Jay-Z sues Big Papa for 40/40

Rolling Stone Magazine is reporting that Jay-Z is suing the Boston Red Sox "Slumping Slugger" for unauthorized use of the name "40/40" for Big Papi's nightclub which is located in the Dominican Republic.

From Rolling Stone online...

In a lawsuit filed yesterday, Jay accuses Big Papi of naming his Santa Domingo nightclub “Forty-Forty,” a variation of Jay-Z and Juan Perez’s line of 40/40 Clubs in New York, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

“[Jay-Z and Perez] have accused Ortiz of trading on the fame, value and goodwill of their name through his club Forty/Forty and its website, www.fortyforty.net, which they say has caused their business ‘marketplace confusion and damage,” reads the lawsuit. Jay-Z’s suit goes on to argue that the shared name isn’t accidental, as Ortiz “has been a patron [at the 40/40 Club] on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club.”

As Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” all but soundtracked the Yankees’ World Series-winning run last season, it’s no surprise that he might take offense to someone not named Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez opening a club with the “40/40″ name.

The baseball blog Big League Stew points out the “40/40″ moniker comes from when a player achieves both 40 home runs and 40 steals in one season. Only four players in history have done it — including current Yank A-Rod — but Big Papi hasn’t come close, managing only 10 steals total over the course of his entire 14-year baseball career. (To Ortiz’s credit, he has hit a Red Sox record 54 home runs in a season, but then why not the “Fifty-Ten Club”?)

No word whether Jay-Z is seeking compensation, a club name change or maybe just an apology from Ortiz for his Game Four, 12th inning, course-of-history-changing walk-off home run against the Yankees in the 2004 playoffs.

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Today's Baseball Song of the Day comes from Warren Zevon who also wrote the terrific "Werewolves of London" (for all you kids out there...look up "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock).  Today's BSOD, "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" was written in 1978 for the "Excitable Boy" album.

The song has been featured in:

- The movie "Grand Canyon"
- The movie "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson"
- TV series Justice
- TV show Farscape three part episode "Liars, Guns and Money"
- TV show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in a spoof called "Robots, Bears, and Lincolns"




BSOD 4/16/2010: Lawyers, Guns, and Money
Artists: Warren Zevon
Released: 1978


Lawyers, Guns, and Money Lyrics

Well, I went home with the waitress
The way I always do
How was I to know
She was with the Russians, too

I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this

I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck
Between the rock and the hard place
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck

Now I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
The shit has hit the fan

Opening Day: Dre to Tyler to Diamond

They're no Tinker to Evers to Chance, but in the world of music they're a very solid trio.

Sunday April 4th kicked off the 2010 baseball season with the 2009 World Series Champions; the New York Yankees meeting their rivals the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Over the last few years Fenway has seen a revival in their stadium's appearance and popularity and combine that with the appeal of Opening Day and you have a fantastic venue for some top name acts.

Appearing first on the day was hip-hop's very own Dr. Dre. Dre as he took batting practice sporting a Red Sox jersey and hawking his new "Beats by Dr. Dre" Red Sox headphones. With him was Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine who stated that he's from Brooklyn and was originally a Mets fan, but today is rooting for Boston.



Up next was fresh out of rehab - Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith performing "God Bless America" at the bottom of the 7th inning. I have an open mind when it comes to music and differing versions of songs, but in all honesty, even though I enjoyed his effort, I found the version off putting and would have enjoyed a more traditional sound for one of our country's respected songs. Performing acapella, with his daughter Chelsea joining in at the very end (I rather liked that part), Tyler's voice is just too raw and screeching for the song. A hit, and a miss.



Finishing up the trio was Neil Diamond sporting a Red Sox hat, and a dark black blazer with the words, "Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn" in white lettering on the back.

Diamond was definitely showing his age, and the song was definitely "schlocky" and that's alright with me. This man has been around for years and years and having his song being adopted at the park for the 8th inning in which everyone (I'm sure there's some holdouts) joins in and sings "So good, so good, so good" back to him is nothing but silly fun. Racing sausages (in Milwaukee) are ok but singing "Sweet Caroline" isn't?



BSOD 4/5/2010: Sweet Caroline - 8th Inning Stylee
Artist: Neil Diamond and the Boston Red Sox Fans
Released: 4/4/2010

"So good, so good, so good!!!"

Note: The Red Sox beat the Yankees 9-7

Opening Day Song: Life's Good Again

I'm not sure what its like for those of you that live in warm weather climates.  But for those of us who experience a full Winter where the only green we see comes from the Christmas tree, the warm winds of Spring can never come soon enough.  The daffodils peeking out in front of the leftover snowmobile trail signs, the rippling of the water from once frozen over streams, all remind us, that Spring has sprung, and life begins its cycle once again.

It's this anticipation, for what is to come, that inspires us, and gives us hope in our lives.  To enjoy life's outdoor activities once again, not encumbered by three layers of clothing.  To ride a bicycle, plant vegetable seeds, watch a movie at a drive in, eat roasted-dipped in a vat of butter-salted corn on the cob, and the most wondrous of all, catch a game at the ole' ballpark.

To this we salute the most righteous of Spring's offerings; Baseball Opening Day, with a look at a homegrown "Baseball Opening Day" song from "Regular Rob" Crawford; Vice President of Red Sox Nation.

Opening Day 2010 begins on April 4th with the World Series Champs of 2009, the much loved and hated New York Yankees appearing at Fenway Park.  Our pick for this year's Opening Day song, goes to "Regular Rob" Crawford.

"Crawdaddy" Crawford as he was known before trying for presidency of the Red Sox Nation (Boston maniacal fans who live and die for their team), is a father of five who, by his own accord is dominated in his life by parenthood and baseball. On his blog, "Regular Rob" writes about why he loves baseball, "The leathery-dirt smell of a Rawlings baseball glove. The feel of a high-seamed baseball under my fingertips. Kids imitating their heroes’ batting stances. Defensive replacements in the 9th inning. The allure of an expansive green lawn."

His list of reasons why he loves baseball continues on a very looooooooong page, and it contains one of my favorites, "Old men and women who keep score, every game." It is just this passion that he is referring to, when he wasn't able to find an adequate song about his feeling for baseball and Opening Day. So, what's a man to do but... write an Opening Day song of his own.

The weekend before the 2008 opening day game for the Boston Red Sox, "Regular Rob" Crawford snuk on down to the basement (aka the "daddy bunker") when the kids were asleep and put together a terrific song about what baseball's opening day means to him, and in essence, like any good song, to all of us too.

There's only one thing left to say..."Play Ball!"

>>> Listen to the Song (right click to save it) or go to Rob's Blog and hear it there

BSOD 4/2/2010: Opening Day! (song)
Artist: Rob Crawford
Released: 2008
www.crawdaddycove.com

Opening Day! Lyrics
by Rob Crawford (ASCAP)

Well it’s Opening Day
Winter’s gone, let’s celebrate
Skipping school for the game
Got no choice, it’s in my D.N.A.
Baseball everyday ’til fall
Sing Spangled Stars, then let’s play ball
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Opening Day!
Opening Day!

Well it’s Opening Day
Winter’s gone, spring starts today
Skipping work for the game
Guess I’ll update my resume
From Japan to Canada
U.S.A. to Latin America
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Opening Day!
Opening Day!
This year our team’s going all the way
It all starts on Opening Day

Well it’s Opening Day
Winter ended yesterday
Skipping school for the game
It’s baseball’s own religious holiday
And the rockets’ red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Baseball everyday ’til fall
No more hot stove, let’s play ball
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Opening Day!

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Note: What's a great opening day performance???
How about this: Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes hit three home runs on Opening Day in 1994 for the Chicago Cubs.  Acquired in the off season from the KC Royals, Tuffy had only played in less than 100 games in the major leagues before the Cubs gave him the nod.  What's more, Karl hit the home runs off of....Dwight Gooden.  Tuffy then went on to Japan where in the 2001 season, he hit his 55th homer to tie Sadaharu Oh's Japanese League single season home run record, set in 1964.  View other great Opening Day Bests at: http://baseballhistorian.com/html/opening_day.htm