After last week’s fearful proclamation on the proclivity of the New York Yankees to sometimes ascend to divine seasons of championship quality playoff performance, CIVL station manager Aaron Levy breathes a huge sigh of relief this week, as we not only see the pinstripes extracted from the 2017 playoff picture, but also bear witness to a truly magnificent series of starting pitchers taking the hill — from the Astros’ Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel (pronounced like “tidal,” with k’s instead of a “t” and “d”), to he who is turning into the greatest left-handed pitcher not named Randy Johnson since Sandy Koufax, right down to the ageless Rich Hill, and the man with the most strikeouts in the least Major League service time, Japanese ex-pat Yu Darvish. These are games to tune into for strike one.
Jimmy Barnes & Tina Turner — Simply the Best
I mean, first off, who doesn’t just worship the air that Tina Turner’s multi-platinum pipes resonate their tone through? Like Clayton Kershaw, and Koufax before him, Turner simply is the best in her field. From “Proud Mary” to “Private Dancer,” no one tells their story like she always has.
The Killers — The Man
Under no other circumstances would this song ever enter my chronicles of shuffledom if not to pay loving homage to the incredible starting pitching in this year’s World Series, where every single hurler taking the bump each day can legitimately sing this song to themselves unironically during warm-ups.
The Philosopher Kings — I Am The Man
I’ve almost certainly shuffled this little-remembered but classic can-pop anthem before. It’s also absolutely certainly a much better way to get across the generally self-promotional, self-aggrandizing obnoxium (my word, patent pending) residing within the bravado and pomp of both of these hopefully tongue-in-cheek songwriting attempts.
David Bowie — The Man Who Sold The World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFvxj_0H8Ws
Astros “Ace”(?) Justin Verlander may be either heralded or berated as one for whom this song’s title might be applicable; sure, he was traded at the very last second, not a free agent signing, but after over a decade in Detroit, he’s nearly untouchable now in search of a Series.
