I’m proud of our guy Lew Ford, who I’m sure had DET fans booing plenty today. That’s 2 in a row over the Motor City Kitties to start this critical 11 game road trip heading into the AS Break and have to say I’m getting EXCITED about the direction of this 2007 team.

The young kids are pitching well enough to keep us in games, the offense is BOOMING along all of a sudden and once again I can shout – WE’RE COMING! to the rest of the AL Central.

Booya, I mean, Lew-ya!

I always like the underdog, and the Kansas City Royals – small market, haven’t made the playoffs since 1985 – certainly qualify. My wife is from Omaha, NE, and her sister married a diehard Huskers Fan, and he was raving to me this spring about Alex Gordon, the rookie third baseman from – you guessed it – Nebraska. The 23-year-old is a hometown hero, born in Lincoln and helping get the Big Red to the College World Series during his time at NU, but he was fairly miserable during his first MLB campaign, hitting under .100 for much of April and barely getting above .100 in May.

Ah, but quicker than you can say “Go Huskers” Gordon has started to figure things out, hitting .409 since early June and raising his batting average 66 points in the process.

I like the Royals’ youth movement and am keeping an eye on Gordon, Teahen and the rest as they grow during 2007. Kind of reminds me of the early and mid-1980s Twins teams that grew up together with Hrbek, Gaetti, Puckett, Laudner, Gagne, etc. Most of the guys on that crew went on to help the Twins win World Titles in ’87 and ’91, so you never know. Then again it’s a different era financially and the Royals – like the Twins of today – have trouble keeping superstars like Carlos Beltran in a KC uniform because of baseball’s insane salaries and lack of a cap. But it’s still fun to watch a young player like Gordon struggle and eventually come into his own.

Got these photos from one of those “Pass it on” e-mails we so often get. This one was from a company of troops in Iraq who basically want to say, “Hey, don’t forget about us, keep us in your thoughts and prayers.” This is a reminder to me of how lousy war is and what our troops go through whether they agree with this country’s leadership or not. That’s why our soldiers deserve our respect and thanks no matter what we think about the war they might be fighting in.

At right is what happens when your 3-year-old wakes up from a nap, sneaks around upstairs, finds his step stool, drags it into mom & dad’s bedroom, then into mom & dad’s bathroom, steps up on it, finds a pair of scissors and goes to work on his scalp.

Jake came downstairs and was so proud of himself for “getting a haircut” while he napped. At first we didn’t understand, and thought he was dreaming, but then my wife went upstairs and saw “the evidence.”

Harkens me back to the famous family tale where my then-5-year-old older sister cut all the hair off her 3-year-old sister and hid it behind a dresser. My mom couldn’t figure out where the hair ended up for a few weeks I think until she was cleaning one day.

I found out this morning my review of Los Lonely Boys for the St. Paul Pioneer Press is now being featured prominently on the band’s official website. I’ve been getting e-mails from Boston all the way to Arizona on this review, and the big drama that has exploded on the Pioneer Press’ Comments Page that accompanies the story is whether or not I was right for ripping the fans who freaked out about myself and some others standing up during a rock concert.

What do people think? To be honest, I didn’t even know the “Sit vs. Stand” debate existed when it came to rock concerts, but judging by the e-mails and comments I’m seeing, it certainly does.

I reviewed the Texican blues rockers last night for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and it was a fantastic show, despite the grumps in the audience who were mad at me for standing up and dancing during a ROCK CONCERT. I know, the nerve of me! Unreal. Anyway, here’s the review:

By John Nemo
Special to the Pioneer Press

I’ve reviewed almost 300 shows for this newspaper since 2001, and Sunday night was the first time I’ve ever been screamed at, cursed and hit with objects because I was standing and dancing at a rock concert.

Blame Los Lonely Boys, who blew into the Minnesota Zoo Sunday night like the blues rock tsunami they are, ripping through nearly two hours of material before a sellout crowd of more than 1,500.

Starting out with the infectious, riff-driven “Oye Mamacita” and “Roses,” both from their 2006 album “Sacred,” the three Garza brothers – Henry (guitars), JoJo (bass) and Ringo (drums) – had a smattering of fans around the outdoor venue up and dancing immediately.

I don’t know if some of the 50 and 60-somethings seated behind me had Los Lonely Boys confused with Lawrence Welk, but they became incredulous that some people had the audacity to stand up, clap and dance to Los Lonely Boys’ self-proclaimed brand of “Texican Rock n’ Roll.”

Thankfully the Zoo’s outdoor amphitheater allows for patrons to move up to the area in front of the stage and dance, which is what the dancing types did by the time the trio kicked into the guitar riff-driven “Crazy Dream” early on in the set.

The rest of the night was blues rock bliss, as the Garza brothers, who became household names in 2005 thanks to the Grammy-winning, smash radio hit “Heaven,” displayed the musicianship, spot on vocal harmonies and showmanship honed while playing in their father Enrique’s country bands as young kids. From Henry’s sizzling guitar solos to the show-stopping antics displayed during an instrumental encore, Los Lonely Boys delivered a blazing, blistering set that would have made one of their biggest influences, fellow Texan and late blues rock legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, proud.

Highlights included “Heaven,” which finally got the geezers off their fannies almost an hour into the show, and a series of instrumental jams with Mato Nanji, the guitarist-singer behind the blues rock outfit Indigenous, which opened the show.

After the Garzas and Nanji tore through a 10-minute blues jam that would have left even the most seasoned guitar freaks drooling with envy, the quartet broke into a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” that was a funk-and-blues-filled spectacle of spectacular soloing, with Nanji and Henry Garza trading licks on guitar.

The Garza brothers finished things up with one more blues jam, pulling out all the stops as Henry and JoJo alternately played behind their backs, with their guitars lying on the ground, one-handed while holding their axes high in the air, reaching over one another to play each other’s instruments and more.

By then, even the Geritol Grumps who had been cursing and throwing objects at me two hours earlier were standing and dancing, perhaps finally realizing that this is what occurs nowadays at these newfangled “rock” concerts the kids are into.

Hope everybody had a great Father’s Day yesterday. I had a fantastic day. Alex (our 9 month old) was up at 5:41 a.m., but my lovely wife got up with him! I slept in until 8 a.m., and it felt like noon. Went to church, great service, went out for a great lunch at Key’s Cafe afterward. Then to a local B&N for two hours of book browsing & shopping, which I love. Flipped through an interesting 9/11 conspiracy book by (of course) a Minnesota college professor. Seriously, how in the heck could 9/11 be a governmental conspiracy? Anyway this guy made some interesting points, however I have no idea if his science/research about the planes/buildings/etc. stands up to examination. And I didn’t read far enough in to hear his reason(s) why Bush & Co. would want to murder our own citizens/etc. in order to achieve political gain/have an excuse to go to war/etc.

The boys played great at B&N in the kids area with a train table and kids books. Then we came home, relaxed and watched the end of a wacky game between the Twins & Brewers while also flipping to the U.S. Open.

Went out for dinner with my bride at Olive Garden and then got to review a concert for one of my all-time favorite bands, Los Lonely Boys. I’ll post the review here later.

All in all the best Dad’s Day a guy could ask for!

This kind of thing only seems to happen around Lew Ford, the off-center outfielder whose quirky ways and fun first name (“They’re not booing, they’re LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW-ing!”) has made him a fan favorite here in Minnesota.

I was down at the ballpark the other day during the Twins-Braves series to do some interviews for the Faith & Fastballs segment I do with KTIS AM radio here in the Twin Cities. I talked with a few guys, waited in vain for John Smoltz to appear in the Atlanta locker room – turns out he was golfing at Hazeltine, shot a 74 in fact! – and learned an all-important fact: Andruw Jones loves Hawaiian Punch soda pop. He swilled down 2 or 3 cans while I was waiting around for Smoltz. (Must be the secret substance behind Andruw’s 353 career homers!) Jones and a few other guys were having a pregame spread and some of it came from Lunds, a fancy-schmancy grocery store here in the Twin Cities. It never ceases to amaze me how MLB players are treated when it comes to perks in the clubhouse. Granted, the Metrodome’s visiting clubhouse is a dump, complete with the kind of wire frame lockers you’re used to seeing in a high school, but there’s also a gigantic cooler with every kind of drink you can think of (except beer, they took the keg & tap out after the Josh Hancock incident), plus the biggest spread of muffins, candy, treats (Hostess cupcakes, etc.) and other munchies you can imagine. I’m shocked every MLB player doesn’t weigh 300 lbs. with that kind of grub lying around the locker room and so much time to kill.

Anyway, back to Lew Ford. So I stop in the Twins’ clubhouse, spot Lew, and we proceed to do a fantastic, in-depth interview about his life and faith. Lew talks about how he almost quit in the minor leagues, how he and his wife had a long talk and prayed and decided to give it one more season, and that very year Lew was the Twins Minor League Player of the Year and then got called up and hit .300 in his first big league season, and how his faith has carried him through so many things in his life.

A buddy (Mark Ehling, who should be president of the Lew Ford Fan Club, if one exists) tipped me off that Lew (known for his computer geekdom) had once brought his entire desktop computer on the road. Yep, the whole thing – monitor, keyboard, tower, etc. I couldn’t resist, so I asked Lew about it, and he got this sheepish grin and was like, “Yeah, that did happen.” Apparently his laptop was busted and given all the down time/boredom MLB players face sitting around their hotels, Lew (like many guys) likes having his gadgets/computer games/etc. to pass the time. So he packed his entire laptop into his suitcase and only had room left over for like 1 or 2 outfits. But, as only Lew could put it, “I had like the most powerful computer ever on that road trip. It was great. Guys were jealous.”

Then I asked him about the LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW-ing that goes on every time he gets a hit, makes a catch, ties his shoe, etc. He said it was great, made him feel at home, and told the story of how an older woman stopped him out in public the other day.

“Mr. Ford,” she said, “I just want you to know how awful I felt for you last night watching the Twins game. Imagine, all those fans booing you!”

“Uh, no, they weren’t booing, ma’am,” Lew replied. “They were LEEEEEEEEEEEEW-ing.”

So we wrap up this great interview, about 10 minutes long, and I’m all excited. So I go back later and check my mini disc recorder, as I often do, and the Lew Ford interview is GONE. Nowhere to be found. Erased. Vanished. El Gonzo.

Only with Lew Ford would this happen. I am convinced. It’s never happened to me before, and probably won’t ever again.

Thus, the true greatness of Lew Ford will be kept secret for who knows how much longer!

I reviewed this show for the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Wednesday. Review is posted below. On a completely unrelated note, who is behind the global conspiracy to make CDs so hard to open? I spent about 15 minutes (or so it felt!) trying to open a Los Lonely Boys CD yesterday. I get to review LLB this Sunday and CANNOT WAIT! I am a confessed SRV fanatic and LLB have such a great SRV-sound to them. Also the one time before I’ve seen them live – opening for Santana – they almost blew the roof off the Xcel Energy Center. Beter yet, this is a rare outdoor show, which doesn’t happen all that often up here in the Great White North. Can’t wait and what a great Father’s Day it will be! Anyway, here’s Ziggy:

By John Nemo
Special to the Pioneer Press

Give Ziggy Marley credit – who else could get so many middle-aged white men shaking their rear ends in such unabashed fashion? That was the case Wednesday night at the Minnesota Zoo, where Marley’s upbeat reggae music had a sellout crowd of 1,500 shaking its proverbial booty for almost two hours.

Marley, 38, is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, and first sat in on one of his late father’s recording sessions at the age of 10. Ziggy and several siblings later formed the Melody Makers, a group that went on to win three Grammys before disbanding for good in the late 1990s.

Ziggy is a solo act now, and started off Wednesday’s outdoor show – part of the annual “Music in the Zoo” summer series – with “Black Cat,” a cut off his latest album, “Love is My Religion.”

The dance party began almost immediately, with everyone in the crowd – from fifty-somethings in shirts and shorts to an energetic twenty-something popping wheelies and bouncing around in his wheelchair – got his or her groove on.

Marley was at the center of it all, dressed in a long sleeved denim shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes and wearing his dreadlocked hair all the way down to his waist. A seven piece backing band – including a drummer and two percussionists – and a pair of backup vocalists joined him onstage for the high-energy performance, which featured plenty of familiar reggae guitar riffs, several nice solos and an omnipresent backbeat of percussion.

As the sun went down and darkness descended upon the zoo’s outdoor amphitheater, Marley moved through a set that blended rock, hip hop, reggae and African drumming, culminating with some of his famous father’s hits, including “Jammin” and “Get Up, Stand Up.”

Although he barely spoke between songs and never acknowledged what city, state or universe he was in Wednesday, Marley had the crowd in the palm of his hand anyway, bouncing around and seeming possessed by the music as his body shivered and shook to the beat.

The feeling seemed contagious, as people of every shape, size and age stood together and danced as if nobody was watching. Marley ended the evening with his new album’s title track, “Love is My Religion.”