Chasing the Blues

Let the Obamas Have a Night Out

Now the right-wing mob, led by froth-whipper Fox News, is in a lather over Barack and Michelle Obama's date night to see August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" on Broadway. The conservatives apparently want the president and first lady to stay in Washington, constantly vigilant for whatever bad news is brewing. I'm glad to see them get out and have some excitement. Their vital and vibrant marriage is the foundation of Obama's appeal, and anything to keep those juices fresh should be applauded. And, Obama apparently paid for the night out himself, although some blond bimbo on Fox harrumphed that the taxpayers had to pay $100,000 for Marine 1. Gee, can't we let the president  have some diversion? Plus, the play is a cultural landmark, one of the few August Wilson plays to make it to Broadway. Wilson is a major American writer, and the Obamas seeing the performance shows cultural seriousness and an interest in historical and social issues. The play is also directed by Bartlett Sher, one of the nation's best directors, although some in the black community were upset that the landmark performance has a white director. Perhaps Obama will get criticism from the left for seeing an August Wilson play with a white director. The president and first lady should be attune to what's going on in the nation's arts, theater and literature. Perhaps there's a coded racisim here: would the right wingers be so virulent if they had seen some innocuous Disney musical instead of a play from a troubling black writer who raises issues about racism, family, the erosion of tradition and values? ...Another tidbit gleaned from watching Fox News while on the gym treadmill: the cornmeal voiced Lindsay Graham wants Sonia Sotomayor to apologize for saying a Latina woman could make better court rulings than white males. Who is she supposed to apologize to, white males? GOP white males like Graham and Newt Gingrich are now engaging in the racial sensitivity they so often have criticized in the past. This used to be a country when people could speak their mind freely. Every week, someone has to apologize to someone or some group for something he or she said. The apologetic culture -- another sign of eroding American freedoms. ...Now, I suppose LeBron James will have to apologize to Dwight Howard for not shaking his hand after Howard's Orlando Magic mugged James' Cleveland Cavaliers. James, dubbed "the King," also ducked the media, whom he usually flatters and courts. Looks like James had begun to believe all the hype and couldn't face the harsh reality when they hype was proven premature. Meanwhile, Howard's monster game gave him a boost in credibility as a big-time player. The young Howard will be a lot for the "finesse" Lakers to handle. Kobe will have to play as strong as James did throughout the series. If the series goes to seven games, I hope the president doesn't get a sudden hankering to go and see the game in person. ...Hey, that reminds me: Obama didn't throw out the first ball on baseball's opening day, did he? Hmmm.   

Is That Tom Friedman on the Sidelines?

Tom Friedman hasn't been writing for The New York Times for a while -- could that be him coaching the Orlando Magic? Last night, I saw Stan Van Gundy pacing back and forth, churning his hands, and I had a flash of Tom. Well, the basketball court is surely flat, and the number of foreign players on the floor supports Tom's metaphor that the world is too. I  imagine Tom's pithy sayings could inspire a team, but Van Gundy is pretty entertaining and pithy himself. Why do they just show him in the huddle with his team, and not Cleveland coach Mike Brown? ...Yes, my NBA addiction has continued. Is there a support group? My mind whirls with thoughts of will Denver have to settle for jump shots, break-away fouls (I'd never heard of such a thing until last night when Lebron James was fouled from behind and awared two free throws, although Orlando wasn't in the bonus), if Gasol will get his shots, etc. I talk back to the screen to Kenny the Jet, Large Charles, Magic and J.B.

No Faith in American Ingenuity

The opposing reactions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times editorial pages to President Obama's plan to increase emissions standards on autos show a political/cultural divide. The Times titled its editorial "The Earth Wins One" and highlighted the environmental benefits of raising fuel-efficiency standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Meanwhile, the Journal never even mentions the environment, but mocks Obama as "nuts" for such a plan, claiming that marketplace realities will doom it to failure.

First, the Journal claims, echoing a point of view expressed by columnist Holman Jenkins a few pages before, that the plan will force GM, Chrysler and Ford to manufacture smaller cars that Americans don't want to buy. The supposes that Americans will have a choice of larger,  less fuel-efficient cars, but if the standards apply to all manufacturers, including foreign ones, where will be the cars that America supposedly wants to buy be found? However, this argument is specious, for the auto industry has already shown that it can combine attractiveness, safety and size.

The old bugaboo cited by Jenkins and the Journal editorial writer is that Detroit was forced to manufacture money-losing fuel efficient cars that were too small and that no one wanted to buy. But the popularity of Toyota's Prius showed that Americans will buy an attractive, well-designed hybrid. Plus, Ford a few years ago had a hit with the relatively small and fuel-efficient Focus, and Saturn enjoyed popularity with similar cars.

In general, The Journal grounds its editorial policy on the bedrock belief in the innovative dynamism of a free marketplace. But the editorial deriding Obama's fuel-efficiency plan presumes that Detroit lacks the technological ability to manufacture cars that are luxurious and safe but still able to meet Obama's standards. The editorial even says that Japanese and European manufacturers will be able to beat Detroit at making attractive fuel-efficient cars. But already Detroit is using hybrid technology in trucks and could expand this to larger cars. Toyota and Honda are making hybrids like the Accord and Camry that are fuel-efficent as well as attractive. Is the Journal saying that American business lacks the technological brilliance to compete with the Japanese manufacturers?

In truth, Detroit never had much incentive to design fuel-efficient but attractive cars. Following its success with inefficient SUVs and trucks, Detroit failed to devote sufficient marketing or design resources to fuel efficenct cars. Gains were made in the Carter years, but the return of inexpensive gasoline led Detroit to sell American drivers on the bigger, fuel-thirsty SUVs.

I agree with the Journal that the 55 percent UAW stake in Chrysler is worrisome, as well as a likely dominant union stake in GM. But if the union shows its support of the long-term viability of the companies by restraining wage and benefit demands, Detroit can design cars that meet Obama's rigid standards and that are big, safe and attractive. If it doesn't, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Nissan will. If GM, Chrysler and Ford falter, perhaps new American companies will rise to fill the demand for a new generation of cars.   

Farewell to the Tamil Tigers

One of the international stories that I followed a few years ago was the amazing success of the Tamil Tigers, the rebel group that controlled a large amount of territory in Sri Lanka. Having not heard about the Tigers in several years, I was shocked a month or so ago at the news that they were about to be defeated for good by the predominantly Sinhalese Sri Lankan government. This week, the government at last crushed the Tamil rebel forces and killed the rebel leader, Velllupillai Prabhakaran.

My first thought at learning of the Tamils' imminent demise was "what happened?" I remembered the Tamil Tigers as always coming out ahead over the government. They ran their own society, own schools, own cities, own economy, etc. Ably fulfulling their journalistic function despite declining revenues, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal supplied the answer.

A new ruthlessness under the leadership of the ruling Rajapaksa brothers caused the government to attack and crush the Tamils. According to a Times story Wednesday, Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers Gotabaya and Basil attached the Tamils with complete fury, disdaining international qualms about civilian deaths and suffering. Efficiently and single-mindedly, the Sri Lankan defense forces under Gotabaya and Basil re-captured the land the Tamils controlled and steadily defeated its forces. India, which once supported the Tamils, pretty much withdrew its support. The Wall Street Journal provided an excellent map sequence, showing how the Tamil Tigers' terroritory had steadily sunk to nothing.

Now a humanitarian crisis builds, with thousands of Tamil civilians trapped in horrible camps. Of course, the Tamils weren't followers of Ghandi-like civil disobedience. They pioneered suicide bombing and other guerrilla warfare techniques. In fact, the death of Indian prime minister Rahiv Ghandi, assassinated by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber, led Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahiv's widow, to turn against the Tigers.

Now, the Rajapaksa regime says it will seek reconciliation with the Tamil minority, promising to separate the Tamil civilians from the destroyed Tamil Tigers. We'll see. I hope the Times and Journal are still standing to report the outcome.

Barthelme Still Relevant: While reading Tracy Daugherty's excellent biography of the writer Donald Bartheleme, I recently found a copy of Barheleme's "60 Stories." I re-read the 1968 masterpiece, "Bobby Kennedy Saved From Drowning." I was spooked at how closely the descriptions of Kennedy applied to  Barak Obama. Also, Barthelme's "Indian Uprising," another '60s classic, eerily predicts today's debate over torture (enhanced interrogation techniques) and other troubling questions rising from terrorism and the U.S. war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Daugherty deserves huge credit for his effort to revive interest in Bartheleme's work.

NBA's Young Guns Battle It Out

After a rainy Sunday, Atlanta basks in cool, sunny and breezy weather, more like October than May. The NBA playoffs at last enter their second to last round, with LeBron James actually taking the court after two weeks off. Despite my negative comments, the Magic with Dwight Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy finally put away the wheezing Celtics. So now commissioner David Stern enjoys two of his brightest young stars, LeBron and Howard, going against each other in the east, and the long-established Kobe Bryant of the Lakers going against the emerging star Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggests in the West.

Howard, the muscular center, is the least skilled of the four, but his raw power and athleticism enable him to dominate games. He lacks offensive moves, but when he rushes down the middle like his namesake Superman for a dunk, all move out of his way. More powerful than a locomotive, indeed. 

Everyone wants a Lakers-Cavs final, with a Nuggets-Magic matchup likely causing a mass TV defection. Stern would probably welcome any finals with the Cavs and LeBron, although the Nuggets are hardly a match for the glamorous Lakers. LeBron vs. Melo would entice viewers.

I've about had enough of basketball, in any case. However, baseball holds little interest for me anymore, although I still glance through the box scores. The most interesting baseball story I've come across lately was the death of Dom DiMaggio, Joe's little brother, who patrolled center field for the Boston Red Sox during the years the Yankee Clipper was in New York.

Dom, a leadoff hitter, lacked Joe's power, but might have exceeded him in fielding, arm strength and speed. Unlike the glamorous Joe, the dimunitive Dom wore glasses, earning him the nickname "the Professor." In 1941, the glorious year that Joe hit in 56 straight games, and Boston left fielder Ted Williams hit .401 as the last man to hit .400, Dom also had a standout year. And, he should receive some credit for Williams' hitting, since Dom's enormous range allowed him to cover a lot of the field for Williams, who'd rather concentrate on his next at bat rather than devoting energy to defense.

A week after carrying Dom's obituary, the New York Times ran Dom's recollections of how his brother caught a line drive to end a 30-something game hitting streak by Dom. Dom was also known for taking hits away from his brother. Like many players of his generation, Dom lost four years in his prime to World War II. With those, he'd likely be a hall of famer. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .298, and he took to his grave his regret that he wasn't a lifetime .300 hitter. As he said, just 12 more career hits would have tipped him over the standard. No doubt some of Ted Williams' hits should be shifted over to Dom, for letting the Splendid Splinter get some rest on defense.

Dom's passing reminds me of my private hall of fame, composed of players I loved. Some of them are in the hall at Cooperstown, but many of them had careers too short or not quite stellar enough to make it. Dom, along with the third DiMaggio brother, Vince, would be on my list. In future weeks, I'll occasionally take a look at some of my personal favorite players.  

Wynton Marsalis Curates the Jazz Museum

I used to enjoy listening to Wynton Marsalis' jazz show on XM satellite radio as I drove around on Saturday mornings. Marsalis, who runs the Lincoln Center jazz program in New York City, talked about legendary musicians, but also devoted time to younger musicians about their work. The discussions combined technical information along with an understanding of the artistic passion of the music.

So, when I saw at the library Maralis' "Moving to Higher Ground, Searching for the Higher Meaning of Jazz," I decided to try it. He wrote the book with Geoffrey Ward, whom I believe played a significant role in Ken Burns' ponderdous look at jazz history for PBS.

I found that Marsalis, one of the main "talking heads" of the PBS series, shared that ponderous outlook. He attached a heavy weight of ameliorative virtues to listening to jazz, from helping to bring world peace to overcoming social ills of society such as racism. Marsalis is a sincere and serious man and musician, but his heavy-handed preaching and idealistic prescriptions drifted off the page into an incoherent fog. Another curious thing: despite the book's title, it had no mention of Hurricane Katrina. I would be interested in Marsalis' thoughts about how Katrina affected his native city's jazz culture and how he hopes to contribute to its future. Perhaps that'll come in another book.

The book had its good moments, though. Most effective were his memories of growing up in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner and New Orleans. His recollections of the racism he encountered and his recountings of his musical mentors were interesting and striking, making me wish the book were a true memoir. I also liked the vivid portrait of his father, Ellis, the distinguished pianist and educator. 

As a piano student, I also profited from his technical discussions of jazz, although I found it difficult to understand his airing of harmony. A diagram of a common blues progression helped me to improvise a blues number. 

Also helpful was his capsule look at various jazz greats. His honest appraisals shook the mythical status of several of them, especially Miles Davis. He said Davis had a tough time keeping up with the difficult chord changes of Charlie Parker, and showed how Davis through hard work and musical innovations made a virtue out of his weaknesses. He also blasted Davis for his later years, when he turned to rock and fusion. I found his criticism of Davis' later work a bit tiresome, since I liked "Bitches Brew," a ground-breaking rock-jazz fusion record which led many of my generations to Davis' early jazz work and to the music of players like Parker and the early Louis Armstrong.

Disappointingly, Marsalis fails to take a look at contemporary jazz players. Since his conversations with younger players was a highlight of his radio show, I was hoping for his appraisals of players like Terence Blanchard. In his criticisms of rock, hip-hop and rap, he places himself with those who see jazz as a museum piece, with all of the great work already accomplished. Surely rock players like Eric Clapton or Garth Hudson can claim aesthetic seriousness and technical virtuousity rivaling jazz greats. While I have little interest in or knowledge of hip-hop, surely players like Kanye West and others are serious musicians. 

Before reading Marsalis' work, I'd heard a radio show about a jazz documentary highlighting the work of today's younger jazz players and how they are advancing the art form. Some of the music accompanying the show sounded too abstract and jarring, but players like Blanchard are undoubtedly advancing the art. Marsalis is certainly deeply learned in jazz and classical music, but I hope he opens up more to the newer generations, who will keep the music alive. 

NBA Damages Its Credibility

At times, the NBA rivals professional wrestling for lacking competitive credibility. For example, the Lakers, after barely making an effort Sunday against the Houston Rockets, come back to blow out the same team. The imbalance between the two games shows all of the weaknesses of the league.

First, fans perceive that players don't always do their best. This usually shows up in the regular season, but the Lakers' dismal effort in Texas followed by a similar horrible showing by the Rockets in California proves that the malaise also hits in the playoffs. The deep gap in performance by teams on the road and at home make it seem that the teams are in collusion to give the home crowd a good show by the home team.

Also, each year the suspicion rises that the games are fixed, although this would take a massive conspiracy. But already we have the refs missing Dallas' intentional foul against Denver and ruling during the Celtics' comeback win over Orlando that Rondo's air ball grazed the rim. Speakng of the missed intentional foul, many experts opined that Dallas should have told the referees before hand that they were committing the intentional foul. To me, this smacks of collusion with the referee. The Celtics late in the game showed how you commit a technical foul: just wrap your arms around the guy.

Speaking of the Celtics' comeback over the Magic: Dwight Howard again showed that he's not in the superstar class, despite all of the attempts by the NBA's image builders to put him there. Physically, he's imposing, but he's very limited offensively. And, he disappears when the game's on the line, unless the other team has to intenionally foul him, because he's so poor a shooter. After the game, he blamed his coach for not getting him the ball. But could he blame Stan Van Gundy for not being able to bring down a rebound? Of course, there's little doubt of Van Gundy's incompetence. He's displayed it for years.

Tiger, Tiger Burning Out?

Following Tiger Woods' inability to mount any kind of charge in the Players Championship, the golf buzzards are wondering whether he's lost his swing. Hey, fly back to your leather-winged nests. He shot 73 the final day and was five under for the tournament, hardly horrible golf. Yes, he fell short at the Masters too, but he still made some noise when paired with Phil Mickelson the final day. At the Players Championship, Mickelsen finished way back, but the critics aren't claiming he's finished. Are they?

With that said, a few of Woods' swings, especially early in the final round, were curious. At the first hole, he almost shanked his approach, bringing a loud outcry from Johnny Miller. He kept showing that same tendency to not get through his shot, pushing it to the right. Plus, since he's come back from his knee injury, he's not displaying his old astounding distance, from tee shots to approaches. Mickelsen constantly outdrove him at Augusta National. Woods' old astonishing power and precision have faded away. He says the knee is fine, but is he unconsiously favoring it? As with NFL quarterbacks, perhaps he'll need some more time to show his old excellence.

In the middle part of Jack Nicklaus' career, say around 1975, he also started showing that shank swing, pushing the ball to the right. Nicklaus adjusted and went on to a number of years of championships. Nicklaus, losing some distance, also had to sharpen his short game. Before, he was so far ahead of everyone else on his long game and putting that he didn't have to have a topflight short game, but he developed one.

Woods has always had an oustanding short game, so he should continue as the top player in the world for many years to come, if he can fix that bad swing tendency of hitting it to the right. The same happens with baseball players. As the years go by, pitchers find they can get hitters out by throwing low and outside. The best hitters adjust and continue hitting the outside pitch. If not, their average and power drops. I'm confident that Woods will make the adjustment. He's already re-invented his swing more times than any other great player in the history of the game.

Meanwhile, the Players Championship suffered a lack of drama, such as affected the Masters in 2008. The lack of wind made the 17th hole less of an adventure, although a few players, Mickelsen included, found the water. With the tournament now played in early May, the winds will likely remain quiet in the future. Henrik Stenson grabbed hold of the tournament halfway through the final day as everyone else was collapsing on the fast, dried out course. Stenson, who has perpetually shown up on the leader board at big tournaments for years, showed strong shot-making ability and strategic command to capture his most significant victory yet. And, thankfully, he kept his clothes on, although some fans of the handsome Swede might have been disappointed.

The Players Championship apparently has given up its effort to gain status as the fifth major, although NBC's crew treats it like it is. They consciously pick up some of the mannerisms of CBS' coverage of the Masters, such as those flower shots,  although thankfully, they are less reverential. In fact, the rowdiness of the fans lounging on the big slope besides the island green makes the Players the anti-Masters. I'm all for the game's traditions of sportsmanship and restraint, but the scene at 17 gives the Players its own intensity. The U.S and British Opens have a tradition of rabid fans, which add to their appeal. Of course, the Masters' fans are known for their cheers and yells. But the hushed tones and false piety of the CBS crew at Augusta grow old.

Actually, I thought NBC did a better job with the Players than CBS did with the Masters. Unlike CBS, NBC didn't go ga-ga over Woods, and didn't seem to miss as many shots. The candid commentary of Miller probably wouldn't be acceptable to the Tories of Augusta National, but he's always funny and refreshing, if sometimes too obvious. All in all, a good job, although Bob Murphy can make some pretty lame observations, such as the time someone pulled a ball in a trap and he commented "That's a bad shot."

The Players, I suppose, is the leader of a second level of near-major tournaments such as Jack Nicklaus' Memorial and Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Classic and perhaps one or two more. Yet its stature, with its strong field and distinctive course, makes it stand above these. So, it exists in a realm of its own, better than all other tournaments but not quite a major. Perhaps it could grow into an undeniable major if it were rotated to different championship courses. I'd love to see it played at Doral, with Doral toughened up to make it live up to its old "Blue Monster" nickname. However, as with Augusta National and the Masters, the TPC championship course is the Player's signature. But I would love to see more of America's great courses, without having to wait for them to roll around for the U.S. Open and PGA. Now, like the Masters, usually played on Easter, and the U.S. Open, played on Father's Day, the Players will have its own holiday - Mother's Day. Perhaps that'll add to its majors charisma. 

In regard to the 17th, the island hole, I have my doubts about it as a championship test. Luck should play a part in golf, but the 17th often is too arbitrarily cruel. I saw one player Sunday hit his tee-shot about three feet from the hole, and the ball bounced into the water. The celebrated 12th hole at Augusta also is often played into the wind, but a player at the Masters will be rewarded for a shot close to the hole. Sure, a ball can roll from the front of the green back into Rae's Creek at Augusta's 12th, but that is penalizing a bad shot. Plus, Augusta National's No. 12 has a bunch of landing space behind the green, giving a player an opportunity to recover with his short game if he hits a long shot. Such an option doesn't exist at the Stadium Course's 17th. You're just in the water, and hitting from the drop zone.

Moving the Players to May has given it a different dimension. When it was played in March, the course was lush, with devilish spring winds making the 17th a nightmare for the players and a joy for spectators, on the course and at TV. The tournament signaled an end to the winter tour and was a fitting end to the great run of Florida tournaments at Doral and Bay Hill. Now, though, with May's drier conditions, heat, and lack of wind, it looked like the beginning of the summer season, the prelude to the U.S. Open.   

No More Baby: When will Celtics forward Glen Davis lose his nickname, Big Baby? The former LSU star has been mainly outstanding throughout the playoffs, and hit the game-winning shot with time running out to give the Celtics a series tie with the Orlando Magic. When he was a chubby, ebullient player in college, the name fit. Then, he had a tough time adjusting to the NBA, often looking like a child in a man's game. At times, he appeared totally in deep water, that he would never be more than a marginal player. But now, he's developed a trim body and lost his baby fat and shown the competive steel he always showed in college despite his gentle, comic spirit. Stepping into the shoes of the injured Kevin Garnett, he's proved his mettle. Big Baby is a great nickname, and he'll probably trade it in for endorsement ties if the Celtics continue their success. But he's outgrown it. Now, he's an adult in the NBA. 

LeBron the Marauder

Michael Jordan played with grace and style, flying to the basket like a ballet dancer. Magic Johnson glided down the court, wearing a constant smile as he did his work. LeBron James does his work like an assassin or marauding soldier, his face grim, flinging his shots like percussion grenades, throwing his passes like nuclear darts.

LeBron demolished the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night like a grim avenger. His performance displayed little joy. He was methodical, merciless, unstoppable. The Hawks collapsed in the fourth quarter like peasants before a marauding Viking. Larry Byrd had LeBron's grim intensity, but not his athletic ability. The combo is frightening and not so pleasant to witness.

I was also impressed by the depth of his answers in interviews during the game and afterward. His analysis of the game, the complexity of his knowledge, were beyond the usual bland cliches uttered by athletes. LeBron entered the NBA straight out of high school, but he has a doctoral level knowledge and intensity. 

Wait, somebody help me - I'm spending way too much time watching the NBA. I jumped on the Celtics ship with their great series against the Bulls, and I'm a longtime Hawks fan. In many years, I don't even watch the playoffs, perhaps tuning in for a game or two in the finals. Most years, after college basketball ends and the Masters is done, I start lazily following baseball. But this year, the NBA has held my attention. If the Celtics make it past the Magic, I'll probably be drawn in to their certainly inevitable series with the Cavs. One positive sign -- I haven't been drawn to any games in the West. Perhaps there's hope for me getting over my NBA affliction.