Maybe it's unfair that I get to see these roundups an hour earlier than all you people on the East Coast, but I won't shed any Tears to calm your Fears.

You know it must be a mad world when the Devil Rays take a series from the Jays.

Yikes. How many times do Carlos and Phelps strike out today? Cliff Lee is a good one.

Hello all!

Been away for most of two weeks now, with my ballclub. The good news for me is that we won both our District and then Regional playoffs - we're heading to McKinney, TX for the Mickey Mantle World Series. The club is the Ontario Blue Jays for those of you who know of youth baseball around these parts...

The bad news is that we leave tonight (or early tomorrow morning) and I've got to get a weeks worth of work done today. I've got pretty good seats for today's game, but they're in Mississauga. If any of you can get to Square One easily, they're yours. Email me and it's first come...

Congratulations to your boys, Max!

Here is a story about the Ontario Blue Jays, from just after the District playoffs in Michigan.

Good work, Mick and Robert. We're running out of cuttlefish, but we've got plenty of squirrels:



I'd like to second Craig's congratulations to the Ontario Blue Jays. Excellent work representing our province and our country!

I'm a lurker, usually, but... I know squirrels are a nuisance, but hanging seems like an awully inefficient solution.

This is one of the few songs where the remake is superior to the original.

I had the following discussion with a group of friends and now I'll toss it out to the rest of you on this slow Monday morning. Name all the remakes that have been better than the original.

The ones we agreed on:
Smooth Criminal (the AAF version spawned the discussion)
Mad World
Go West (although my friends feigned ignorance at the Village People version)

Any others?

Miller as Closer ?

I would be interested, if there are any numbers on how Miller fares once through a lineup. He seems to have nasty stuff.
What about him as the closer ?

Christian: while I agree the donnie darko remake of Mad world was better(more haunting), I disagree about Alien Ant Farms version of smooth criminal.
Hootie and the Blowfish had a more popular version of I go Blind, I personally didnt like it better.

Name all the remakes that have been better than the original:
- Ring of Fire by Social Distortion
- basically everything Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies made ( especially their Seasons in the Sun version is great)

I am sure there are many others. Oh, that vacancy in my head- I always hate when that happens.

Name all the remakes that have been better than the original.

Oh, there are a lot.

A few:

'Twist and Shout' (Beatles > Isley Brothers)
'Kiss Him Goodbye' (Nylons > Steam)
'It's Only Rock'n'Roll' (Children's Promise > Rolling Stones)
'Hound Dog' (Elvis Presley > Big Mama Thornton)

I prefer Gob's version of Paint it Black

I asked this in sunday's roundup but I guess it was too late, can anyone summarize anything interesting on This week in Baseball? I know Wilner asked Delgado about the no trade stance and Barnett about the hitting woes.

http://www.vangopop.com
My friends in Van Go (COMN for their web page) do a killer cover of "Closer To Fine" - they don't often play it live anymore, but you can find it hidden at the end of the last track on "Super Genghis". Their covers of "Beth" and "Step by Step" are ok, but nothing special.

And don't forget the Ramones' "California Sun"

Put me down in favour of Barenaked Ladies' Lovers in a Dangerous Time.

For those still interested in the game, three run bomb by Vernon to respond to being dropped down the lineup, and Phelps hits a bomb against a lefty, but you have to come to just expect that now. 4 - 0 good guys.

I know it's the Beatles, but Ive always been partial to Joe Cocker's version of "With a little help from my friends".

Hurt, rusty cage :) - johnny cash over NIN, and soundgarden

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpNWZic251BF9TAzI1NjY0ODI1BHNlYwN0aA--?slug=ap-astros-clemens-youthgame&prov=ap&type=lgns
I would agree with (although I've not heard everything mentioned)

Mad World - as stated above
Go West
Hurt
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
Twist and Shout

And another is Thirteen by Wilco, which is better than the original by Big Star. I've not heard many of their covers but they've apparently done a number.

And on another note, Roger Clemens gets ejected from a kids baseball game after spitting sunflower seeds at the ump (COMN). Another legitimate reason to dislike him.

Scully's comment about the squirrels made me laugh so loud I snorted.

And I have a very hard time believing that anyone could *prefer* covers of Ring of Fire. Or Smooth Criminal, for that matter.

Some great cover versions :

"Pocahontas" by Crash Vegas
"Superman" by REM
"Caravan of Love" by the Housemartins
"Strange Fruit" by Nina Simone (tough act to follow and top Lady Day!)
"Ghetto Superstar" by Wyclef Jean (the Bee Gees version is also quite good and also an improvement)
"Wild Horses" by the Sundays
"Whipping Post" and "Directly From My Heart To You" by Frank Zappa

And yes, a (slightly embarrassing) personal favourite, Dolly Parton and Ladymsith Black Mambazo covering Cat Stevens' "Peace Train".

I love that song. I omitted the many, many "cover" versions of Tin Pan Alley songs by jazz musicians past and present. Sure, many are better than the "original" recorded preformances but those songs are meant to be covered.

Oh, let's see.

"All Along The Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix.
"Gin and Juice" by The Gourds (from Austin, TX).
"Love Hurts" by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.
"Ceremony" by Galaxie 500.
"Eight Miles High" by Husker Du.

Also, famed slugger Orlando Cabrera is batting third again for the Red Sox. Bizarre.

How about one of my favorite covers, The Bangles' cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter"?

And just to throw it out there, what I consider to be one of the worst, XTC's cover of "All Along The Watchtower". . . .

LOL. I love XTC's version. It's quite entertaining.

How about Larry Lurex's cover of the Ronettes "I Can Hear Music"?

(100,000,000 points to anyone who knows what the heck I'm talking about)

Thompson Twins covered the Beatles' "Revolution."

Three minutes of aural putrescence.

Didn't "Aural Putrescence" used to open for Pearl Jam back when they were called Mookie Blaylock?

XTC's version of All Along the Watchtower isn't as much bad as it is...different.

Also in the not necessarily better or worse but...different camp are:
Light My Fire - Massive Attack covering the Doors
Take on Me - Reel Big Fish covering A-Ha

Red,Red Wine (UB40 makes a Neil Diamond song palatable). As Lucas points out, Jimi Hendrix' version of All Along the Watchtower is superior to the Dylan original.

On the other hand, the improvement effected by UB40 is more than offset by Phil Collins' version of You Can't Hurry Love. White men lose their speed at age 30 and shouldn't sing Motown tunes, except in the shower.

Does anyone have the issue or pictures of Hazel and two other sports broadcasters in Urban Male Magazine?

i am trying to figure out who did a certain remake of gin and juice? it is one man just speaking the lyrics accompanied by piano, it is very relaxing. this is killing me so if u know or think you know i am open to any suggestions.