Song of the Turtle

For fans of Detroit Tigers baseball, this has been an already unforgettable season filled with record breaking streaks, come-from-behind victories and blood pressure spiking drama. The Tigers are headed into tonight's game against the Oakland A's riding high on a 12 game winning streak, sitting atop the AL Central Division a robust 25 games over .500. They could clinch the division tonight with a win and losses by the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians and are just 3.5 games back of the New York Yankees for home field advantage through the ALCS. Even their last loss should have been a win, a lose from ahead effort where Kansas City got the best of the Detroit bullpen. Playoff runs in baseball should not be taken lightly, as the Tigers have only 13 playoff berths in their 110 years of existence, advancing to the World Series 10 of those 13 times while winning 4 rings. The last run, as most of us surely remember, ended in a comedy of errors losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.

The current winning streak puts the Tigers within 2 wins of tying the franchise record of 14 set in 1909 and tied in 1934. It also bests or ties the record streaks of 10 other franchises, including the best runs of "older" clubs like the Mets and Reds. During this latest run, the Tigers have come from behind to take the lead after the 6th inning 3 times and have caused the closer of the division rival White Sox, Sergio Santos, to blow 2 saves while Tigers' ace Justin Verlander has won 3 games and closer Jose Valverde has picked up 4 saves. This coming from a team that started slow out of the gates, managing a 49-43 record in the first half of the season. The Tigers had lost 7 in a row on May 2nd and were a season high 8 games back on May 3rd. But that all changed in grand fashion post All-Star break.

The Tigers have gone 38-19 since, bolstered by the dominance of Verlander and an offense that has regained its mightiness behind the big bats of megastar Miguel Cabrera, free agent acquisition Victor Martinez, emerging star Alex Avila and a resurgent Jhonny Peralta. Verlander has been so dominant that he has forced his way into uncharted territory for pitchers, the most valuable player conversation. Verlander has emerged as the game's most irreplaceable cog, the engine of the Tigers. The stat now widely accepted to measure a player's overall worth to a team, WAR or wins above replacement, ranks him (8.0) as the 2nd best player in the AL behind only Jose Bautista (8.2) of the Toronto Blue Jays. Keep in mind, these metrics are generally not kind to pitchers as there has NEVER been a pitcher to lead the league in this category in the modern era. To further put this into perspective, Miguel Cabrera, who has been lights out all year, has a WAR of 6.2. The best WAR of this century was in 2001 when Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs, drove in 177 runs and batted .328 for a WAR of 12.5. Baseball is not just a game of math, but when all factors are considered, Verlander's place in the discussion for MVP is firm, right next to Bautista, Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia.


The other major factor in the Tigers' success has been the 2nd half performance of the bullpen, most notably Joaquin Benoit and Valverde. Benoit was a free agent signing coming off of the most dominant season of any reliever in the league. The Tigers subsequently offered him a 3 year, $16.5 million deal and caught some flak for giving closer money to a setup man. Benoit gave the critics more ammo by starting sluggishly, struggling through late April/early May, though he has turned it around over the last 4 months having not allowed an earned run since August 2nd. Valverde, on the other hand, has been reasonably consistent barring a mediocre May, and still has yet to blow a save opportunity, converting on a team record 44 in a row this season.

On the verge of clinching the division, the Tigers still have plenty to play for. Home field advantage, Verlander's MVP candidacy, the team record winning streak and Valverde's saves run are still at stake. They also must continue to prove that they are not just a product of a weak division, as they are 46-21 against division opponents and 41-41 against everyone else. This is the time of year that you want to see your team get hot and carry it through the playoffs and the Tigers appear to be doing just that. Hold on to your hats folks, even though the Twins aren't chasing them down there promises to be plenty more suspense as the regular season comes to a close.


Let's win it all for Sparky and Ernie!


"For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

Best music of 2011...so far

One of the many passions in my life is music and I scour the internet nearly every day for tasty new jams. As my own personal library expands with stuff one would likely never hear on today's pop radio, I thought I'd help increase the exposure (albeit minimally) of some much deserving artists while hopefully opening up some ears of friends.

Producer Amerigo Gazaway has released an album of mashups from very different genres creatively titled Fela Soul, featuring the smooth and cerebral hip hop testimonials of De La Soul draped over the African rhythms of Nigerian instrumentalist Fela Kuti. The album consists of 8 dance-able tracks and includes a touch of the Gorillaz on the album closing Feel Good Inc. If you enjoy old school, laid-back hip hop and/or tribal beats, this is a must get.

Toro y Moi's Chaz Bundick has made music that has been categorized under the chillwave umbrella and his latest EP Freaking Out does not disappoint. Lo and hi fi mix with retro dance synths to get you out of your seat. This is easily one of the year's best dance efforts to date.

Beirut's Zach Condon has evolved his sound through many cultural influences, combining elements of Eastern European folk with Western pop. His band employs many diverse and non-traditional musical instruments, including the rotary valve flugelhorn, the ukulele, the mandolin and horns not typically found in pop. This unique instrumentation is complimented by his extraordinarily different and beautiful voice. Santa Fe is an ode to his home town off of his latest release, The Rip Tide.

Texas based artist and chillwave phenom, Neon Indian released his new album, Era Extrana, this week and this standout immediately got my ears perked. Alan Palomo, aka Neon Indian, creates a collage of synth tones and drum beats that will cause gamer nerds to flood dance halls.

Chillwave pioneer and native Georgian, Ernest Greene released his second full length under the Washed Out moniker earlier this year, this time surrounded by a full band that includes his wife. You can hear his most recognizable hit, Feel it All Around as the theme song of IFC's comedy sketch show Portlandia.

Oklahoman Annie Clark, otherwise known as St. Vincent, started out as a member of the Polyphonic Spree and later toured as a member of Michigan native Sufjan Stevens' band before setting out on her own to form St. Vincent. Strange Mercy is her third effort and again showcases her mastery with arrangements as well as her vulnerable and effortless church choir voice.

Austin based four-piece and SXSW mainstay White Denim blend many genres, especially blues and progressive rock to my delight. The above video for album stand out Street Joy may be ripe with over-the-top retro cliche, but the song itself covers all blemishes.

Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring appears to have many influences, especially beat driven hip hop. Both members have backgrounds in more traditional band composition, yet when they are producing as Purity Ring they are at their best. Looped and sampled synth beats are laid out and Megan James' ghostly vocals dress them up. I can't wait for the upcoming complete release.

Benefits of Consideration

Throughout mankind, there has been a struggle to explain the inexplicable, to put meaning to random occurrences and tragic circumstances. Well before man had the means to explore the composition of the solar system and shape of the earth, he was searching for answers. How did man come to be? Why was he chosen as the most intelligent life form on earth? What is his purpose?

Thousands of years later, man has yet to come to a consensus on these answers. Science tells us that man evolved, like all other organisms, from an ancestral gene pool. This is the foundation of evolution on earth, and is probably the hardest concept involved in these discussions for one to fully comprehend. How could a pool of amino acids and nucleotides that formed single cell organisms become everything that we see around us?
There must have been some form of divine intervention, right?

Religion has long fought the tide of scientific discovery, from forcing Galileo to live out his life under house arrest due to his contention of heliocentrism to today's denial of climate change and the battle of Creationism vs. Evolution. The world's most prominent religions have been around for thousands of years, rooted in the times before most of these scientific revelations. The words of scripture of these faiths were written well before this knowledge became more or less universal, and the churches themselves have continued to appeal to these antiquated beliefs.

Our ancestors lived in a time where government and religion fully intertwined, where religious persecution from the ruling majority resulted in mass extinction, genocide. If you didn't comply with the King's beliefs you were tried for heresy and treason, if you didn't fit the Fuhrer's mold, you were imprisoned and tortured. Still today, differences in religion force a great divide in areas of the middle east and Africa as thousands, if not millions, are killed annually, many more forced to leave their homes in search of a land without persecution.

Fundamentally, there is little difference between followers of one religion and the next, as well as non-believers. Christians believe in their God but no others, Muslims believe in their Allah but no others and atheists believe in one less deity than the rest. Quite obviously, not everyone can be right but who is to say, one way or the other?

Since no conclusion can be reached unanimously, the question becomes where do we draw the line with regard to implementing beliefs into universal law? We can all universally agree that things like rape and murder are unjust and immoral, but what about where the water gets a little murkier? What about allowing everyone to marry whoever they choose? What about allowing women to dress how they would like? What about allowing women to have a say in their health decisions? What about allowing everyone to vote?

We are all entitled to our beliefs, our opinions. We are not entitled to imposing our belief systems on others. History teaches us that many lives have been lost over arguments that could have been avoided with open minds. Because something is right for one, does not make it right for all. If you think gays shouldn't be able to marry because the "Bible tells you so," remember that the same Bible also states that the earth is flat and the center of the universe. If you think that the first priority of a woman is to be a wife and mother as Sharia law dictates, remember that we live in a free society where religion and law do not intersect. Be grateful for the separation of church and state, keeping in mind the slippery slope that entails.

There will always be many contentious issues in life. The best thing all of us can do is to look at these issues objectively, with an open mind and heart. Consider all sides of the issue, not just how it relates to you and your beliefs. Above all else, be truly considerate of your fellow man and woman.

"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and have their shoes." - Jack Handey

Dating and Deception

Humans are intelligent animals, for the most part, however we don't always use these smarts for our collective best interests, but instead to deceive and manipulate. We design breathtaking architecture, program mind-blowing software and create synthetic body organs. We also swindle each other of money, morals, pride and trust. Many people will do anything to achieve the social standards and norms set forth by history and our parents (though that is another topic for another day).


It is widely accepted that one needs to marry, start a family, buy a house and build a prosperous (monetarily) career to be considered a success. The romanticizing of this ideal starts at a young age and the fairy tale is drilled into every little girl's head, princess waiting on her prince, good intentions and picket fences abound. I believe this is a great ideal, not necessarily right for everyone, but the means to the end have veered us way off course.

Courtship is constantly modernizing, yet lacks evolution. Gone, for the most part is chivalry, replaced by a mix of feminism and apathy, but what remains is far more troubling. Dating starts off as "getting to know each other", but what is really being sold? More likely a polished turd than a dusty gemstone.


There comes a time in each relationship where things become more comfortable. Makeup isn't always applied, morning breath is shared, flatulence rears its ugly head. In a lot of cases, the gloves come off, tact becomes less inherent and frustrations mount. No longer are we trying to impress each other, rather reverting to something more similar to our actual selves.





First dates and dinners and movies and ball games and ice skating and concerts. We spend a lot of time painting misleading self-portraits. We shouldn't be impressed by the expensive car, the spray tan and the flashy jewelry yet we are. What really lies behind what our eyes see and our ears hear?

Let's be honest, we would all be in a better place if we were all comfortable with ourselves first. Accepting and loving who we are would go a long way in establishing a strong foundation for a loving relationship. Make that first date about exposing yourselves (not you perv!), putting true self on display. Spare hurt and remorse, save time and sanity. Talk about your shortcomings at least as much as your best qualities, put it all out there so your partner is not surprised when you smell like stripper perfume or you have melted chocolate in your pocket. Explain why you sit on the toilet for a half hour. Describe why you are obsessed with fake sports. Tell the story about that time you got fired for fellating a co-worker in the restroom. Up the ante, be yourself, honestly.