivističke principe poput ’Ne traži uspeh’, ’Odaberi prvu ideju koja naiđe’ ili ’Nikada ne drži audicije’. Njihov lider i pevač, Dejvid Tomas (David Thomas) poslednjih godina predvodi i bend Two Pale Boys a stari bend u kome je on svirao pre Pere Ubu, Rocket From the Tombs je ponovo aktivan. Ovo sve uz novi album Pere Ubu ’Why I hate women’ i njegovu remiks varijantu ’Why I remix women’ znači period grozničave aktivnosti za Tomasa koji će sa Pere Ubu nastupiti u Beogradu, u okviru ovogodišnjeg Ring Ring festivala, 14. maja u Pogonu Doma Omladine. Tomas je bio ljubazan da za Danas odgovori na nekoliko pitanja.

1. Pere Ubu je danas samo jedan od bendova predvođenih Dejvidom Tomasom. Kako su u ovom trenutku i Two Pale Boys i Rocket From the Tombs aktivni, koja bi u 2007. godini bila misija Pere Ubu?

Misija je ista ona koja je bila i 1975. Nisam sasvim siguran šta bi ta misija mogla da bude, pošto nikada to što smo radili nismo posmatrali kao ’misiju’ . Mi smo bili samo pravi ljudi u pravo vreme na pravom mestu u smislu evolucije rok muzike kao grane umetnosti. U ranim sedamdesetim godinama sam zvuk (nevezano za melodiju, harmoniju, muzičke informacije) je bivao integrisan u rok muziku kao prepoznatljiv i unikatan narativni glas – bilo da je to dolazilo kroz konkretnu muziku, korišćenje analognih sintisajzera ili savremene studijske tehnike. Mogućnosti naracije i tehnike da se ove mogućnosti realizuju razvijale su svakakve sorte ljudi na svakakve načine. Mi smo ovaj rad drugih nasledili i izgradili ga u nešto jedinstveno. Za nas je to bila prirodna stvar – nismo morali da konceptualizujemo ili teoretišemo – bilo nam je jasno šta mi, kao mladi ljudi treba da radimo u okviru svog muzičkog projekta u datom istorijskom momentu. Naše ideje se ni za mrvu nisu promenile od 1975. godine – misija je i dalje da se proširi fond reči i pripovedačka moć rok muzike.

2. Postoji li način da se klasifikuje ono što Pere Ubu danas rade? I ’pank’ i ’alternativni rok’ zvuče kao neodgovarajuće odrednice za muziku koja kao da postoji u svojoj sopstvenoj alternativnoj istoriji. Da li ovaj bend pripada bilo kom muzičkom žanru osim ’roka’? Da li mu je pripadanje uopšte potrebno?

Jedina klasifikacija koja može da se upotrebi je baš ’rok muzika’. Izvan toga, nas je nemoguće klasifikovati. Mi smo zapravo neka vrsta slepe ulice. Niko ne može da nas sledi tamo kuda idemo… svakako nas niko do sada nije sledio. Mnogo puta je rečeno da smo poslužili kao inspiracija stotinama rok bendova tokom decenija, ali rezultati ove inspiracije ne vide se u stilu. Mislim da je to ista vrsta inspiracije koju sam ja dobio od Dona Van Vlieta (Captain Beefheart, prim. prev.) i mnogih drugih muzičara. To je inspiracija koja sugeriše postojanje drugih vidova izražavanja, drugih mogućnosti rešavanja problema izražavanja stanja u kojima se čovek kao jedinka nalazi.

3. Vaš najnoviji album ’Why I hate Women’ ima i dodatak u vidu remiks diska ’Why I Remix Women’, čime je Pere Ubu zagazio u novu teritoriju. Koji su bili motivi iza ovog izdanja? Šta se dobija alternativnim verzijama postojećih pesama? Da li je gubitak definitivnog identiteta pesme neka vrsta poziva slušaocu da dođe do sopstvene interpretacije njenog značenja ili je ovo za članove benda bio samo eksperiment sa novim studijskim tehnikama? Da li u budućnosti planirate slična izdanja?

U bendu postoji mnogo talenta za rad u studiju ali naše albume produciram i miksujem Ja. Tako je unazad već deset godina iz različitih razloga. Ja imam poseban način rada u studiju koji su neki prozvali hiper-naturalizmom – on podrazumeva nekonvencionalne, ručno pravljene mikrofone, korišćenje prostora za oblikovanje zvuka i razne druge neuobičajene tehnike. Dakle, to je radikalna metodologija koja je istovremeno krajnje konzervativna. Imao sam želju da i druge članove benda uključim u proces miksovanja tako da ne osećaju nikakva ograničenja, pa sam im rekao da mogu da uzmu bilo koje pesme sa albuma i da urade svoje mikseve. Pesme se uvek mogu posmatrati iz različitih uglova i ovo sam želeo da naglasim. Ja uvek tražim nove načine da rešim stari problem – problem koji je uz nas od samog početka – da izrazim stanje u kome se čovek kao jedinka nalazi na što je moguće efektivniji i realističniji način. Postoji beskonačno mnogo načina da se interpretiraju pesme Pere Ubu i Ja sam želeo da i druge uključim u ovaj proces. Ja sebe ne vidim kao diktatora nego kao direktora. Svestan sam svojih jakih i slabih strana. Svestan sam i jakih i slabih strana i kod drugih. Tako da sam želeo da iskoristim tuđe jake strane da pokrijem svoje slabe strane. Ne znam kuda će nas ovaj proces ili ideja odvesti u budućnosti. Budućnost za Pere Ubu nikada nije ispisana – ona se otkriva.

4. Kad govorimo o interpretacijama, naslov ’Why I hate Women’ (Zbog čega mrzim žene), zajedno sa obrazloženjem da je ovo ’snimak lišen ironije’ u unutrašnjosti CD knjižice, je prilično provokativan, pogotovo znajući da Pere Ubu nisu bend poznat po korišćenju šok-taktika. Kakva je bila reakcija na ovaj naslov albuma i je li vam on na kraju doneo više lošeg ili dobrog?

Nije u pitanju provokacija. Ne koristimo šok-taktike i naslov nije korišćen da bi šokirao. Nije bilo reakcije koja bi po količini prevazilazila uobičajene reakcije na ovaj bend. Većina žena – ogromna većina – ga je savršeno razumela. Samo su neki muškarci imali problem sa njim. Žene nas veoma dobro razumeju, muškarci su ti koji se zbunjuju, verovatno zbog konfuzije koja je u njima samima. Pogledajte na primer ovaj prikaz jednog od naših izdanja napisan 1980. godine:

Jasno je da (istoriju) Pere Ubu ne treba promišljati u merilima linearnog razvoja – to bi značilo redukovati njihovu čitavu aktivnost i prisustvo isključivo na brigu o ’radu i uspehu’ u rokenrolu. Nažalost, većina kritika – na račun Pere Ubu i drugih umetnika – pretpostavlja da reči imaju samo jedno značenje, da strasti idu samo u jednom pravcu, da su ideje logične; one ignorišu činjenicu da je svet jezika, buke i strasti svet nedostatka, nesigurnosti, prekida, borbe, slepog nabadanja, maski, intriga, postiđenog keženja.

5. ‘Why I hate women’ obeležava zaokret u radu benda. Prethodna dva albuma Pere Ubu (i izdanja Two Pale Boys) smatrana su ’putopisnim’ albumima. Šta je vaša namera kada pravite albume koji se bave mestima? Koliko stvarnosti a koliko fikcije sačinjava ove ploče?

Ja sam u životu napisao samo jednu autobiografsku pesmu, ona se zove ’The Story of My Life’ i nalazi se na istoimenom albumu. Sve ostalo što sam napisao je fikcija. Pisci će vam reći da je većina fikcije zasnovana na ’stvarnom životu’, incidentima ili ospervacijama izvučenih iz svog konteksta i unesenih u fiktivnu matricu za potrebe simuliranja stvarnosti. Ono što ja pišem su priče, često veoma kompleksne priče koje se protežu kroz nekoliko albuma. Moje pesme su često blisko povezane i upućuju jedne na druge. Mislim da ljude geografija oblikuje više nego i jedan drugi element kulture, prema tome, da biste opisali osobu i njen život, verujem da ih morate posmatrati u njihovom geografskom kontekstu.

6. Kad već govorimo o fikciji, ‘Why I hate women’ je jako inspirisan američkom noir i pulp literaturom, pogotovo radovima Džima Tompsona (Jim Thompson). Da li je ova forma ’zvučnog romana’ nešto što možemo očekivati i od narednih radova Pere Ubu/ Two Pale Boys? Da li ćete Vi ikada napisati roman/ dramu/ strip scenario?

Nemam ni želje ni talenta da radim izvan polja muzike. Ja umem da radim dobro samo jednu stvar, a ona uključuje u sebe muziku. Moj talenat podrazumeva okupljanje ljudi koji umeju da rade u određenoj postavci, a zatim izvlačenje iz njih onog najboljeg što umeju da daju za potrebe benda. Ja uvek radim na usavršavanju benda, ovo je način rada koji zna da potroši godine i godine da bi se dobila samo jedna noć ’magije’. Nikada nemojte propustiti koncert Pere Ubu – može vam se desiti da propustite baš tu noć! Uz to – ne znam šta budućnost sadrži.

7. Vi ste u Beogradu već nastupali sa Two Pale Boys. Da li imate neke uspomene ili sećanja iz tog vremena? Nastup na festivalu Ring Ring 2007. će biti prvi beogradski nastup Pere Ubu ikad, imate li neka specijalna očekivanja?

Prilično sam siguran da je Pere Ubu već nastupao u Beogradu, ali da je to bilo pre više decenija. Veoma se jasno sećam kako sam na putovanju kroz Beograd svoj put nalazio oslanjajući se samo na intuiciju – bez ikakve mape – to je bio momenat kada sam razvio ideju da mape čoveku samo govore kako da stigne tamo gde već zna kako da dođe. Jedina svrha mape je da vam podari samopouzdanje da se oslonite na svoju sopstvenu intuiciju u pogledu nekog mesta ili odredišta. Ako ste već sigurni u svoju intuiciju onda vam mapa i nije potrebna. (Tomas se u ovom odgovoru ipak priseća beogradskog  nastupa grupe David Thomas & Wooden Birds iz 1986. godine, prim. prev.)

8. Sa tri benda od kojih svaki ima svoju sopstvenu priču, koji su planovi za neposrednu budućnost Dejvida Tomasa i Pere Ubu?

Ne znam. Ono što znam je da marljivo radim prema dostizanju nečega što zovem ’Grand Ubu’ a što će uključiti širok spektar ljudi koje poznajem. Takođe znam da radim prema rušenju granice između studijskog i koncertnog konteksta. To je otprilike sve. Pere Ubu će nastaviti da se kreće i evoluira.

David Thomas
Director
Ubu Projex
Hove, England

web: www.ubuprojex.net

Here are few links that you can use to stay up on the David Thomas for Congress campaign:

Official Website: www.thomas2010.com

Senator Thomas Twitter page: www.twitter.com/sendavidthomas

Senator Thomas Facebook page: www.facebook.com/senatordavidthomas

My Twitter page: www.twitter.com/jameshicks3

To volunteer with the campaign: Send an email to thomasforcongress@gmail.com

Spoke at the David Thomas basketball camp today.  Love to speak with kids on what it takes to become a successful basketball player/person.  The coaching staff was very good and the camp was running like a well-oiled machine.

Tim Floyd head men’s basketball coach at USC is out.  LA Times reports.

USA Today on Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach.

“He’s never tried building a team and teaching the fundamentals,” Auerbach once told Yahoo columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. “When he’s gone in there, they’ve been ready-made for him. It’s just a matter of putting his system in there. They don’t worry about developing players if they’re not good enough. They just go get someone else.”

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Hanging out with David Thomas this morning on the phone. He and Stephen James recently wrote a book … Wild Things: The Art of Nuturing Boys.

David talks a lot about the need for little boys to not be tamed … but to be challenged and understood. Little boys have a huge adventurous spirit … and David says it’s important to encourage that passion.

If you want to learn or read more, check out David’s website.