I’m only 2/3rds of the way through Seth Mnookin’s “Feeding The Monster” and thus far, I’d give the Nookster fairly high marks. Though the book’s first few chapters are the sort of Red Sox 101 Lite (ie. Yawkey was a racist fuck, clam chowder clogs the arteries, Charles Laquidera isn’t very funny, Dave Bass was in a band with Aimee Mann, etc.) that most CSTB readers can skip. And it was tempting to do just, fueled by drooly expectations of Manny calling Tito a white devil, Theo in the gorilla suit, etc.


But in all seriousness, Mnookin’s chronicling of how the Henry/Werner/Lucchino Triad came to possess the club and everything that fell apart en route to Theo’s King Kong rampage down Landsdowne Street, is super entertaining, even if you don’t suck at the altar of all things Red Sox. But perhaps hottest of all was the revelation that John Henry (above) once played bass in a prog rock outfit called Elysian Fields, a group noted for :

a) a rock opera based on aliens from the Cassiopeia constellation
b) the band members shaving their eyebrows.

Though Tom Yawkey’s very brief cameo with Lou Miami & The Cosmetics comes close (a collaboration quickly hushed up by the terrified print media of that era), I think John Henry wins the Amazing Personal History award for baseball owners. Easily.

The Rangers’ John Rheneicker missed a recent trip to Toronto when he misplaced his birth certificate. Texas would probably prefer he’d not made it to Boston, either, after being knocked around by the Red Sox this afternoon (3.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 earned runs). Boston’s ahead, 5-4 in the 7th, all 5 runs scored by the trio of Loretta, Youkilis and Ramirez.

I’d say something about Kenny Rogers having outdueled Jose Contreras today except a) that isn’t technically correct and b) I get a little happy imagining someone pulling a gun on the former. The Tigers’ 2-1 win gives them a season high 5 1/2 game lead over the White Sox. Always thinking of other people, the extremely sensitive Ozzie Guillen would like to see Detroit deal Justin Verlander or Joel Zumaya for Alfonso Soriano.

Let freedom ring : Greg Anderson is on the streets and ready to rock.