By J. Burrows

Hello all! It has been a while since I posted, not cause I didn’t want to, just because. Since last posting, I went to see the (formerly grateful) Dead perform in the Change Rocks concert series to support Obama. The concert was held at Penn State University and opened by the Allman Brothers. What a great time! I went with a good friend of mine who is more an Obama fan than a Dead fan, but still had a pretty good time. The band was very good. You can see some video from the sound check here. The women at this show were absolutely beautiful, and I am not sure where they all came from. It was wall to wall hotties, and had me thinking a lot about fatherhood.

There are rumors abounding that the band will do a tour this summer or spring, but that is still in the rumor stages. What is known is that Phil Lesh and his Friends are headed to the Nokia theater for a ”philathon,” 18 concerts over 3 weeks or something like that. I will be there on Halloween night, with bells on maybe.

It is my favorite time of the year, World Series!!!! I know baseball fans are not as plentiful as they were when I grew up, and are maybe not the most passionate of all sports fans, but I love baseball!! I am rooting for the Rays in the World Series. No rhyme or reason really, just hope they win. If the Phillies win I will be neither surprised nor disappointed. I am looking forward to watching the game with my son, who celebrated his first birthday last week. At this point, he gets into baseball about as much as my wife, who to her credit was much more into it two years ago when my beloved Cardinals were fighting their way to a title. But, I will try and make him watch a little. I really can not wait until he is a little older and I hope he has the passion for sports that I do, perhaps without the gambling issues I have associated with the games.

FEARLESS PREDICTION: Rays in 7

To tie these two together, here is an anecdotal comparison by David Gans, longtime Deadhead, writer, musician and baseball fan:

Some people thrive on yesterday’s moments, and aren’t too keen on the way the game’s played today. Some have only been fans since last year and don’t care what happened way back when. You can cherish the great victories and triumphant seasons and chart them across decades, or you can go simply for the enjoyment of tonight and to hell with the standings. Like all the great teams, the Dead have their pennant years and bleak innings, perfect games and whippings, hits and foul balls, heroes and goats.

To many they’re an institution, to some mere child’s play, and to others the Grateful Dead is more or less an indispensable part of life. There are those who say the game’s too slow, that the brief moments of action and excitement are too few and far between. Like America ‘s Favorite Pastime, the Dead are both celebrated and criticized, and as with the Great National Sport, some people will never see what’s to enjoy.

Like big-league fans, Dead Heads are as varied as the game is long. There are scorekeepers who record every detail for statistical analysis and a place in the Hall of Fame; camera buffs and video freaks; armchair umpires, die-hards, groupies. Some are bleacher bums who’d be in the stands no matter who was playing; and there are even spousal fans who go because if they didn’t, they’d be left home alone. A lot of people attend because they’ve always gone and really don’t care to stop.

A grateful dead concert is like a baseball game. No two are ever alike. The plays are always different, and there’s always fresh hope. Sometimes the games an all-timer even though individual performances are sloppy; sometimes everybody plays great but the team loses.

It may take a few visits to grasp the subtleties, but if you let yourself into the flow of things, there’s something to enjoy from the very first moment you’re there. As the old saying goes, the mind believes what the mind believes. Grateful Dead is cerebral if you choose to analyze it, but it’s basic and instinctive too. Like the game of baseball.

-David Gans
1981

Enjoy the World Series everybody!

So, I have tendonitis in my right wrist. I think it is from playing video games. Also, I am looking for a new job, so if you know anyone who could use someone with a brain, a college education and a lot of good ideas, send them my way. Seriously!

You can contact me at JAMIE@Momspective.COM