Antonio Bastardo leads all Major League pitchers at the All-Star Break with an .82 ERA and only trails the Padres’ Mike Adams and the Orioles’ Koji Uehara for the Major League lead in WHIP. With Tuesday’s trade of Fransisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers, there was one less, at the very least, once-dominant closer…
What I’m Jamming To: July 8, 2011
“Garageland” by The Clash is a pretty hip track off of their self-titled debut album that concludes their critically acclaimed first album. The song appears to be a reflection of the rising interest in the group as they made a name for themselves and the challenges of building and maintaining an identity that truly represented…
Everything You Need to Know About the Last 11 Years of Phillies’ All-Stars
This year, the Phillies are sending four All-Stars to Arizona with a possibility of a fifth if Shane Victorino can win the final vote. Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Placido Polanco will all wear the red pinstripes next Tuesday and all are veterans of the Midsummer Classic; Hamels and Halladay have represented…
This Week in Workout Playlists: July 5, 2011
With the heatwaves hitting Philly and its surrounding suburbs, we’re keeping the lyrics light and the beats uptempo this week. At the tail end of my “cutting” program, i.e. a light diet and a high reps, light weight program, and I need the music to help get me through it! The Sweet – Fox on…
What I’m Jamming To: July 1, 2011
“Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” by Squeeze is a song that just when I think I have figured out the meaning, I hear something new in the song that makes me think twice. Anecdotaly, it seems be one of the most mislabeled, misheard songs in the history of music; it is also a song that…
One Year and Forty Pounds Ago
A lot has changed in a year and I am grateful for the positivity, peace, and prosperity that has found me. I have spent much of it with my best friend who became my fiance, I went from grad school graduate to part time retail to career, I dropped from 36% body fat to 11%,…
What I’m Jamming To: June 28, 2011
The Sweet were half-bubblegum, half-glam, all awesome. Their questionable attire and silly lyrics made them easy targets but also allowed them to sell a lot of records in the UK. While “Ballroom Blitz” is undoubtedly their most well-known song by contemporary audiences, “Fox on the Run” was equally successful, reaching number 2 in the US,…
Exploring Bastardo’s All-Star Chances
It was June 2, 2009. The Black Eyed Peas were in the beginnings of a 26-week stranglehold of the number one American Billboard spot. Up was number one at the box office with the Hangover debuting the coming Friday. The Phillies entered the day a half game behind the Marlins, winners of four-in-a-row, and were…
What I’m Jamming To: June 25, 2011
“In The Morning” comes from U.K. band Razorlight‘s 2006 self-titled album, their second. It peaked at number 3 on the U.K. charts and was heard on tour as the band supported Queen+Paul Rodgers, Oasis, and the Rolling Stones throughout the remainder of 2006. Most of their records feature polished garage-rock, almost an oxymoron, but appropriate…
What I’m Jamming To: June 24, 2011
Marc Bolan and T. Rex struck U.K. commercial gold for their fourth and final number 1 hit. This beautiful, symphonic piece that begins with a beautiful, wailing salute to the rock gods stayed number one for four weeks in May and June of 1972 but did not chart in the U.S. It was displaced by…
Live From the Lehigh Valley 