Now that the new year is upon us, it is almost time for the results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting to be revealed. I wrote extensively about the process about a year ago, so feel free to check out that post if you want some background information. Last year, no one received the minimum 75 percent of the votes needed for induction, so over a dozen deserving candidates are back, along with a few very deserving newcomers (a player must be retired at least five years in order to be eligible).
I believe that there are at least 15 players on this ballot who are worthy Hall of Famers, but each voter can only vote for a maximum on ten. Therefore, if I had a vote, my ballot would be as follows (in alphabetical order):
Jeff Bagwell - feared hitter with a career cut short by injuries
Craig Biggio - Bagwell's long-time teammate; has 3,000 career hits and just missed induction last year
Barry Bonds - all-time leader in home runs for career and single season;
Roger Clemens - one of the best pitchers of all time
Tom Glavine - 300-game winner
Greg Maddux - won over 350 games
Mike Mussina - great pitcher; won 20 games in his last season
Mike Piazza - best offensive catcher of all time; didn't throw well, but was fine in other aspects of defense
Tim Raines - excellent leadoff hitter and base stealer
Frank Thomas - one of the most feared hitters of his generation
Note: Glavine, Maddux and Thomas are all eligible for the first time this year.
Others who I feel are deserving include Edgar Martinez, Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa and Alan Trammell.
Based on what I'm reading, it looks like Maddux, Glavine, Thomas and Biggio will all get enough votes to be inducted this summer.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
NFL Playoffs - 2014
Another NFL season is in the books. My Steelers were a disappointment this year, starting the season with four straight losses. They were 2-6 at the midpoint of the season, but rallied to finish 8-8. They even entered the last week of the season with a chance at making the playoffs, and would have been successful if not for a missed field goal in the Chiefs-Chargers game. Without further ado, here are my predictions:
Wild Card Round
Colts 31, Chiefs 17
Bengals 27, Chargers 10
Packers 17, 49ers 14
Eagles 21, Saints 20
Division Round
Bengals 24, Patriots 20
Broncos 35, Colts 16
Seahawks 20, Packers 10
Panthers 28, Eagles 14
Conference Championships
Bengals 20, Broncos 10
Panthers 24, Seahawks 23
Super Bowl
Panthers 24, Bengals 21 in overtime in the snow
Wild Card Round
Colts 31, Chiefs 17
Bengals 27, Chargers 10
Packers 17, 49ers 14
Eagles 21, Saints 20
Division Round
Bengals 24, Patriots 20
Broncos 35, Colts 16
Seahawks 20, Packers 10
Panthers 28, Eagles 14
Conference Championships
Bengals 20, Broncos 10
Panthers 24, Seahawks 23
Super Bowl
Panthers 24, Bengals 21 in overtime in the snow
Monday, December 2, 2013
Classic Rock
Every year at Thanksgiving, New York's classic rock station (104.3) asks its listeners to vote on their favorite songs of all time. The results are tabulated, and the top 1,043 songs are played in order throughout the 4-day weekend. I decided that I wanted to be part of the process this year. However, by the time I decided on my top 10, the voting had closed. (Even though it was still a week before the holiday!) Since I went through the effort, I wanted to share it somewhere, so here we go:
1. More Than A Feeling - Boston
2. Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
3. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
4. Heat of the Moment - Asia
5. Barracuda - Heart
6. Legs - ZZ Top
7. Separate Ways - Journey
8. Rock and Roll All Night - Kiss
9. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
10. Dude Looks Like a Lady - Aerosmith
I tried to look up the actual results, but there seem to be some problems with the station's website. As far as I can tell, Stairway To Heaven was number one in the voting.
Other songs that almost made my top ten (in no particular order):
Pride - U2
Tom Sawyer - Rush
Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
Africa - Toto
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Of course, these are only songs that fit the general definition of "classic rock". So no room for all of my favorite Carpenters songs. :-)
1. More Than A Feeling - Boston
2. Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
3. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
4. Heat of the Moment - Asia
5. Barracuda - Heart
6. Legs - ZZ Top
7. Separate Ways - Journey
8. Rock and Roll All Night - Kiss
9. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
10. Dude Looks Like a Lady - Aerosmith
I tried to look up the actual results, but there seem to be some problems with the station's website. As far as I can tell, Stairway To Heaven was number one in the voting.
Other songs that almost made my top ten (in no particular order):
Pride - U2
Tom Sawyer - Rush
Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
Africa - Toto
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Of course, these are only songs that fit the general definition of "classic rock". So no room for all of my favorite Carpenters songs. :-)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
2013 Baseball Predictions
Tomorrow, the 2013 Major League Baseball season begins. Of course, those of us who followed the World Baseball Classic have already seen some excellent, high-pressure games this month. It will be hard to top the excitement of the 2012 season. Highlights included Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers winning the Triple Crown, breakout seasons by Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, and the surprising success of the Orioles and Athletics (even the Pirates were in the race most of the year!)
One of the biggest changes for this year is that the Houston Astros have moved to the American League, giving each league 15 teams, and therefore interleague play throughout the season. 2012 was a great year for baseball. Will 2013 be even better? Time will tell. Now it's time for my projections for this season.
American League
East: Rays, Blue Jays, Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox
Central: Tigers, Royals, White Sox, Twins, Indians
West: Angels, Rangers, Athletics, Mariners, Astros
National League
East: Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
Central: Reds, Pirates, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs
West: Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres
Postseason
Wild Card Games:
AL: Blue Jays beat Rangers
NL: Giants beat Pirates
Division Series:
AL: Rays beat Angels, 3-1
Tigers beat Blue Jays, 3-2
NL: Nationals over Giants, 3-0
Reds beat Dodgers, 3-2
League Championship Series:
AL: Rays beat Tigers, 4-2
NL: Nationals beat Reds, 4-3
World Series:
Nationals beat Rays, 4-2
Awards
MVP
AL: Mike Trout, Angels
NL: Joey Votto, Reds
Cy Young
AL: Justin Verlander, Tigers
NL: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
Enjoy the season. Play ball!
One of the biggest changes for this year is that the Houston Astros have moved to the American League, giving each league 15 teams, and therefore interleague play throughout the season. 2012 was a great year for baseball. Will 2013 be even better? Time will tell. Now it's time for my projections for this season.
American League
East: Rays, Blue Jays, Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox
Central: Tigers, Royals, White Sox, Twins, Indians
West: Angels, Rangers, Athletics, Mariners, Astros
National League
East: Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
Central: Reds, Pirates, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs
West: Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres
Postseason
Wild Card Games:
AL: Blue Jays beat Rangers
NL: Giants beat Pirates
Division Series:
AL: Rays beat Angels, 3-1
Tigers beat Blue Jays, 3-2
NL: Nationals over Giants, 3-0
Reds beat Dodgers, 3-2
League Championship Series:
AL: Rays beat Tigers, 4-2
NL: Nationals beat Reds, 4-3
World Series:
Nationals beat Rays, 4-2
Awards
MVP
AL: Mike Trout, Angels
NL: Joey Votto, Reds
Cy Young
AL: Justin Verlander, Tigers
NL: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
Enjoy the season. Play ball!
Friday, January 4, 2013
NFL Playoffs
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the playoffs. Before I get into my picks, I wanted to look back on predictions that I made before the season started. For the Super Bowl, I had the Steelers beating the 49ers. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh did not make the playoffs. Overall, I only got seven out of the 12 playoff teams correct. My worst prediction was having the Kansas City Chiefs win their division, when in reality they finished with the worst record in the league.
But enough about my bad predictions in the past. It's time to make a new batch of bad predictions, as follows:
First Round:
Bengals 27, Texans 21
Packers 31, Vikings 10
Ravens 20, Colts 19
Seahawks 27, Redskins 20
Second Round:
Broncos 24, Bengals 13
Ravens 21, Patriots 17
Seahawks 20, Falcons 17
49ers 30, Packers 20
Conference Championships:
Broncos 17, Ravens 14
Seahawks 28, 49ers 27
Super Bowl:
Seahawks 24, Broncos 21
Enjoy the games!
But enough about my bad predictions in the past. It's time to make a new batch of bad predictions, as follows:
First Round:
Bengals 27, Texans 21
Packers 31, Vikings 10
Ravens 20, Colts 19
Seahawks 27, Redskins 20
Second Round:
Broncos 24, Bengals 13
Ravens 21, Patriots 17
Seahawks 20, Falcons 17
49ers 30, Packers 20
Conference Championships:
Broncos 17, Ravens 14
Seahawks 28, 49ers 27
Super Bowl:
Seahawks 24, Broncos 21
Enjoy the games!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Baseball Hall of Fame
It's that time of year again. That's right, the voting for the baseball Hall of Fame is going on now and the results will be released in early January. I'm a big baseball fan and consider the Hall of Fame to be one of the most interesting aspects of the game. First, a little background:
The Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown, New York, which is where the sport is said to have been invented in 1839 by future Civil War hero Abner Doubleday. (In actuality, Doubleday was nowhere near Cooperstown at the time, and baseball basically evolved from other ball-and-bat games. But the powers-that-be wanted an "All-American" origin story, and they weren't about to let facts get in the way.) Anyway, the Hall of Fame was established and dedicated in that quiet town in 1939. I had the opportunity to visit there one time about 15 years ago and had an amazing time. In addition to plaques for all the honorees, there are seemingly endless displays of rare and interesting artifacts from the game's history. Anyone who is a baseball fan owes it to themselves to make the trip at least once.
Every year, elections are held to choose new members of the Hall of Fame. Voting is done by professional sportswriters who have covered baseball for at least ten years. Players must be retired for at least five years to be eligible. Voters can select up to ten players out of the list of about forty candidates. Those who get a "Yes" vote on 75 percent of the ballots are then inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in July. Those who get listed on between 5 and 75 percent of the ballot will stay on the ballot next year (up to a maximum of fifteen years of eligibility). Those who fall below five percent are permanently dropped from the ballot, though there is a Veterans Committee to consider players who did not get elected the conventional way.
This year's ballot is considered to be perhaps the most controversial ever. Several of the greatest players on the ballot have been linked to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The two top candidates, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, have on-field accomplishments and statistics that place them among the all-time legends of the sport. Absent these accusations, both would easily be inducted. There are also several other first-time candidates who deserve recognition. Overall, this year should be a grand celebration of some truly great baseball talent.
However, the issue of steroids has reared its ugly head. Most of the current candidates played during the so-called "steroid era" of the 1990s. At that time, home run records fell and accusations started to be whispered concerning almost anyone who developed a power swing. The problem was, there was little or no drug testing in the sport at that time. A few players have come forward in subsequent years to either admit their own use or point the finger at former teammates.
In actuality, it is pretty much impossible to know who did what and when in regards to cheating. This is not stopping certain voters from declaring themselves to be judge and jury on the issue, refusing to vote for certain candidates on the basis that they "just know" who is guilty. I think that this is grossly unfair to the players and to the institution of the Hall of Fame. Please note: I am not condoning cheating, or trying to sweep the issue under the rug with an "everybody does it" attitude, but instead dealing with the reality of limited knowledge and trying not to turn the entire process into a steroid witch hunt. I feel that it is important for the Hall of Fame to recognize the best players in baseball history. To exclude those who dominated the sport for extended periods of time based on rumor and suspicion would be doing the sport a grave injustice.
If I had a vote, I would try as much as possible to base my decisions on actual on-field issues. Since voters can vote for a maximum of ten players, these would be my choices, in order:
1. Barry Bonds (all-time home run king)
2. Roger Clemens (perhaps the greatest pitcher of the past 50 years)
3. Craig Biggio (3,000 hits and played key defensive positions)
4. Mike Piazza (the greatest hitting catchers of all time)
5. Tim Raines (second greatest base stealer ever)
6. Alan Trammell (helped revolutionize the shortstop position, paving way for Ripken, Jeter, etc)
7. Sammy Sosa (great home run hitter whose only connection to steroids seems to be his daring to not speak perfect English in front of a Congressional committee)
8. Jeff Bagwell (great hitter whose career was shortened by injuries)
9. Curt Schilling (helped pitch two teams to world championships)
10. Edgar Martinez (feared hitter who played mostly as a designated hitter)
In addition, there are a few more players on the ballot who I think deserve induction, but I don't have room for them on the ballot:
Rafael Palmeiro (500 home runs and 3,000 hits, but did test positive for PEDs)
Mark McGwire (lots of home runs, but other parts of the game were weak)
Fred McGriff (good power and defense)
I wish there was room on the ballot to vote for two long-time Yankees: Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams. Unfortunately, each is likely to appear on fewer than five percent of the ballots, and therefore be removed from future consideration.
Finally, here is my prediction for what the actual results will be:
Craig Biggio and Jack Morris will each get about 80 percent of the vote and be inducted. Bonds, Clemens, and Piazza will each be between 40 and 50 percent and have to wait until next year. Other deserving candidates won't come close.
The Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown, New York, which is where the sport is said to have been invented in 1839 by future Civil War hero Abner Doubleday. (In actuality, Doubleday was nowhere near Cooperstown at the time, and baseball basically evolved from other ball-and-bat games. But the powers-that-be wanted an "All-American" origin story, and they weren't about to let facts get in the way.) Anyway, the Hall of Fame was established and dedicated in that quiet town in 1939. I had the opportunity to visit there one time about 15 years ago and had an amazing time. In addition to plaques for all the honorees, there are seemingly endless displays of rare and interesting artifacts from the game's history. Anyone who is a baseball fan owes it to themselves to make the trip at least once.
Every year, elections are held to choose new members of the Hall of Fame. Voting is done by professional sportswriters who have covered baseball for at least ten years. Players must be retired for at least five years to be eligible. Voters can select up to ten players out of the list of about forty candidates. Those who get a "Yes" vote on 75 percent of the ballots are then inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in July. Those who get listed on between 5 and 75 percent of the ballot will stay on the ballot next year (up to a maximum of fifteen years of eligibility). Those who fall below five percent are permanently dropped from the ballot, though there is a Veterans Committee to consider players who did not get elected the conventional way.
This year's ballot is considered to be perhaps the most controversial ever. Several of the greatest players on the ballot have been linked to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The two top candidates, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, have on-field accomplishments and statistics that place them among the all-time legends of the sport. Absent these accusations, both would easily be inducted. There are also several other first-time candidates who deserve recognition. Overall, this year should be a grand celebration of some truly great baseball talent.
However, the issue of steroids has reared its ugly head. Most of the current candidates played during the so-called "steroid era" of the 1990s. At that time, home run records fell and accusations started to be whispered concerning almost anyone who developed a power swing. The problem was, there was little or no drug testing in the sport at that time. A few players have come forward in subsequent years to either admit their own use or point the finger at former teammates.
In actuality, it is pretty much impossible to know who did what and when in regards to cheating. This is not stopping certain voters from declaring themselves to be judge and jury on the issue, refusing to vote for certain candidates on the basis that they "just know" who is guilty. I think that this is grossly unfair to the players and to the institution of the Hall of Fame. Please note: I am not condoning cheating, or trying to sweep the issue under the rug with an "everybody does it" attitude, but instead dealing with the reality of limited knowledge and trying not to turn the entire process into a steroid witch hunt. I feel that it is important for the Hall of Fame to recognize the best players in baseball history. To exclude those who dominated the sport for extended periods of time based on rumor and suspicion would be doing the sport a grave injustice.
If I had a vote, I would try as much as possible to base my decisions on actual on-field issues. Since voters can vote for a maximum of ten players, these would be my choices, in order:
1. Barry Bonds (all-time home run king)
2. Roger Clemens (perhaps the greatest pitcher of the past 50 years)
3. Craig Biggio (3,000 hits and played key defensive positions)
4. Mike Piazza (the greatest hitting catchers of all time)
5. Tim Raines (second greatest base stealer ever)
6. Alan Trammell (helped revolutionize the shortstop position, paving way for Ripken, Jeter, etc)
7. Sammy Sosa (great home run hitter whose only connection to steroids seems to be his daring to not speak perfect English in front of a Congressional committee)
8. Jeff Bagwell (great hitter whose career was shortened by injuries)
9. Curt Schilling (helped pitch two teams to world championships)
10. Edgar Martinez (feared hitter who played mostly as a designated hitter)
In addition, there are a few more players on the ballot who I think deserve induction, but I don't have room for them on the ballot:
Rafael Palmeiro (500 home runs and 3,000 hits, but did test positive for PEDs)
Mark McGwire (lots of home runs, but other parts of the game were weak)
Fred McGriff (good power and defense)
I wish there was room on the ballot to vote for two long-time Yankees: Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams. Unfortunately, each is likely to appear on fewer than five percent of the ballots, and therefore be removed from future consideration.
Finally, here is my prediction for what the actual results will be:
Craig Biggio and Jack Morris will each get about 80 percent of the vote and be inducted. Bonds, Clemens, and Piazza will each be between 40 and 50 percent and have to wait until next year. Other deserving candidates won't come close.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Christmas Music
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of not starting the Christmas celebrations too early. My main complaint was that some radio stations switched over to 24-hour Christmas music in mid-November.
Now that it's December, I am able to focus on the upcoming celebration. I love almost everything about Christmas, including the music. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Christmas music. So I wanted to share a few thoughts on the topic:
Variety
The problem with Christmas music is that there is both too many songs, and too few songs. What I mean by that is that many musicians over the years have released albums of holiday music. I have no doubt that these are easy money-makers for the artists and the record labels. Usually, the album will have one original Christmas-related song and the rest is covers of holiday classics.
As a result, there are dozens of versions of certain songs. When you listen to the Christmas music stations for an extended period of time, you will hear multiple versions of such songs as "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". (There is even a cover version of Wham's "Last Christmas"). In general, this can be interesting as each singer puts their own unique spin on the song. However, there are certain songs which I feel have already been performed perfectly, and can not be improved upon. The following is a list of examples of what I consider to be "definitive versions" of certain classics:
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire)" - Nat King Cole
"White Christmas" - Bing Crosby
"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - Andy Williams
"A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Burl Ives
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
"Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - The Jackson 5 (though the Mellencamp version is good)
"The Little Drummer Boy" - Bob Seger
"Joy To The World" - Three Dog Night (just kidding!)
I feel that there is no need for new versions of the above songs.
Overplayed Songs
Two songs that get a lot of air time are by former Beatles. These are "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and "Wonderful Christmas time" by Paul McCartney. It seems that radio stations give these mediocre songs more attention due to their connection to the Beatles. I would be happy to discard these two permanently.
Strange Lyrics
Sometimes, a line from a famous song will strike me as strange. A later verse of "Here Comes Santa Claus" says "let's give thanks to the Lord above cause Santa Claus comes tonight". In light of the so-called War on Christmas and some Christians feeling that Santa gets in the way of celebrating the birth of Christ, I find this lyric to be an odd combination.
Back in the 1980s, a large group of artists gathered under the name Band Aid to record "Do They Know It's Christmas". The proceeds from this song have gone to famine relief in Africa. There is a definite tone of guilt-inducement and sarcasm in this song, which chides westerners for being too comfortable while others are suffering. However, it is easy to miss that message until Bono belts out the line "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you!". It certainly comes as a surprise and sounds out of place on a Christmas song, but hopefully gets the point across.
A Disturbing Song
Finally, I want to mention a song that gets a lot of play, but probably for the wrong reasons. It is called "Baby It's Cold Outside". This song is a duet with a man and a woman singing alternating lines.
The first problem is that this song is not a Christmas song. The only way slight connection is that it is based on cold weather, and Christmas is in December. For that reason alone, it should not be considered a Christmas song. But the much bigger problem is the theme of the song. After enjoying an evening together, the woman mentions that she needs to go home. Each time she does so, the man counters with a reason why she needs to stay the night. In spite of her continued protests, he will not let her leave. It can be a bit uncomfortable. We refer to this as the "Date Rape Song". Very disturbing.
Rather than end on such a down note, I will leave you with the lyrics to a timeless Christmas tune:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away - hey!
I learned this song many years ago from other kids at school, and now my kids have had that same experience. It is heart-warming to know that the true classics will always survive.
Merry Christmas!
Now that it's December, I am able to focus on the upcoming celebration. I love almost everything about Christmas, including the music. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Christmas music. So I wanted to share a few thoughts on the topic:
Variety
The problem with Christmas music is that there is both too many songs, and too few songs. What I mean by that is that many musicians over the years have released albums of holiday music. I have no doubt that these are easy money-makers for the artists and the record labels. Usually, the album will have one original Christmas-related song and the rest is covers of holiday classics.
As a result, there are dozens of versions of certain songs. When you listen to the Christmas music stations for an extended period of time, you will hear multiple versions of such songs as "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". (There is even a cover version of Wham's "Last Christmas"). In general, this can be interesting as each singer puts their own unique spin on the song. However, there are certain songs which I feel have already been performed perfectly, and can not be improved upon. The following is a list of examples of what I consider to be "definitive versions" of certain classics:
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire)" - Nat King Cole
"White Christmas" - Bing Crosby
"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - Andy Williams
"A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Burl Ives
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
"Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - The Jackson 5 (though the Mellencamp version is good)
"The Little Drummer Boy" - Bob Seger
"Joy To The World" - Three Dog Night (just kidding!)
I feel that there is no need for new versions of the above songs.
Overplayed Songs
Two songs that get a lot of air time are by former Beatles. These are "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and "Wonderful Christmas time" by Paul McCartney. It seems that radio stations give these mediocre songs more attention due to their connection to the Beatles. I would be happy to discard these two permanently.
Strange Lyrics
Sometimes, a line from a famous song will strike me as strange. A later verse of "Here Comes Santa Claus" says "let's give thanks to the Lord above cause Santa Claus comes tonight". In light of the so-called War on Christmas and some Christians feeling that Santa gets in the way of celebrating the birth of Christ, I find this lyric to be an odd combination.
Back in the 1980s, a large group of artists gathered under the name Band Aid to record "Do They Know It's Christmas". The proceeds from this song have gone to famine relief in Africa. There is a definite tone of guilt-inducement and sarcasm in this song, which chides westerners for being too comfortable while others are suffering. However, it is easy to miss that message until Bono belts out the line "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you!". It certainly comes as a surprise and sounds out of place on a Christmas song, but hopefully gets the point across.
A Disturbing Song
Finally, I want to mention a song that gets a lot of play, but probably for the wrong reasons. It is called "Baby It's Cold Outside". This song is a duet with a man and a woman singing alternating lines.
The first problem is that this song is not a Christmas song. The only way slight connection is that it is based on cold weather, and Christmas is in December. For that reason alone, it should not be considered a Christmas song. But the much bigger problem is the theme of the song. After enjoying an evening together, the woman mentions that she needs to go home. Each time she does so, the man counters with a reason why she needs to stay the night. In spite of her continued protests, he will not let her leave. It can be a bit uncomfortable. We refer to this as the "Date Rape Song". Very disturbing.
Rather than end on such a down note, I will leave you with the lyrics to a timeless Christmas tune:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away - hey!
I learned this song many years ago from other kids at school, and now my kids have had that same experience. It is heart-warming to know that the true classics will always survive.
Merry Christmas!
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