Right now the biggest issue facing Major League Baseball is pitching injuries. Should they get rid of the pitch clock so arms have a few more seconds to recover between pitches? Should they expand the strike zone to where it used to be so pitchers don’t have to throw so hard? Or should they shorten the schedule?
What if baseball went to a 100 game schedule that ended in late July?
100 games is a nice round number, and it would reduce the amount of starts a pitcher would have to make by about 12, or ~ 35%, over the course of a season.
Surely that would help, right?
And what about another problem it would solve – the NFL and college football dwarf MLB yet the MLB playoffs are played right in the heart of football season.
So if you played the baseball season from April through July, you’d start the playoffs in August. That’s when folks are still paying attention to baseball, before they shift to football and never look back unless their team is playing in October.
Just admit defeat – football is more popular. But baseball could own the summer.
Once the NBA Finals are over in mid-June, it would be two and a half months in which baseball would dominate the sports calendar.
The trading deadline could be June 30. They could hold the annual all-star game on the 4th of July. Then August could be the new October. Finish the World Series by Labor Day.
The only real issue here is that in the northeast school hasn’t started back yet and August is a nice time to take in some regular season games. And in the warmer climates, August would probably be pretty brutal for postseason day games.
But then again – if kids are out of school then they can stay up to watch playoff games. And a good portion of the hottest cities have retractable roofs so outside of Atlanta the problem really isn’t one.
With more teams making the MLB postseason than ever before, the regular season has been devalued. If they’re going to devalue the regular season then why not get the most bang for your buck? 100 games then 16 teams making it.
Some will say the most sacred thing about baseball is the record book, so taking away 38% of the season would make records irrelevant. So what – baseball cares too much about records…..many of them are ignored now anyway due to the steroid era. Let’s try to save some pitching arms and elevate the status of the MLB postseason.
Can you imagine a pennant race in July when baseball is already the most popular sport going that month? Then the playoffs providing something to watch other than NFL preseason? Sounds good to me.
I’m a sucker for 1980s music, so this album is a fun listen. And it’s a hidden gem because while Peter Cetera was famous in the 80s, this album wasn’t as popular as the prior one even though it’s better.
Of course, Peter Cetera was in the band Chicago until 1985….long enough to have three Top 5 hits on the Billboard Top 100 (including #1 “Hard to Say I’m Sorry) in early 80s. Then in 1986, he released Solitude/Solitare, which included the #1 hit “Glory of Love” and the top 5 “Next Time I Fall in Love” duet with Amy Grant. So that album was big, but One More Story is better.
It opens with “Best of Times”, a minor radio hit that will immediately date the album – which is a good thing for me. I like 80s synth sounds, and that track really grooves.
Next up is the top 10 hit, “One Good Woman”, which is the familiar formula Cetera used in the 80s to amass all these hits. From there, the album is just an enjoyable listen.
There are several guest appearances like Bonnie Raitt’s background vocals on “Save Me”, and Madonna doing similar on “Scheherazade”. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd played lead guitar on “Body Language” and “You Never Listen to Me”, the latter you can really tell his signature sound.
The album rotates in the same manner as the first two songs: odd numbered tracks are 80s syntonizer heavy, then the even numbers are soft ballads. Once you get to the David Gilmour tracks, the album stays firmly in the 80s until the final track: a piano ballad to (presumably) his daughter.
Great album all the way through when you want a taste of the 80s.
The Braves had a payroll of ~$205 million in 2023. That was up from ~$187 in 2022. There’s no reason to think it would go down, and it should go up at least $10-15 million considering the success of the team and fan support.
Salaries that are going up…..
Austin Riley: from $15M to $21M
Matt Olson: from $21M to $22M
Sean Murphy: from $4M to $9M
Max Fried: from $13.5M to projected $14.4M in final year of arbitration
A.J. Minter: from $4.29M to projected $6.5M in final year of arbitration
Others in arbitration: Kyle Wright, Michael Soroka, Yonny Chirinos, Nick Anderson, Nicky Lopez, Huascar Ynoa, Michael Tonkin, Sam Hilliard, Ben Heller, Kolby Allard: total among all these players combined projected to be ~$4M
That’s about $19 million the payroll is already going up. Some of those players may be non-tendered which could make a big difference. For example, if Soroka was not offered a contract it would take $3M off that number. But other than him and Nicky Lopez ($3.9M), all the other guys are really cheap even in arbitration.
Money coming off the books….
Collin McHugh: $5M
Kirby Yates: $6M
Kevin Pillar: $3M
Joe Jimenez: $2.77M
Charlie Morton: $20M
Eddie Rosario: $9M
In total, that’s $45.77 million coming off the books. Which means the net would be ~$26 million subtracted from 2023’s $205 million payroll as we sit in mid-October.
A few days after the World Series ends, the Braves will have to decide on some options for four of those six players: McHugh ($6M), Yates ($5.75), Morton ($20M), Rosario ($9M). I would imagine they will let Pillar and Jimenez walk as free agents even though they both did pretty well in their only season as a Brave. I don’t see them picking both McHugh and Yates, but they may pick one of them – since Yates had the better season I’ll say him. I think they’ll definitely bring back Rosario, and Morton will be dependent on whether or not he wants to retire.
McHugh has a $1M buyout + Yates & Rosario = $15.75M added back to the payroll. So that brings us to bring ~$10 million under the 2023 payroll. If Morton comes back, that would mean it’s ~$10 million over the 2023 payroll.
So, there’s not too much wiggle room, but the Braves don’t really need much. Maybe the Braves can look for a free agent to add to the bullpen, resign Jimenez or go with the young arms they have. There’s no real need to sign a free agent to replace Pillar off the bench considering what the Braves already have in the organization.
Whether or not Charlie Morton returns will be the main talking point of the off-season. For one, if he retires then the Braves will have $20 million to work with in trying to find a new starting pitcher. Secondly, they will be missing a big spot in the rotation – one that was obvious when Morton was hurt during the postseason.
Typically, the Braves operate more in trades than free agent signings. Who could be on the trading block? My guess would be either Marcell Ozuna or Vaughn Grissom.
Ozuna is set to make $18M next year, and he has an option for 2025. That would clear up a lot of money on the books to acquire a high-priced starting pitcher. Considering how good the Braves offense is, do they absolutely need Ozuna? Of course, offense was the problem in the playoffs. If they are going to trade Ozuna, now is the time to sell high after he hit 40 homers and had 100 RBI.
If Ozuna were to leave, Vaughn Grissom would be a great candidate to fill the DH role. Considering his offensive prowess and defensive struggles, he would be a really cheap option there.
But if there’s a low payroll team with a good pitcher the Braves want, that team will be after Grissom as he is still two more years away from arbitration. So he has a lot of value there.
If I had my pick, I would love to see Morton back, and I’d trade Ozuna for something – even if it’s just a good bullpen arm. I’d like to see Grissom play, and you could use the money saved from Ozuna’s salary to sign more bullpen arms…..or a starting pitcher if Morton does not come back.
Another season is over for the Braves, but it was still fun to watch them again in 2023.
The Braves have dominated the NL East since it’s current iteration was created in 1995 by winning it 18 times in 29 years. The next closest team is the Phillies with 5 division titles. But come playoff time, that’s only resulted in two World Series titles. And the last two years, losses to the Phillies who finished 14 games behind the Braves both times.
Baseball is all about the 162 game regular season grind, which has some folks mad about the format of the playoffs, which allowed the five best teams in the regular season to all be eliminated prior to the league championship series.
I would be in favor of a tweak to the format, but still it’s a crapshoot. The Braves were the beneficiary of the crapshoot in 2021, and they’ve been on the other side the last two years.
Still, I’ve really enjoyed watching this team the last two years win 101 and 104 games respectively. Following a team from the spring and throughout the summer is one of the things that’s fun about baseball. I’ve always loved watching a team all summer long, and when they are winning it’s really fun.
Unfortunately, the Braves couldn’t when it all when they had the best team in the regular season. The Phillies are truly a playoff juggernaut.
What if the Braves hadn’t done all these contract extensions and would be watching a bunch of players walk like Freeman and Swanson did. Acuna, Albies, Riley, Olson, etc. all walking out the door. Thankfully that’s not the case.
In fact, it’s the total opposite as the Braves can bring back their entire lineup. Everyone of the starters is signed long term except Ozuna and Rosario / Pillar. But even then, Ozuna will be back in 2024 and Rosario has an option to bring him back in 2024. Both catchers will be back, Nicky Lopez will be back. Kevin Pillar is the only free agent on offense.
On the pitching staff, the Braves have mostly everyone coming back. As usual, there’s moves to be made in the bullpen and it’s a battle to stay healthy and see who will perform year to year.
There’s no doubt the Braves are in a position to be good for years to come. Hopefully they will be in the playoffs every year for a chance to go all the way. We already know from the 1991-2005 run that nothing is guaranteed. Now the Dodgers can attest to that first hand – their only title in a 13 year run was in the 2020 Covid bubble.
I don’t agree with the notion that suggests anything short of a World Series is a failure. In 2021, I saw Mississippi State win the College World Series and the Braves with the MLB World Series. Since then, State has been the worst and second to worst team in the SEC while the Braves have won 100+ games and the division before falling short in the playoffs. I’ll take the great regular season every time.
Lost in the massive offensive numbers the Braves have put up in 2023 is the amount of starting pitching depth they have assembled. Since Max Fried missed half the year with injury and Kyle Wright close to all of it, the Braves have had a revolving door of prospects get some experience at the big league level and the future is bright.
2023 rotation
Max Fried
Spencer Strider
Charlie Morton
Bryce Elder
Kyle Wright
Depth: Jared Shuster (11 starts), Dylan Dodd (7 starts), Michael Soroka (6 starts), Allan Winans (6 starts), Yonny Chirinos (5 starts), A.J. Smith-Shawver (5 starts), Kolby Allard (3 starts), , Darius Vines (2 starts)
The Braves can bring all of these pitchers back for 2024. The only question is whether or not Charlie Morton wants to retire or pitch at age 40.
2024 rotation
Max Fried
Spencer Strider
___________?
Charlie Morton
Bryce Elder
Depth: Dylan Dodd (LHP), A.J. Smith-Shawver (RHP), Kolby Allard (LHP), Allan Winans (RHP), Darius Vines (RHP), (Kyle Wright & Ian Anderson are hurt).
For 2027, I’ll assume Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson have left via free agency.
2027 rotation
Spencer Strider
Hurston Waldrep
Bryce Elder
A.J. Smith-Shawver
Spencer Schwellenbach
Depth: Owen Murphy (RHP)
2028 would be Bryce Elder’s final year of arbitration and Strider’s final contract year (although he has an option for 2029).
2028 rotation
Spencer Strider
Bryce Elder
A.J. Smith-Shawver
Hurston Waldrep
Spencer Schwellenbach
That’s five years into the future and making several assumptions that will definitely not happen: no trades, free agent signings, extensions, and who knows which of these pitchers will work out?
What’s more, several of the pitchers listed may make their mark in the bullpen. It seems unlikely they will remain as starters for years on end in AAA and making spot starts. They will likely transition to the bullpen or be traded.
The Braves have depleted their farm system because their once great minor league players are now the reason the big league club is so good. But that’s really more for position players – there is still depth at pitcher because they are pretty draft heavy on pitchers. Perhaps the philosophy is that they are more likely to sign free agent position players than pitchers? Or that the core group is predominantly position players so the need is at pitcher?
It seems like the Braves are set up to have a good starting rotation for years to come, and on the cheap end. If they stick mostly to this group of homegrown talent and not add higher priced veterans, they will only really be paying for Spencer Strider plus some arbitration salaries. Seems like the pitching staff is pretty set up for years to come similar to the core of position players the Braves have.
Atlanta Braves prospect Vaughn Grissom is a fan favorite and really talented 22 year old infielder, but there’s just no room for him right now on the roster, and it’s hard to figure out what his future will be with the club. But there are some options….
Trade him in the offseason. He is a solid prospect with 216 MLB at bats and five years of control after 2023. That makes him very valuable in trade. With Eddie Rosario becoming a free agent, could they trade Grissom for a good veteran left fielder where another team is looking to offload some payroll for the super cheap salary Grissom will have for at least the next two years?
Play Left Field in 2024. He is 6′-2″, 210 and a good hitter, but not a great defensive infielder. So, if Rosario leaves it seems like a good fit to have Grissom play LF. But there are two issues with this: one – is he willing to move to LF considering that since he doesn’t have a lot of power (yet) his future earnings will be better if he can play SS or 2B. Two – the Braves have a lot of right handed bats, and probably want a left handed hitter in LF….which probably means the Braves will pick up Rosario’s contract option for 2024.
Bench role in 2024. Vaughn has nothing left to prove in the minors. He has hit well over .300 in every level of the minors including .327 in 406 plate appearances at AAA this year. So put him on the bench with Nicky Lopez and ____ backup outfielder, and he’ll be there if you need him. If Orlando Arcia takes a step back in 2024 then maybe Vaughn does take over at SS. Having a really talented player on the bench is great for depth, especially since he’ll be making the league minimum.
DH in 2025. Marcell Ozuna is signed through 2024. He does have a $16 million club option for 2025 that could keep him around though. If Ozuna is not on the 2025 team, Grissom could fit in at DH considering that his bat is his strength.
LF in 2025. Maybe the Braves want a left-handed hitting option in LF for 2024, but if Ozuna is gone by 2025, they could sign a left-handed hitting DH and move Grissom to left field then.
Become the Braves next long term Shortstop. Dansby Swanson was the Braves SS for six years, and after not re-signing him it seemed like Vaughn Grissom was the next one waiting in the wings. But consider that Grissom made it to the big leages a full year younger (age 21) than Swanson did (age 22) and Grissom missed a full year of minor league seasoning due to Covid….so you could say he is two years behind where Swanson was when he broke in. Could Arcia just be a stop-gap that is happening to have an All-Star year? Will Arcia be able to continue this? He has half of his [8 year] career WAR in 2023. It may not happen in 2024, but will Arcia’s hitting erode and Grissom’s defense improve to the point where the switch is made?
It will be interesting to see what happens with Vaughn Grissom going forward. He is a really valuable player to the Braves future plans either in trade or on the field. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t trade him unless it is for a really good left fielder or solid starting pitcher because even though he’s bench depth right now, there may come a time when you really need his bat in the lineup.
The MLB postseason expanded in 2022 to include a wild card round, so now it’s basically the 12-team model the NFL used from 1990-2019. While I like the exclusivity of the old playoffs from my early childhood (only division winners and two rounds), I also like a few more teams in the field so a good season results in a playoff berth. But I think there’s a better way.
There are two big things I think ought to be major factors in the playoffs: a heavy advantage for the best regular season teams, and those teams should have to be eliminated in a seven game series (not five).
The first thing I’d do is go back to two 8-team divisions in each league, and divide them geographically. To do this, there would be two expansion teams (which MLB wants to add anyway), and total realignment. I’d just take a page from the NBA and divide the leagues based on geography as well.
Midwest Division
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Guardians
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Western Division
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Oakland / Las Vegas Athletics
Los Angeles California Angels
Seattle Mariners
Southern Division
Atlanta Braves
Miami Florida Marlins
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Nashville ________
Charlotte / Oklahoma City / New Orleans ________
Northeast Division
New York Yankees
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
Pittsburgh Pirates
Baltimore Orioles
Washington Nationals
What surprised me about making out those divisions is how easy it was to come up with 8 teams for the West. So for that reason, I think an expansion team in Portland, Oregon is unnecessary. The South should have more teams – prior to 1966 it had zero teams, and then from 1966-1992 the Atlanta Braves were the only team in the south until the Marlins were added in 1993. Nashville is the next city to receive a team, and the second expansion team should come from a southern city, especially considering these cities already have NBA and NFL teams.
The next step takes another page from the NBA with their “play-in tournament”.
The winner of each of the above divisions would receive a bye into the division round of the playoffs. So no division winner would have to play in the wild card round – it would be explicitly for wild card teams. And it would be a play-in tournament.
In each league:
the 3 seed hosts the 4 seed; the winner moves on to the Division Series vs. the 2 seed
the 5 seed host the 6 seed; the loser is out of the playoffs
the loser of the 3/4 seed game hosts the winner of the 5/6 seed game, winner goes on to the Division series vs. the 1 seed
I like this because it happens quickly and it’s fun, and it’s nowhere near the footing you get if you’re a division winner, however, you’re still in the field. Also, it gives the higher wild card seeds a better advantage than just home field.
In the Division Series, make it seven games! I cannot stand the five game series. When you get to game 4 and down 2-1, it shouldn’t be up to your number 4 starter to save you from elimination…..which it isn’t in a seven game series. Really, I could argue it should be a nine game series considering the nature of baseball but I won’t be ridiculous – there should be seven game series across the board from the Division, LCS and World Series.
Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts are two of the most underrated musicians in the history of rock and roll. Both were members of the Allman Brothers Band from the beginning, but did not start the band. Duane Allman, one of the greatest guitarist of all time, overshadowed both of them despite his early death and absence from the height of the band. But the Allman Brothers Band was filled with incredible musicians, Gregg Allman & Dickey Betts standing out as Southern Rock royalty.
When Duane Allman started the band that would become the Allman Brothers, it was a trio that didn’t even include Gregg Allman or Dickey (Richard) Betts. Gregg Allman was the last of the original six to join the band as they needed a singer, and ultimately that gave the band a name. Betts was a guitarist playing alongside one of the greats on the same instrument.
Duane Allman was a blues guitarist. The Allman Brothers first two albums (The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewid South) are essentially blues albums….and great ones. Their iconic At Filmore East is a blues album. When Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident, the band evolved. The blues never totally left, but Dickey Betts stepped forward to introduce a more country sound….and sing too.
By the time Eat a Peach came out in 1972, the Allman Brothers were inventing Southern Rock. The album was a tribute to Duane Allman, and featured some of his recordings live and in the studio, but also included “Melissa” by Gregg Allman and “Blue Sky” by Dickey Betts, which represented a different approach. They were happier, slower, softer songs with country elements that are now essential to any Southern Rock playlist.
By 1973, the Allman Brothers released Brothers and Sisters which had blues and country that blended to make the Southern Rock sound. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first album was released the same month (August) as Brothers and Sisters, and Southern Rock was off and running. The Allman Brothers had their biggest radio hit with Dickey Betts’ “Ramblin’ Man”.
Dickey Betts used his new found singling prowess and country sound to put out a solo album under ‘Richard Betts’ in 1974: Highway Call. That album would definitely be called country today, but it is filled with laid back guitar licks, instrumentals and feel good songs.
Gregg Allman was also embarking on a solo career, albeit in a different direction. He released Laid Back in late 1973, which is a really good laid back record like the title indicates. It’s got more soul, singer-songwriter vibes.
In both cases, Betts and Allman chose a softer sound for their solo album than what they had done with the Allman Brothers. Betts chose fiddle and steel guitars while Allman chose horns and background singers, but both are great listens.
They reconvened in 1975 to produce Win, Lose or Draw for the Allman Brothers, which kind of epitomized where the two leaders were at the moment. The first song was a blues cover, followed by some Dickey Betts songs that sound like they were leftover from Highway Call, and some Gregg Allman songs that were leftovers from Laid Back.
The highlight of Win, Lose or Draw was the 14-minute instrumental epic, “High Falls”. If Gregg Allman’s lasting legacy is that he is one of the greatest white blues singers, then Dickey Betts is that he can produce masterful jazzy instrumentals.
Betts started crafting instrumentals on Idlewild South with “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”. He followed that up with one on almost every Allman Brothers album:
“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” on Idlewild South
“Les Bres in A Minor” on Eat a Peach
“Jessica” on Brothers and Sisters
“High Falls” on Win, Lose or Draw
“Pegasus” on Enlightened Rogues
“From the Madness of the West” on Reach for the Sky
“True Gravity” on Seven Turns
“Kind of Bird” on Shades of Two Worlds
Betts also had several great instrumentals on his solo projects:
“Hand Picked” on Highway Call
“Kissimmee Kid” on Highway Call
“Duane’s Blues” on Pattern Disruptive
“One Stop Be-Bop” on Let’s Get Together
“Beyond the Pale” on The Collector’s #1
“The Preacher” on The Collector’s #1
“Willie & Po’ Bob” on The Collector’s #1
That kind of creative musicianship was evident with Gregg Allman as well. The Allman Brothers broke up after Win, Lose or Draw, leaving both Allman and Betts to focus solely on their solo careers. Allman went more in the direction of what is now known as Yacht Rock in his 1977 album, Playin’ Up a Storm.
Betts started the band Great Southern and put out a self-titled album in 1977 that is a very good mix of country and blues which keeps the Southern Rock tradition alive. His 1978 album, Atlanta’s Burning Down, starts strong but isn’t nearly as good as the previous record.
Despite how big the Allman Brothers were in the mid-1970s, Playin’ Up a Storm and Dickey Betts & Great Southern did not perform very well commercially even though they are very good. When Allman’s album with then-wife Cher bombed, and Great Southern’s second album wasn’t very good, they both turned back to the Allman Brothers in 1979.
An interesting relationship arose during this time with soon-to-be famous actor Don Johnson. One of Betts’ most famous songs from his solo career was “Bougainvillea” which he co-wrote with Johnson. When the Allman Brothers got back together on Enlightened Rogues, Johnson co-wrote “Can’t Take it With You” and “Blind Love” with Betts (Allman sang both). In 1986, Johnson parlayed his Miami Vice fame into releasing an album which Betts played on. Then in 1987, Johnson sang background vocals on “Evidence of Love” by Gregg Allman.
Enlightened Rogues was a term Duane Allman used to describe the band. Now they were back together and achieved their second highest charting single with “Crazy Love”. By second highest charting single, that’s not saying much as it peaked at 29. The fame the Allman Brothers achieved is pretty remarkable considering the only real hit song they ever had was “Ramblin’ Man”, which went to No. 2. (Gregg Allman did take a re-worked version of “Midnight Rider” to No. 19 in 1973 off Laid Back.)
The success of Enlightened Rogues proved Betts and Allman were better together than apart, at least commercially. But the local record label the Allman Brothers essentially made, Capricorn, filed bankruptcy soon after. So the Allman Brothers had to move to Arista Records and things went downhill when that happened.
With six solid albums (several of them iconic) under their belt, it’s hard to believe the Allman Brothers Band could be influenced by any record company to produce a certain type of music. But the Allman Brothers were kind of an enigma at that time in that they could fill stadiums of people but did not much reach in popular music. 1980’s Reach for the Sky was the first for Arista Records, and the music is more like they are chasing the Southern Rock sound that .38 Special or Marshall Tucker succeeded with on the charts and less like the sound they invented.
Brothers of the Road in 1981 looked like the end of the road. It did feature the band’s third and final top 40 hit with “Straight From the Heart” – a song that sucks so bad it sounds like an 80s sitcom theme song. I’m not totally sure what happened here, other than Arista Records were pushing for something the Allman Brothers were not and they felt they had to oblige (it’s the first album not to feature an instrumental); or if the band was just too drugged out and tired to fight it. Either way, it wasn’t good and it looked like Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts were already washed up in their 30s.
Betts turned to country music in the early 80s. He recorded a demo album called Night (which can be found on You Tube). For whatever reason, the album did not get released. Then he toured with fellow former Allman Brothers Butch Trucks and Chuck Leavell to create Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks. You can find a live album from that group (which features a version of “Whole Lotta Memories” from the Night album). That group was a kind of a boogie-woogie good time bar band that never found a record deal, and eventually dissolved in 1984.
Betts then tried country music again. He played on a couple of Hank Williams, Jr. albums and co-wrote the top 10 song ,”Your Memory Ain’t What it Used to Be” by Mickey Gilley. During this time he was working on his own country album, but it was eventually scrapped. The only song to receive a finished recording was “Nancy”, released on the Dreams boxset in 1989.
Still, if you complied a country music playlist by Dickey Betts, you’d get a solid baker’s dozen worth:
“Long Time Gone” from Highway Call
“Rain” from Highway Call
“Highway Call” from Highway Call
“Let Nature Sing” from Highway Call
“Hand Picked” from Highway Call
“Kissimmee Kid” from Highway Call
“Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John” from Win, Lose or Draw
“Good Time Feeling” from Atlanta’s Burning Down
“Atlanta’s Burning Down” from Atlanta’s Burning Down
“I Got a Right to be Wrong” from Reach for the Sky
“Nancy” from Dreams
“Seven Turns” from Seven Turns
“The Preacher” from The Collectors #1
Gregg Allman spent the early to mid 1980s in relative obscurity. He did very little touring and did not have a record deal. Eventually he needed to get back in the game, so in 1987 he emerged with I’m No Angel.
The title track, “I’m No Angel”, reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock charts. The song has a true 80s sound, but the album is pure Yacht Rock. Even more so than Playing’ Up a Storm which was released as the yachty sound was gaining momentum. While 1987 is a little past the ‘official’ Yacht Rock timeframe, it’s one of the best albums of the genre in my opinion (even though I have not seen anyone recognize it as such). Gregg Allman puts himself in Michael McDonald territory on this one.
After that success, Allman quickly followed up with Before the Bullets Fly in 1988. This was another really good album, although not quite the commercial success of I’m No Angel. It had a little more blues, 80s grooves and some yachty numbers as well.
The bridge of Gregg Allman from the Allman Brothers Band to Yacht Rock may seem weird, but consider that Chuck Leavell, the piano / keyboard player who joined the band after Duane Allman died, was the leader of Sea Level from 1976-1981. He was an Allman Bros. member for Brothers and Sisters and Win, Lose or Draw then started full on Yacht Rock with four Sea Level albums during the height of the genre.
Here’s my baker’s dozen Gregg Allman Yacht Rock playlist:
“Queen of Hearts” from Laid Back
“Bring it on Back” from Playin’ Up a Storm
“Cryin’ Shame” from Playin’ Up a Storm
“It Ain’t No Use” from Playin’ Up a Storm
“Matthew’s Arrival” from Playin’ Up a Storm
“Anything Goes” from I’m No Angel
“Can’t Keep Running” from I’m No Angel
“Things that Might Have Been” from I’m No Angel
“Yours for the Asking” from I’m No Angel
“Faces Without Names” from I’m No Angel
“Lead Me On” from I’m No Angel
“Island” from Just Before the Bullets Fly
“Fear of Falling” from Just Before the Bullets Fly
If Gregg Allman was back, why not Dickey Betts? In late 1988 he had assembled a new group – the Dickey Betts Band – and they put out a masterpiece blues and hard rock album, Pattern Disruptive. Of course, it did not get hardly any attention on the same radio that was playing hair metal, but it’s a gem. Dickey Betts had gone from the easy going country roots of Highway Call to a blistering rock record on Pattern Disruptive.
The comeback was on. It was clear that Allman and Betts were not finished. After an extended break, they came back with force and were ready to put the Allman Brothers Band back together again. In 1989, the box set Dreams was released, and sold very well. A new generation of fans were ready for the Allman Brothers sound, and they delivered with Seven Turns in 1990.
The Dickey Betts Band merged into the Allman Brothers, and they were now a seven piece band for the first time: two guitars, two keyboards, two drummers and one bass player. In one of the most interesting configurations you’ll see, they put together their first ever No. 1 song (albeit on the Modern Rock chart that didn’t exist before 1981) with “Good Clean Fun”.
The Allman Bros. didn’t waste any time in their third incarnation – they released another album, Shades of Two Worlds in 1991. They dropped keyboardist Johnny Neel for this one, and delivered a great rock album that had everything. Allman and Betts were finally back to their best with a handful of albums to prove it.
After a couple years of heavy touring and a live album to back it up, they released Where It All Begins 1994. This album was really popular, and had kind of a Grateful Dead feel…..from the big mushroom on the cover to the content of the songs….drugs, laid back jams, blues and perhaps the most famous song, “Soulshine” by newcomer Warren Haynes.
In 1995, the Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That was kind of the beginning of the end of popularity for Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Allman was so intoxicated at the acceptance speech he could barely talk, and after re-watching it he decided to get sober. Betts was ultimately fired from the Allman Brothers in 2000 due to his drinking.
Allen Woody and Warren Haynes, who had just joined the band in 1989, stepped into their new band Gov’t Mule at this time. It took until 2003 for the Allman Brothers to record another album (Hittin’ the Note), the only one without both Allman and Betts.
Gregg Allman released the solo album, Searching for Simplicity in 1997. It was a full return to the blues with no connection to the kind of material he has released in his first four solo albums.
Betts released two hodge-podge albums back with Great Southern: Let’s Get Together and The Collector’s #1 in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
Here is my short list for post-1995 songs to listen to:
“Rendezvous with the Blues” from Search for Simplicity
“One Step Be-Bop” from Let’s Get Together
“Desdemona” from Hittin’ the Note
“Just Another Rider” from Low Country Blues
“My Only True Friend” from Southern Blood
Gregg Allman’s last album, Southern Blood, was released a few months after his death in 2017.
The continued legacy of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts is The Allman Betts Band. In 2018, the sons of both men united to start a band in their fathers’ image. They even included Berry Oakley’s son on bass just as his father did on the Allman Brothers first three albums before his death in 1972.
The Allman Betts Band has two albums. They have a lot of the classic Allman Bros. sound instrumentally. Neither of the sons are as good of singers as their father but they are adequate enough to carry the mantle and produce some good original music.
There is so much great music that came from these two men who had a long run despite their vices. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts: Southern Rock legends.
The two biggest country artists of the last two or three years have been Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. Both of them happen to release a new album in March of 2023.
Both Wallen and Combs have a unique, rough-around-the-edges voice that are probably the secret sauce to their success. Interestingly enough, they both auditioned for “The Voice” TV show well before their careers took off.
Prior to their latest albums, I’d say I liked both artists equally. They both had a handful of great songs which I like. With their most recent albums, however, they’ve gone in two different directions to me.
Morgan Wallen released One Thing at a Time which has 36 tracks. It may be the longest album I’ve ever listened to in terms of the number of songs. Some are true country, others are pop songs, others have a hip hop track.
Luke Combs released Gettin’ Old which is its own album but also the companion piece to Growin’ Up he released last year. If you combine them, ‘Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old’ would be 30 tracks. So, it’s pretty big too. But Gettin’ Old is the most recent album and that’s what I’m comparing to One Thing at a Time.
Musically, Luke Combs’ album is country from start to finish while Morgan Wallen’s is not. I don’t really like the hip hop tracks made for the mass audience, but they aren’t terrible either. I would’ve preferred One Thing at a Time to be cut in half to equal the 18 tracks on Growin’ Old and have them all be country.
Both artists are primed for mass appeal and playing arenas and stadiums. They’ve perfected the 3-minute verse, chorus, verse, chorus, hook, chorus song. I’m generally a bigger fan of instrumental breaks than listening to lyrics but when you’re listening to standard country songs like these the lyrics stand out – and that’s where the stark difference is between these two albums.
Almost every single song on Wallen’s album is about drinking. I haven’t counted, but it’s got to be over 30 of the 36. It may be 34 of 36. He’s either in trouble because of alcohol, wanting to drink, currently drinking, you name it – the song is drenched in alcohol. Clearly – Morgan Wallen has a drinking problem….this album sounds like a cry for help when it also includes a few songs about the faith he’s admittedly not walking in.
By contrast, Combs’ has a song (“Joe”) about a recovering alcoholic who is finding happiness in his sobriety. This type of song, by the way, is an excellent change of pace from the run-of-the-mill small town, truck country song which is refreshing….and uplifting.
Luke Combs’ album does have it’s share of songs about drinking, but they are fewer and more subtle, especially compared to Morgan Wallen. One might say that Combs’, who has a wife and child, has become the more mature family man than the single Wallen and it’s being reflected in the songs.
For me, there’s only four or five songs from One Thing at a Time I can listen to with my kids around. And if I can’t listen with my kids around I’m not going to listen to it. Combs’ album has 16 or 17 out of 18 I can. So, I guess as a family man myself I much prefer Gettin’ Old.
I’m glad to see guys like Luke Combs have success with solid country songs that have steel and fiddle. There are a lot of artists like Cody Johnson, Josh Ward, Jon Pardi, Cody Jinks and others who are also putting out similar great country music and should be played [more] in the mainstream.
When the prospect of the SEC schedule expanding to 9 games first came out I was excited…..mainly because the non-conference games have gotten so boring. The idea of eliminating a Sun Belt or Conference USA team from the schedule in favor of a SEC game sounded pretty good to me.
Even if it means Mississippi State would be in a lot more jeopardy of losing the game? Sure. The Bulldogs have made 12 straight bowl trips, and they are getting to the point of mundane, putting it at risk in favor of more exciting regular season games is fine.
But, does that necessarily mean the SEC has to increase to 9 games? The idea sounds a lot better from the perspective of two divisions like we’ve had for the last 30 years, or from the initial 4-team pod idea. However, it seems as though there will be no divisions or pods…just 1 thru 16.
There are two options: 9 game schedule with 3 permanents or 8 game schedule with 1 permanent.
If it’s an 8 game schedule, the permanent opponent for MSU would obviously be Ole Miss. Then the other seven games would rotate so that you’d play a home and home with every SEC team over a four year period.
So, you still get to play everyone with the 8-game option.
Considering that a 9 game SEC schedule would mean more road games than home games every other year, that doesn’t sound too good. If it were 10 games to even it out it might be more palatable, but it’s not.
What if an 8-game conference schedule were selected, and State were to play two non-conference games against Power 5 schools? They could play one at home and one on the road.
Considering the new 12-team playoff, it shouldn’t be hard to find ACC, Big 12 or Pac 12 teams that would be happy to beef up their schedule with a SEC opponent. And State is a lot more likely to find equal status programs of their choosing outside the league than in it.
Upon further reflection, I’m not really sure what State would stand to gain by adding another conference game? Other than maybe $5-10 million per year in TV money. The added revenue from a home SEC game every other year could be mostly offset by scheduling a unique non-SEC Power 5 school coming to Starkville.
Is the driving factor behind a 9-game schedule the added money or is it just finding a way to preserve Auburn/Georgia, Alabama/Tennessee and reviving Texas A&M/Texas? If it’s the latter, those teams would still play each other twice in four years.
If the SEC made the schedule so that you play each team every other year, swapping home and home, it would give a little different dynamic to those rivalries as they would hold bragging rights for two years.
The SEC fan inside of me says there is no doubt that more conference games is better. The more the merrier. Non-conference games have become really boring and take up 1/3 of the schedule. But….as a Mississippi State fan I think it may be better to stick to 8 games. I don’t want to see 5 road SEC games on a once in five uptick year. Stick to eight: the division-less schedule still affords the same round robin.
Maroon and White Blog 