Some disconnected thoughts

When I got home about a half-hour ago, I really wanted to blog.

A fun-filled night of basketball, odd (but good) mediterranean food, and blasting some Jackson 5 in the car ride home wasn't going to deter me. I haven't blogged as much as I usually do lately, and as I've described before, it's pretty much become a need for me. (And, hey, I just passed 20,000 views!)

Trouble is, I didn't really have the energy or urge to dig for a new topic to write about.

So this post will just be a few general thoughts I've had lately. Some baseball, some not.

But let's start with baseball.

I am extremely excited for what awaits me tomorrow. Why? Because I'll be at Miller Park to see a Cubs-Brewers contest, a nationally televised game on FOX. (I'm watching the Cubs-Brewers right now, as a matter of fact. 10th inning excitement.)

This will be my second trip to Miller Park, as I caught a Brewers-D'Backs game there last year. (Capped off by a pinch-hit homer by Casey McGehee, which wound up being the game-winner.)

It will be my third-ever trip to Milwaukee, as I saw the Violent Femmes (one of my favorite bands) at Summerfest about five years ago.

I've been to four major-league ballparks in my life. Comiskey Park (okay...U.S. Cellular Field), the old Busch Stadium, Miller Park, and the granddaddy of them all, Wrigley Field.

No park will ever match the sheer greatness of Wrigley, but Miller Park is probably second on the list. The atmosphere is amazing. As are the cheese curds.

So that's where I'll be tomorrow afternoon.

And now for something completely different...

Do you know who these three individuals are?

If you would've asked me a few days ago, I wouldn't have known.

Along with baseball, music has always been a deep passion of mine. Finding a new band to enjoy is just as good as finding a new dime box "gem", pretty much.

I've never liked ninety-nine percent of the newer music out there. With music, as with baseball in a way, I'm old-school.

I don't listen to Lil' Wayne, Drake, or whatever else is on the radio 593 times a day. But to each their own.

Due to the decline of mainstream music that I've seen over the last few years, I tended to kind of dismiss the whole hip-hop/rap genre as a whole. I always maintained that earlier rap was tolerable, but I still wouldn't voluntarily listen to it in most cases.

But every so often you "discover" a group that makes you re-assess your evaluation of music. It's happened to me on a few occasions, most notably with the Beatles and the Ramones, the latter of whom inspired me to pick up my first guitar when I was about 13 or 14. (I still try to practice at least once a day, although I've switched over to bass guitar in the last couple years.)

The above picture is of the Beastie Boys. And they've turned into one of those bands that have changed how I look at music.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but it took the tragic passing of Adam Yauch (or "MCA") to get me to sample some of their music. I've always known who they were, I just never thought I'd ever like them.

Never assume.

Thanks to the Beastie Boys, I have a deeper respect for the roots of today's music, even if I don't like it all that much. (I've also taken to Run DMC a bit lately as well.)

They're not my next favorite group or anything, but the fact that three failed hardcore punk kids managed to inspire hundreds and hundreds of others for decades and decades is mind-blowing to me. Even inspiring, in a way.

Music, like baseball, is fascinating.

So there's my disconnected thoughts for the day. Milwaukee, Miller Park, and the Beastie Boys.

Now I'm going to go listen to this song.