Welcome to the game thread. I’m going to use the traditional five-point format in which the five points may cover any topic that happens to come to mind. And keep in mind that this is dependent on the mind, the mind-set, and the state of mind of the writer. I hope you don’t mind what I write, and if you are of a mind to respond please mind your P’s and Q’s. 1. Where did the saying, “Mind your P’s and Q’s” come from? Here are three possibilities. One, it could have come from typesetters keeping track of the difference between the two lower case letters, as they differ only by being mirror images of each other. I’m not sure why it wouldn’t have been “Mind your B’s and D’s instead. Two, “P’s and Q’s” could be short for “pleases and thank-yous” because of the similarity of the sounds. Three, it could have come from bartenders advising their patrons (or themselves) to keep track of the pints (P’s) and quarts (Q’s) they have consumed. 2. Most people name Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, or Dizzy Gillespie as their favorite jazz trumpeter of all time but not me. I think Clifford Brown was the best. His playing technique was unsurpassed by any human being who has ever lived and his musicality was astounding. He left behind many impressive recordings but his untimely death at age 25 is, to me, the only reason he is not at the top of everyone else's list. There is only one known video recording of him performing, on a local show on WXYZ in Detroit hosted by, of all people, Soupy Sales.
3. Who am I? Who are you? Is each of us the same person as yesterday? Or last year? The answer is no. Every atom in your body is replaced with a different one over the course of approximately five years. This excepts tattoos, nails, and hair, which, to be accurate, are not part of your body anyway. So when I say I’m not the man I used to be I have a scientific explanation. 4. The two MLB teams playing tonight are not the only ones not named for the unit of local government in which their home stadium is located. There are also the Atlanta Braves of Cobb County, the Texas Rangers of Arlington, and the Tampa Bay Rays of St. Petersburg. The last of these teams is particularly noteworthy because I think it would be very difficult to build a stadium in Tampa Bay. 5. I hope that the Minnesota Twins of Minneapolis, whoever they happen to be tonight, can mind their P’s and Q’s and perform with the same level of technique and artistry as Clifford Brown and win tonight’s game. I’ll be attending the Minnesota Orchestra concert tonight with my son and a friend of his so I’ll miss the first portion of the game. On the program tonight is “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, which reminds me of a story. A couple years ago I was at a Minnesota Orchestra concert at which there was a contest in which patrons could choose the name of a beer that would be served at the next summer’s concerts. I was sure I submitted a winning entry with “Hopsichord” but I lost out to someone who submitted “Also Sprach Zarathirstra”. There’s nothing shameful about losing to a worthy opponent. Projected starting pitchers: Twins: Ervin Santana ® Angels: Matt Shoemaker ® Lineups and batting orders TBA.