AT40 #OTD in 1972: The Caser counts down Nos. 80-41 of the year-end list. '72 is one of my favorite years for Top 40 radio, and while there are a few clunkers here, the majority of the songs smoke to a greater or lesser extent.

Al Pardo's Home Run Log would have been a great name for one of those weird old-fashioned candies involving nougat and crushed nuts. Instead it is a quick read brought to us by @baseball-reference.com.

snow expectations in my area downgraded from 1"-3" to coating-1". Ah well.

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 996 9/9: Rarity: 13 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 ➡️ See my grid: www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-g...

Re-upping my latest for nightsiders who might enjoy Umpires Behaving Badly. (More srsly: McKinley was behind the plate for the integration of the AL; the integration of the Yankees; Game Seven of a World Series; and other historic events.)

New Kraken Busters! 40 years later, Capt. Marko Ramius was right: Halsey acted stupidly. #comicoop keithpille.com/the-kraken-b...

rehearsing my Chris Rea/James Brown medley, "Get Up (If You Think It's Over) Sex Machine"

Strippers! Blackmail! Who says umpires are boring? Check out my new SABR Biography Project bio of former AL arbiter Bill McKinley. It's not *quite* as spicy as I've just made it sound, but it's interesting: sabr.org/bioproj/pers...

calling the American-flag poster "muddled" might be a charitable assessment

"Just another year or two in this silly baseball business, and then I can leave it behind and pursue the real love of my life -- playing the flugelhorn."

RTing b/c Chris forgot the #pullabunsky hashtag (again!)

five days until the Wasabi Fenway Bowl and you could cut the tension with a spoonula.

Connie Mack, player

commute music: the ancient Ryko copy of Uncle Meat I saved up for in high school, which might just be the longest-tenured CD in my collection at this point. No, I didn't listen to the 40 minutes of film dialogue.

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 995 9/9: Rarity: 2 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 ➡️ See my grid: www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-g...

Weekend cooking music.

used as much solstitial sunshine as possible to take a walk through a new-to-me woods (Mercy Woods Preserve in Cumberland, Rhode Island.) Took the little camera and fell in love with the click of the shutter again, so of course you get to see a few.

Not exactly Everest, this.

just gave blood for the sixth time in 2025, which (at eight weeks between donations) is the most you can do in a calendar year. If you can give, even once, do consider it. 🩸

I’m feeling plenty fuckin’ solstitial this morning, I can assure you.

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 994 9/9: Rarity: 12 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 ➡️ See my grid: www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-g...

“What do you think I’d see If I could have a loop of meeeeeeeee?”

shots fired in the December household cookie battles

I was gonna put this in my back pocket for when someone starts a thread of Great Songs About Reprehensible Behavior, but decided not to wait. I wish I could have Billy Gibbons' lead tone for one day. (Practicing would be a great start...)

Current* conditions near Ludington, MI:

Weekend cooking music: haven’t listened to the live King in a while. If I remember this one correctly, this is a pretty good show ‘cause he couldn’t bring the orchestra.

Lit’rally just finished this now. ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 993 9/9: Rarity: 14 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 ➡️ See my grid: www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-g...

“The Last Manager” wins Casey Award as best baseball book of 2025. Awarded annually by Spitball, America’s best literary baseball magazine. I loved getting the call: “John, this is Mike Shannon, editor of Spitball Magazine…”

a fair amount of actual work to do today, but as it starts to wind down there is this familiar pleasure.

eager to write the next story but turned off the computer instead. No need to burn my precious candle at both ends

Headlights look like diamonds Jack Bishop c. 2020

the wind gusts predicted for EMA are absolutely verifying - high 50s to 60. Do not love.

it's all fun and games 'til they rip your flesh

rumors that Magic Dick tore the place down singlehandedly could not be confirmed #whammerjammerdickie

AT40 from #OTD in 1987: that other Men Without Hats song; Prince and REM back to back; an "xtra" play of "Do They Know It's Christmas;" two from Dirty Dancing; and two from Tiffany, including the song my XC teammates used to call "I Think We Can Bone Now."

Trio For Danger! sounds like the name of a jazz group that wants you to know how rebellious they are.

not gonna lie, "The Ritual Shaming of the Woman at the Coldplay Concert" keeps making me think of this jam.

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 992 9/9: Rarity: 9 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 ➡️ See my grid: www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-g...

I wonder if @bostonglobe.com has a stylebook entry or official policy on when to use the local accent? They talk to people on the daily who sound like this, but they don’t usually write it like it sounds, I think.

BOOK NEWS: “Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts,” which I contributed to earlier this year, has earned a Twin Bill Book Prize for Best Poetry Book of 2025! Congrats to all involved in this gem of a collection. Want a copy? Go here: sabr.org/latest/sabr-...

kiss me, you fool!

@jeremylittau.com how do you improve on the McRib? Just add country music.

- did her PR person just directly spoon-feed NYT the phrase "trying to make things right with the people who mattered most"? - I seem to remember the dude got shamed just as badly; it's his graceless swoon offscreen that sticks in the mind

it's an odd but real thing that the regular square lunchbox with the NFL helmets on it was much cooler and more desirable than the lunchbox shaped like an actual NFL football with a big "NFL" on it

listening to Best of Blondie on the way in and was struck anew by the punctuation of "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear." Is there anyone who actually calls it "Presence Dear"?

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 991 9/9: Rarity: 5 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 ➡️ See my grid: www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-g...

I am going to write something about a hitter who made Ray Oyler look like Nomar Garciaparra. It promises to be fun.

i second the motion. all in favor say aye

Hound Dog Taylor left this world 50 years ago today. (He was born on April 12, 1915). In his honor, let's get funky. youtu.be/MMf3mJF0D1w?...