1. Pink Floyd – Us And Them. Pretty tasteful. Seems to fit the mood.

2. Supertramp – The Logical Song. Many people find this song and saxophone solo hideously grating, and I understand their point of view. I have a soft spot for Supertramp’s big radio hits, mostly because I love the glorious 70’s 24-track 2″ tape hi fidelity of it all. And it’s hard to imagine this song without that almost mocking saxophone solo. Fight me.

3. Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street. You just gotta admit that’s an epic sax lick.

4. David Bowie – Young Americans. It’s David Sanborn, who doesn’t exactly score you tons of “cool” points. Appropriate for the song though.

5. Steely Dan – Aja. Almost doesn’t count, because is this song really rock? The sax solo in this by Wayne Shorter happens simultaneously with a pretty insane Steve Gadd drum solo, and the whole thing is really in the fusion kind of space more than anything else. Great tasteful solo in a band that’s usually considered to be a rock band so I’ll allow it.

6. X-Ray Spex – Oh, Bondage Up Yours! Saxphones translates pretty well to punk rock, because it’s usually used as a skronk generator. The Stooges utilized some skronky sax on Fun House. Nobody’s blowing any smooth jazz licks here.

7. Roxy Music – Re-Make/Re-Model but also many other songs. I almost always like whatever Andy Mackay has going on in Roxy’s songs. Sometimes he’s a textural player, and sometimes he’s re-framing rock saxophone tropes in the Roxy Music context.

I typically don’t like the saxophone in rock and roll. It is often miscast and almost always sounds cheesy. The few exceptions I can come up with are:

1) obviously, Sonny Rollins on Waiting On A Friend

2) Garth Hudson on It Makes No Difference

3) whoever it is playing on the INXS song Never Tear Us Apart (for some reason I just think that sax was a good decision, and I don’t even like that band or that song all that much)

4) some Wayne Shorter solos from the recordings of various artists that JK47 can’t stand (sorry JK)

5) a handful of Clarence Clemons solos.

I think that’s it. Am I missing any? Oh, maybe

6) Walk on the Wild Side. That sax fits the vibe well.

I’m sure there are others that I just haven’t related to. But, man, that Lenny Pickett work on Mercenary Territory, along with that series of modulations the preceded it, is really one of the great minute and a halfs of music that I’ve ever enjoyed.

3. The guy who plays the ridiculous 4 octave baritone sax solo on Little Feat’s 1978 Waiting For Columbus live performance of Mercenary Territory is former Tower of Power member and current SNL Bandleader Lenny Pickett.

Donnie, IMO Waiting for Columbus is one of the greatest live albums ever, but I never focused in on Mercenary Territory. Went back and listened again and holy crap, that sax solo. It’s a wonder he didn’t blow out a lung!

They’re both in the very low minors and are obviously many years away, but I am very pleased to pick up two nice lottery ticket type prospects for a superfluous reliever.

Lots of Mets fans griped about not getting pitchers back, but that’s okay. Legit SS, C, and CF prospects are pretty good, too. Vargas may not end up a SS (he’s got 7 errors in 30+ games this year), but the guy seems like a premium hitting prospect. The C, Hernandez, sounds like at least a very good defensive/hard working C prospect, maybe more if he can continue to hit. I hope they give both a taste of A ball before the end of the season.

The big question now is do they actually move Verlander, and for what?

Given that we only have so many years of Judge and Cole and their primes, and that basically anything can happen in the MLB playoffs, I can’t say pursuing immediate talent upgrades is an outrage. If Grichuk or whoever else can be had for fringe guys, go for it I guess.

But giving up substantial prospects for rentals would be unambiguously stupid. This team is not good and hasn’t been good for over a full year now. Sadly, it’s looking like Stanton, DJ, and Rizzo aging so quickly will be what closes the book on the post 2017 era.

What is still unknown is if the new extension rules are enough to keep O.G. Anunoby in a Toronto Raptors uniform for the foreseeable future. Anunoby is eligible to sign an extension up to $116 million over four years, a $16 million increase from the prior rule. – via NBA Insiders @ ESPN

How’s your health holding up, Alan?

Huh. IIRC, the brothers allegedly hate the Knicks because Phil released Thanasis or some such.