[Posted 8:20 p.m. ET…]
Add-on up top by noon, Tues.
Detroit Tigers Quiz: 1) Name the five to have hit 250 home runs in a Tigers’ uniform. 2) Who am I? I won 25+ games in each of 1944, ‘45, and ‘46. Answers below.
NBA Playoffs
–Going back to Wednesday, the Pacers took a surprising 2-1 lead over the Thunder with a 116-107 win in which they outscored OKC 32-18 in the final quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, a super performance after a quiet Game 2.
But the real star was Bennedict Mathurin, who had 27 points in 22 minutes off the bench. T.J. McConnell also contributed mightily in reserve, 10 points, five assists and five steals.
And then Friday night, in Game 4, Haliburton and the Pacers had a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead, but they squandered it, falling 111-104, as Mathurin was limited to just eight points after his super Game 3, and Tyrese was so-so, 18 points, seven assists, with five turnovers.
For Oklahoma City, SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) was back to his MVP form, 35 points, and 15 of the Thunder’s final 16 as OKC overcame a seven-point deficit after three quarters, 87-80, to outscore the Pacers 31-17 in the fourth.
Charles Barkley said after about the Pacers: “No. 1, they gave it away. I thought you saw the difference between All-Star guys and really good players and superstars. Shai brought this thing home.”
Game 5 is Monday in OKC.
–Meanwhile, you have my New York Knicks. I was OK with the team firing coach Tom Thibodeau, thinking he didn’t do a good job with ‘in-game’ situations and making changes on the fly (as in there were zero halftime adjustments), but also knowing the lineup needed some changes itself.
But I, like every other fan, thought that if management was making this move they had a plan! And it’s become clear they didn’t!
The Mavericks turned down the Knicks’ request to interview Jason Kidd – the betting favorite to land the job. Houston is not letting the franchise interview Ime Udoka and Minnesota is doing the same with Chris Finch.
The Knicks are now planning to meet with former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown and former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins next week.
Cavaliers assistant coach Johnnie Bryant remains an option, and that’s the guy I want.
Charles Barkley weighed in on NBA TV.
“The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world. Like you don’t fire no good coach like that (Thibodeau) and don’t have a plan. I mean, Thibs did a helluva job. Obviously something’s going on there, but you don’t have a plan?
“And now the three coaches turn you down, you gotta have a plan, man. And they don’t have a plan. I don’t know what the hell they’re gonna do.”
For his part, Thibodeau took the high road, taking out an ad in the New York Times Wednesday.
“To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you.
“When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that dream became a reality. Thank you to our players and coaching staff who gave everything they had, and to everyone who makes this franchise special. I am proud of everything we accomplished together, including four playoff appearances and this year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals – our first in 25 years.
“And to the fans, thank you for believing in me and embracing me from day one. Watching you support our team, and seeing the Garden ignite with that incomparable Knicks energy, is something I will never forget.”
His message did not contain any mention of owner James Dolan and the front office led by Leon Rose.
—David Greenwood, a two-time consensus All-American forward at UCLA, who then had a solid 12-year NBA career, particularly with the Chicago Bulls, later winning an NBA title with Detroit, died. He was 68.
Stanley Cup Playoffs
—Thursday, superstar Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner, a one-hander, to propel the Oilers to a 5-4 overtime Game 4 win over the Panthers, tying this spectacular series at 2-2.
Edmonton was down 3-0 after one period and in Stanely Cup Final history, teams trailing by three or more after one were 0-37. The Oilers’ win is tied for the largest Cup Final road comeback with the 1919 Canadiens. Draisaitl now has four overtime goals in the playoffs, the most in a single postseason.
Three of the four games in this series have now gone to overtime. Two of those three OT games only made it there because of goals in the final 20 seconds of regulation.
In Game 5 last night in Edmonton, the Panthers got off to a 3-0 lead, Brad Marchand with spectacular goals in the first and third period, Nos. 9 and 10 of the playoffs, and Florida cruised, 5-2, no drama. Connor McDavid did finally get his first goal of the series for the Oilers to cut it to 3-1 in the third, but otherwise, all Panthers.
So Florida can clinch their second consecutive Stanley Cup title at home in Game 6 on Tuesday. If Game 7 is necessary, it’s back in Edmonton, Friday.
–In other hockey news…the New York Rangers parted with longtime winger Chris Kreider, sending him to Anaheim, which he had to approve, in exchange for a prospect (the teams also exchanging draft picks).
In 13 seasons in New York, Kreider scored 326 goals, third in franchise history, and has the record for most career playoff goals, 48, but he scored just 22 goals last season, only 30 points in all in 68 games. Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury decided it was time to part ways, and the fans agree, with Kreider posing a $6.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons.
MLB
–The Mets rode their six-game winning streak into Friday night’s opener against the Rays at Citi Field, but after the Mets took a 5-1 lead into the top of the sixth, manager Carlos Mendoza mysteriously took out starter Clay Holmes after just 79 pitches.
Well, afterwards we learned that Holmes didn’t recover well from his outing in Colorado and the mile-high altitude and the Mets were planning on capping him at 85 pitches.
Alas, the normally reliable Mets bullpen gave up six runs in the top of the sixth and Tampa Bay won it 7-5. It didn’t help that the Mets were 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position!
The Mets (45-26) were no better on Saturday, falling 8-4, the Rays (38-32) the beneficiaries of four unearned runs as a result of two errors by Mets pitchers Tylor Megill and Jose Castillo, Megill also allowing a run on a wild pitch. Ugh.
And what a [crappy] effort today…Rays sweep the Mets 9-0.
—Friday night the Yankees lost to the Red Sox at Fenway, 2-1 in 10, Aaron Judge with his 26th home run for the lone run, Boston’s Garrett Crochet with 8 1/3, giving up that lone run, Crochet 6-4, 2.24…everything the Red Sox wanted they acquired him and then signed him to a six-year, $170 million deal.
And like the Mets, the Yanks (42-27) lost Saturday, 4-3, as Boston improved to 36-36. Polarizing rookie Hunter Dobbins threw six scoreless for the Red Sox.
And the Yankees lost 2-0 today, Brayan Bello (3-1, 3.49) outdueling Max Fried (9-2, 1.89). Aaron Judge’s batting average is down to .378.
So a godawful weekend for New York’s two teams!
—Saturday, the Dodgers (42-29) beat the Giants (41-30) 11-5, as Shohei Ohtani hit two solo homers, Nos. 24 and 25, though he has only 41 RBIs. Clayton Kershaw threw seven scoreless, a huge boost for L.A. and their injury-riddled staff.
—Friday, the Pirates defeated the Cubs 2-1; for once winning a game that Paul Skenes started, though he only went five innings, no runs, but 95 pitches, and a no-decision. He’s 4-6, with a 1.78 ERA.
–Detroit’s Tarik Skubal threw seven innings of shutout ball in a 4-1 win over the Orioles Thursday, capping a spectacular 12-start span in which the Cy Young Award winner has been virtually unhittable.
His 12 starts dating from April 8 are historically surgical: He’s struck out 101 batters and walked just five. Since 1893, only Dodgers stalwart Clayton Kershaw – in 2015 and 2016 – and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom in 2021 had similar stretches of precision and dominance.
Overall in 14 starts, Skubal is 7-2, 1.99, with 111 strikeouts and just nine walks. Last year, in winning pitching’s triple crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts), he was 18-4, 2.39, with a league-leading 228 strikeouts and 35 walks.
–Milwaukee’s top pitching prospect, Jacob Misiorowski, made his MLB debut Thursday night and fired five innings of no-hit ball before exiting in the sixth inning following a freak ankle injury. After throwing ball 3 to Victor Scott II, Misiorowski’s right ankle bent awkwardly as he moved to return to the mound.
The 6-foot-7, 197-pound pitcher struck out five and walked four, with 14 pitches meeting or exceeding 100 mph, per MLB – including the first three he threw.
It turns out Misiorowski had cramping in his right quad and calf and he said after the game he expects to make his next start.
–And then we learned late today, the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants…much more in my Add-on. Massive!
—Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals’ game against the Marlins Saturday as part of a Pups in the Park promotion.
He retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington’s Triple-A affiliate.
Bruce, after his taste of the big leagues, is returning to his Triple-A duties.
Not sure if this will be reflected in baseballreference.com, but doubtful, since he didn’t officially appear in the actual game.
College World Series
—This was setting up to be a terrific CWS. In 2024, the SEC and ACC had four teams apiece and all the talk was that college baseball would forevermore be dominated by the schools in those conferences that invest the most in the sport on scholarships, NIL and, starting soon, direct payments to players.
But this year, six conferences and an independent are represented.
In Friday’s openers, Coastal Carolina beat Arizona, 7-4, with a tie-breaking three-run eighth inning, and Oregon State walked off Louisville, 4-3, after blowing a two-run lead in the top of the ninth.
Coastal Carolina-Arizona was a rematch of the 2016 Finals won by the Chanticleers.
The Beavers then faced the Chants in the winners bracket June 15, while the Cardinals and Wildcats face off in an elimination game.
And Louisville eliminated Arizona, 8-3, the Cardinals with six in the 8th.
Day Two, Saturday, had LSU move into the winner’s bracket by virtue of its 4-1 win over Arkansas, while UCLA defeated Murray State, 6-4.
LSU and UCLA will square off on Monday, while Arkansas will face Murray State in an elimination game earlier in the day.
Having had a beer or two with LSU fans at the 2023 CWS when Wake Forest made the field, I can confirm that LSU packs Omaha each time they make it there.
[Between games, they empty the park for a few hours to make way for a new audience for the nightcap, so everyone heads to the bars for a few hours. It’s really a terrific atmosphere, and as I noted in ’23, Omaha did a great job in placing all the hotels and bars right there at the ballpark.]
U.S. Open
The 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, PA, prepared to deliver the sternest test in golf. Five-inch rough, cavernous bunkers, penal ditches plus greens running 15-plus on the Stimpmeter would prove the ultimate test, just like the USGA wants it.
And, frankly, it’s the one time a year golf fans revel in the world’s best struggling mightily. Plus weather was going to be a factor over the weekend, making the rough doubly worse.
How tough can it be? In 2007, Angel Cabrera won at Oakmont finishing 5-over. Dustin Johnson won it on the course in 2016 at 4-under.
And after round one….
J.J. Spaun -4…bogey free
Thriston Lawrence -3
Si Woo Kim -2
Brooks Koepka -2
Sungjae Im -2
Scottie Scheffler +3
Rory McIlroy +4
After round two….
Sam Burns -3
Spaun -2
Viktor Hovland -1
Ben Griffin E
Adam Scott E
Scheffler +4
McIlroy +6
The cut was at +7.
Burns had a masterful 5-under 65.
Thriston Lawrence was the only player to get to 6-under par, and then he promptly made six bogeys and a double bogey over his next nine holes (with a birdie in the mix) to finish +1.
Rory threw a club in disgust and smashed a tee marker.
Shane Lowry absent-mindedly picked up his golf ball on the 14th green without marking it. Lowry said he looked at his caddie who said, “What are you doing?!” That’s a one-stroke penalty. Lowry said, “Probably one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done.” He missed the cut badly, +17.
Among the others missing the cut were LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann (who still sucks in the majors, after dominating the LIV tour), +10; Jose Luis Ballester (who just signed with LIV), +12; Cam Smith +8; Phil Mickelson +8; Bryson DeChambeau +10.
Justin Thomas also missed, +12.
Despite iffy weather, they managed to get the third round in, fully, and we have….
Burns -4
Scott -3
Spaun -3
Hovland -1
Carlos Ortiz E
Tyrell Hatton +1
Lawrence +1
Scheffler +4
Scott, 44, should be a big crowd favorite…always highly likeable.
The forecast is for afternoon rain again, so would they get it in? Personally, I wish they went out in threes off both tees to ensure a Sunday finish, including a potential 2-hour+ rain delay, but the USGA is keeping to its schedule, 2:15 p.m. tee-off for the leaders.
Finally, I have to note the play of local Ryan McCormick, 33. McCormick is the son of the head pro at Suburban Golf Club, where I was a member for ten years, and loved it. I just didn’t have the time to play a lot and thus it made zero sense to remain a member from a cost standpoint.
But I got to know Mark well and helped sponsor his trip to the Olympic Club, when he qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open…and have a signed cap to commemorate it. [Webb Simpson won that one, Mark missing the cut.]
So kind of cool to have father and son both make a U.S. Open field.
But even better, Ryan, who had to go through levels of qualifying to get to Oakmont, made the cut!
He had earned his 2024 PGA Tour card through his play on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, but in 24 events last year, only made nine cuts and wasn’t close to being Top 125.
So back to the Korn Ferry Tour this year, where his play has been middling. I hope this experience at Oakmont propels him the rest of the season on the Korn Ferry circuit.
Ryan had a solid round today and ended up 70-77-76-71…not bad.
In the final round….
After just two holes….
Burns -3
Scott -2
Spaun -1
Hovland E
Spaun had a brutal break on No. 2, his second shot hitting the flag stick and going backwards 50 yards into the fairway, a bogey-bogey start.
And then it was….
Burns -2…thru 6
Scott -1…6
Hovland E…6
Hatton +1…7
And then the rains came…we resumed after 5:30 p.m., not enough time to finish….
Conditions were basically unplayable…but they played on….
Burns E…11…after double-bogey
Scott +1…11
Ortiz +1…12
Hovland +2…11
Spaun +2…11
Hatton +2…12
Scheffler +4…15
Fascinating, but they could have finished it with earlier tee times!
Spaun with a spectacular birdie putt on 12…+1.
And J.J. then birdies 14 to get back to Even and sole lead after Burns bogeyed 12.
But Spaun bogeys 15…+1 with four others, including Robert MacIntyre, who birdied 17.
And Bobby Mac finishes +1.
And a controversial double-bogey on 15 for Burns, +3, who was denied a free drop in casual water.
Hatton bogeys 17, +2.
Spaun spectacular tee shot on short par-4 17th. Spaun birdies it to take a one-shot lead at Even.
Spaun great drive on 18. But it’s raining again.
Spaun long two-putt for the win. And he sinks it! Holy shit! Spectacular…longest putt made all week in the tournament.
Spaun -1
MacIntyre +1
Hovland +2
Young +3
Ortiz +3
Hatton +3
My apologies to the USGA for saying they wouldn’t finish…but it wasn’t fair to Scott and Burns.
—
Remembering Brian Wilson
Wednesday was a sad day for a lot of us. Ron Darling, New York Mets announcer, summed it up on Thursday afternoon’s broadcast. “Last night after the game, I went home, everyone was in bed, went out on the porch, and put ‘Pet Sounds’ on the turntable.”
My brother wrote after hearing the announcement, “I’ve got the Beach Boys on….”
I was about to do my new nightly video on the site and was scrambling to find a Beach Boys song to open with that might not have copyright issues.
Yes, the great Brian Wilson had left us, age 82. Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday. Further details weren’t immediately available.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” Wilson’s family wrote. “We are at a loss for words right now.”
“Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving,” the statement continued. “We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”
Indeed they are. The message signed off with the phrase “Love & Mercy,” which was the title track of Wilson’s debut solo album that came out in 1988, an excellent one. It was also the name of the 2014 biopic in which Wilson was played by John Cusack and Paul Dano at different stages of his life.
The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers – Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums – he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun. The group also included Wilsons’ cousin Mike Love and their friend Al Jardine.
Brian Wilson was one of rock’s great romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound.
Bob Greene, writer and author / Wall Street Journal
“I had called my friend Gary Griffin to shoot the breeze, as I’d been doing a couple of times every week. This was in the early 1990s; Gary was the keyboard player for surf rockers Jan and Dean, and I had just started to tour with them singing backup.
“He was at home in Panorama City, Calif., and I was in Chicago. He was out in his recording studio. ‘My friend Brian’s here,’ Gary said.
“ ‘Who’s Brian?’ I said.
“ ‘Wilson,’ Gary said.
“Oh. That’s all.
“ ‘What a coincidence,’ I said. ‘John Lennon’s over at my house.’
“Gary laughed and handed the phone to Brian, the man whose music had thrilled me from the time I was a boy, the man I had never dared to imagine ever meeting. He said hello and, not knowing what to say to him, I asked: ‘What are you going to sing in Gary’s studio?’
“ ‘I don’t know,” Brian said. ‘What do you think I should sing?’
“I could scarcely process this. For some reason I said:
“ ‘Stupid Cupid.’
“The 1958 Connie Francis Top 40 hit. What a ridiculous thing to say to Brian Wilson. Of all the songs in the world to blurt out.
“ ‘Stupid Cupid, you’re a real mean guy…’
“Across the time zones I listened, entranced.
“ ‘I’d like to clip your wings so you can’t fly…’
“He wasn’t doing it sarcastically; he was a man without guile. He had driven to Gary’s house to sing, and ‘Stupid Cupid’ was fine with him. I sat there, an audience of one – well, with Gary, two – and counted my blessings.
“For a lot of us, the arrival of the Beach Boys in the early 1960s marked the moment when we stopped automatically wishing that we could somehow become Mickey Mantle and began to wish that, against all odds, we could become Brian Wilson. We sensed his heart. On the back of the ‘Surfin’ Safari’ album, there he was in black-and-white, 19 years old, skinny and dark-haired and wearing a plain white T-shirt, his guitar strapped around his neck. The idea that from this seemingly ordinary young man could come songs of such sun-dappled beauty, and joy, and insight, and longing – it was as if he understood everything.
“When I would see him occasionally over the years, he was as pleasant and unassuming a person as you could ever hope to be around. For all the blows that life had dealt him, he retained a childlike openness that, in addition to his musical genius, was his defining quality.”
[Among Bob Greene’s books is “When We Got to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship and Dreams.”]
The Beach Boys rank among the most popular groups of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales of more than 100 million. The 1966 album “Pet Sounds” was voted No. 2 in a 2003 Rolling Stones list of the 500 best albums (also No. 2 on their 2020 list), losing out, as Wilson had done before, to the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The Beach Boys were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Paul McCartney cited “Pet Sounds” as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and the ballad “God Only Knows” as among his favorite songs, often bringing him to tears. [That song puts a tear in my eye when I hear it on the car radio today.]
The Beach Boys’ music was described as “like an ongoing party.”
Wilson rarely touched a surfboard unless a photographer was around, but out of the lifestyle that he observed growing up in Southern California and such musical influences as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he conjured a golden soundscape – sweet melodies, shining harmonies, vignettes of beaches, cars and girls – that resonated across time and climates.
It’s true what they say. Decades after their first release, a Beach Boys song can still conjure instant summer.
Brian Wilson was born June 20, 1942, two days after McCartney. The Beach Boys started as a neighborhood act, rehearsing in Brian’s bedroom and in the garage of their home in suburban Hawthorne, California. Surf music, mostly instrumental in its early years, was catching on locally: Dennis Wilson, the group’s only real surfer, suggested they cash in. Brian and Mike Love hastily wrote up their first single, “Surfin’,” a minor hit released in 1961.
They wanted to call themselves the Pendletones, in honor of a popular flannel shirt they wore in early publicity photos. But when they first saw the pressings for “Surfin’,” they discovered the record label had tagged them “The Beach Boys.” Other decisions were handled by their father, a musician of some frustration who hired himself as manager and holy terror. By mid-decade, Murry Wilson had been displaced and Brian, who had been running the band’s recording sessions almost from the start, was in charge, making the Beach Boys the rare group of the time to work without an outside producer.
Their breakthrough came in early 1963 with “Surfin’ USA,” so closely modeled on Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” that Berry successfully sued to get a songwriting credit. It was their first Top 10 hit (#3), and from 1963-66, they were rarely off the charts, hitting No. 1 with “I Get Around,” “Help Me, Rhonda” and “Good Vibration,” while narrowly missing with “Barbara Ann” (#2), “California Girls” (#3) and “Sloop John B,” also #3.
Their music echoed private differences. Wilson often contrasted his own bright falsetto with Love’s nasal, deadpan tenor. The extroverted Love was out front on the fast songs, but when it was time for a slow one, Brian took over. “The Warmth of the Sun” was a song of despair and consolation that Wilson alleged – to some skepticism – he wrote the morning after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. “Don’t Worry Baby,” another ballad both intoxicating and heartbreaking, was an early sign of Brian’s crippling anxieties.
Stress and exhaustion led to a breakdown in 1964 and his retirement from touring, his place soon filled by Bruce Johnston, who remained with the group for decades.
The Beach Boys and the Beatles had a friendly rivalry as each sought to transport pop music to the level of “art.”
The Beatles opened with “Rubber Soul,” released in late 1965 and their first studio album made without the distractions of movies or touring. It was immediately praised as a major advance, the lyrics far more personal and the music far more subtle and sophisticated than such earlier hits as “She Loves You” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” Wilson would recall getting high and listening to the record for the first time, promising himself he would not only keep up with the British band, but top them.
Wilson would then work for months on what became “Pet Sounds,” and months on the single “Good Vibrations.” He hired an outside lyricist, Tony Asher, and used various studios, with dozens of musicians and instruments ranging from violins to bongos to the harpsichord.
The results were momentous. “Good Vibrations” was the group’s first million-seller and “Pet Sounds,” which included the hits “Sloop John B” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” awed McCartney, John Lennon and Eric Clapton among others. Wilson was likened not just to the Beatles, but to Mozart and George Gershwin, whose “Rhapsody in Blue” had inspired him since childhood. [Ed. I equally love Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”]
But “Pet Sounds” as an album didn’t chart as highly as previous Beach Boys releases (peaking No. 10) and was treated indifferently by the U.S. record label, Capitol. The Beatles, meanwhile, were absorbing lessons from the Beach Boys and teaching some in return. “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper,” the Beatles’ next two alums, drew upon the Beach Boys’ vocal tapestries and melodic bass lines and even upon the animal sounds from the title track of “Pet Sounds.” The Beatles’ epic “A Day in the Life” reconfirmed them as kings of the pop world and “Sgt. Pepper” as the album to beat.
[Eventually, music critics acclaimed “Pet Sounds” for its technical sophistication and melancholic depth on tracks like “God Only Knows” and “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,” eventually leading them and fellow musicians to honor it as an epochal achievement.]
But Wilson’s next project, “Smile,” was a mess. He was shaken, delayed it, and then canceled it. The Beach Boys would soon descend into an oldies act, out of touch with the radical ‘60s, and Wilson withdrew into seclusion. He wouldn’t fully produce another Beach Boys record for years. Their biggest hit of the 1970s was a greatest hits album, “Endless Summer,” which hit No. 1 on the charts and helped establish them as popular concert performers.
Mike Love paid tribute to Brian Wilson, recognizing his “genius,” saying his “musical gifts were unmatched” and had “changed the course of music forever.”
Bandmate Al Jardine said: “He was a humble musical giant, and his huge musical intellect was apparent quite early on. At the same time, he didn’t need or want attention, was only interested in making the best possible music.”
Jardine added, Wilson should be remembered “as a real gentleman, a real musical intellect, who taught the world how to smile.”
Bob Dylan said: “Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian.”
Sir Elton John described him as a “true giant” who had the “biggest influence” on his songwriting.
“He was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever.”
Carole King described Wilson as “my friend and my brother in songwriting,” adding: “The World will miss Brian, but we are so lucky to have his music.”
Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac, wrote: “Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch!! And greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!!”
Sean Ono Lennon, son of Beatles frontman John Lennon and Yoko Ono, called Wilson the “American Mozart” and a “one of a kind genius from another world.”
“Anyone who really knows me knows how heartbroken I am about Brian Wilson passing,” he wrote on X. “Not many people influenced me as much as he did. I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous.”
“If there was a human being who made art of inexpressible sadness it was Brian Wilson,” the musician Questlove wrote in a long tribute on Instagram.
Personally, my favorite Beach Boys songs were “All Summer Long,” “When I Grow Up,” and “God Only Knows.”
But it’s funny how over the years, my favorites change a bit and “The Little Girl I Once Knew” and “Darlin’” threaten my top three.
And having just listened to the “Pet Sounds” album twice, I was reminded how much I loved “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times.”
Some other tidbits. During the many years that Brian was withdrawn, as a New York Times obituary noted, Wilson would spend “long stretches and obsessively listen to old records like the Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby,’ (Phil) Spector’s masterpiece from 1963.”
I’ve known forever that Wilson long considered this tune the “perfect” rock ‘n’ roll song, but now I understand just how obsessed he was by it.
Dennis Wilson drowned in the Pacific Ocean in 1983 after a drinking binge. He was 39. Carl Wilson died of lung cancer in 1998 at age 51. I loved Carl and his death deeply saddened me at the time. [Kind of like when George Harrison died…the two always in the background.]
Mike Love sued Brian Wilson over songwriting credits, and in 1994 a jury ruled in his favor. Love was awarded $5 million and gained co-writing credit on 35 classic Beach Boys songs, including “California Girls,” “Help Me Rhonda” and “I Get Around.”
The two sadly spent much of the Beach Boys’ latter years tussling in and out of court, with Love frequently saying he had not received proper recognition for his contributions to the group.
And on the topic of father Murry Wilson, it cannot be stated enough…this guy was one of the true dirtballs of our times. A real p—k. It’s so sad that Murry’s constant tormenting of Brian led to probably virtually all of Brian’s serious issues, which were then later compounded multifold by his handler, Eugene Landy.
Lastly, I read a ton of obituaries and not one mentioned a true classic the Beach Boys leave the world forever…their Christmas album! If you could have only five such records for the holiday season…it is surely among them.
Stuff
–George Russell won his first race of the year for Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix, defeating Max Verstappen.
–Lee Corso’s final mascot headgear pick for “College Gameday” on ESPN will come at Ohio State, where it all began.
The network’s flagship college football show will go to Columbus, Ohio, in Week 1, where the Buckeyes will face Texas in what is expected to be a top-five matchup. Corso, 89, said back in April he would retire after Week 1 of the upcoming season.
More than a few tears will be shed that day. He’s actually 66.5 percent for his 430 headgear picks. He’d been on the show since 1987, but the tradition started in 1996.
—Tottenham announced the appointment of Thomas Frank as their new head coach on a three-year contract through 2028. He was in charge at Brentford for seven season…a solid pick by my Spurs.
—A Long Island lobster who’s been alive for more than a century is tasting freedom this weekend thanks to the Hempstead eatery that set him free.
Peter’s Clam Bar owner Butch Yamali told WPIX11 it was time to put the 21-pound crustacean back in the Atlantic Ocean from whence it likely came 110 years ago.
“Some of these lobsters just don’t live that long, and this one did. So we figured what better way to celebrate Father’s Day than by freeing Lorenzo.”
Yamali said Lorenzo “kind of slipped through the cracks” and wound up in his fish tank, where customers photographed themselves with the eatery’s oldest resident.
I just looked up the menu for Peter’s Clam Bar and I’m drooling…like the “Lobster Wrap: Fresh lobster salad, mixed greens, bacon, tomatoes in a lemon herb aioli.” Mmmmm….
—A New Jersey man was gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming after a large group of visitors approached it too closely, the National Park Service said. The goring occurred in the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful, the NPS said.
The man, who was not identified, sustained minor injuries and was treated and transported by emergency services. It’s the second time this year a person has been gored by a bison at Yellowstone, the NPS said.
The NPS reminds people, aka idiot humans, that it is your responsibility to stay more than 25 yards from all large animals like bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes.
Local Jersey resident Brad K., who lives near Randolph, is embarrassed for his community, as am I.
In case you forgot, bison can run three times faster than humans and will defend their space when threatened.
Actually, playback the Buffalo stampede scene from “How The West Was Won.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4ACKWdMHcU
Top 3 songs for the week 6/13/64: #1 “Chapel Of Love” (The Dixie Cups) #2 “A World Without Love” (Peter and Gordon) #3 “Love Me With All Your Heart” (The Ray Charles Singers)…and…#4 Love Me Do (The Beatles) #5 “My Guy” (Mary Wells) #6 “Walk On By” (Dionne Warwick…one of my faves of hers, and Bacharach/David…) #7 “Little Children” (Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas) #8 “Hello, Dolly!” (Louis Armstrong) #9 “People” (Barbra Streisand…truly beautiful, timeless tune…) #10 “I Get Around”* (The Beach Boys, heading to #1…A- week….)
*A “World Without Love” would succeed “Chapel Of Love” as #1, prior to “I Get Around.” Before that, “Love Me Do,” “My Guy,” and “Hello, Dolly!” were #1s.
Detroit Tigers Quiz Answers: 1) Five to hit 250 home runs in a Tigers’ uniform:
Al Kaline 399
Miguel Cabrera 373…he hit another 138 with the Marlins
Norm Cash 373
Hank Greenberg 306
Willie Horton 262
2) 25+ wins each of 1944, ‘45 and ‘46: Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser, who went 29-9 (2.22 ERA), 25-9 (1.81), 26-9 (1.94). He was AL MVP in both 1944 and ’45, and runner-up in ’46.
Newhouser was 200-148 with Detroit, 1939-53, 3.07 ERA, and 207-150, 3.06 for his career.
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.
