#jerry teel

[spilladabalia]

The Honeymoon Killers - Head Twister

[mymelodic-chapel]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP (Garage Rock Revival, Indie Rock, Garage Punk) Released: July 9, 2001 [Shifty Records] Producer(s): Jerry Teel

[centrally-unplanned]

By the way that interview is a 10/10 reading experience, which has one of my fav lines. You have this whole passage:

The first time that John [guitarist John Myers] came up to visit us before he moved, we had gone to a party. And Jerry Teel, [from] the Honeymoon Killers, was a little inebriated. We walked him back to his apartment, which was on Third and C, and on our way, two guys grabbed John, who was the shortest one, and put a knife to his neck. They were demanding money. I just lost it and started screaming and throwing pennies and nickels at this guy's chest, but I was screaming so loud that it caught them off guard, and the guy with the knife kind of halted, and we escaped.

Immediately followed by:

Carolyn Master, Bag People guitarist: I never felt unsafe. I think mainly because I did heroin

The fucking 80's my dude.

Pettis himself has this banger:

Michael Pettis: Eric [Anderson] called it "Safety in Numbers." I wasn't crazy about the name, which is why we always called it SIN Club. But on some of our bigger nights, when we would get uptown people, they would stand at the door and wait till there were about 10 people ready to leave. And then they would all leave together in a convoy, which we thought was pretty funny.  We encouraged that. "Oh, it's really dangerous, you better not go by yourself."

"Safety Spaces" indeed, takes notes Lush!!

With consumers buying so little, at least relative to the Chinese economy’s productive capacity, how can the nation generate enough demand to keep that capacity in use? The main answer, as Michael Pettis points out, has been to promote extremely high rates of investment, more than 40 percent of G.D.P. The trouble is that it’s hard to invest that much money without running into severely diminishing returns.

This, in short, isn’t a nation that can productively invest 40 percent of G.D.P. Something has to give.

Krugman quoting Pettis

[vinylfromthevault]

Honeymoon Killers “Turn Me On” 1987. Buy Our Records. Noise-rock via New York/New Jersey, Turn Me On is the band’s fourth studio LP, this one particularly notable for Cristina Martinez on guitar (and some vocals). She must have been only around 16 years old at the time; a couple of years she later joined Jon Spencer to form Boss Hog (their EP Drinkin’ Lechin’ & Lyin’  from ‘89 also features Honeymoon Killers’ founder, guitarist and frontman Jerry Teel). As noise rock, Turn Me On is definitely noisy, full of distortion and growling, but it also has a dark psychobilly/campy horror movie vibe, especially on tracks like “Dolly w/a Dick,” “You Thrill Me,” “Fingerlickin’ Spring Chicken” and “Octopussy,” making the album far more melodic - catchy at times even! - than a lot of other noise rock albums. “Choppin’ Mall” is particularly great, with a Bo Diddley-esque rhythm and a harmonica solo that portends the punk blues sound of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (Mr. Judah Bauer!). Punk blues with a lot of crazed feedback and distortion is also present on “Dazed ‘n’ Hazey” (a great track!). I’m not as fond of the less melodic noise rock track “Flophausen” but other than that I’m super-psyched to have this record in our collection (it’s a recent acquisition, found on Record Store Day when our local record shops bring out the really cool stuff). 

[davidshawnsown]

USA Baseball RPF 1 - WW2 AU: Bridge Battle (Chapter 4)

(AN: This post began to be written within days before the 2021 World Series began (Congratulations Braves) and thus is dedicated to the retired Royals outfielder and 2021 Olympic silver medalist Bubba Starling, as well as to the late baseball broadcasters Ray Fosse and Jerry Remy.)

2240H, POPIGLIO

As the company commander and XO of Able Company 1/473rd RCT and its company first sergeant conversed with the platoon commander, second in command and adjutant of the 2nd Platoon, alongside the platoon sergeant, they were talking on the platoon's role to support the veterans of 1st platoon as the unit supporting the main force crossing the Lima River thru the ruined steel suspension bridge. Given the fact that they were about to fight their first battle as a unit together after beginning their Army service in separate combat units of the infantry, they were prepared to recieve the advice of their commanding officer, Captain Tulowitzki, and Captain Frazier, the XO of the unit, alongside TSGT Gose the company first sergeant. By then the XO had the letter given by a messenger from the battalion headquarters which was from his hometown of Toms River which turned to be two letters, one from his brother Charlie, a Cadet League instructor, and one from his nephew Carson, Charlie's son and a member of the Cadet League unit.

1LT Crews had stated the platoon's combat readiness for the first battle the company was about to fight in a few days, and now the second in command, 2LT Crawford, was about to speak to them. "This bunch of boys in which I am a part of", he said, "is one heck of a platoon whose lads are ready for their first battle as a unit. They have endured the tough training expected of them, and now are set to fight as a platoon in a few days from now, Captain Troy. I expect that given the circumstances, we are determined to finish this operation and help break the Gothic Line for good. We are ready, despite being young, to die for America." Turning to Captain Frazier, the young Pennslyvania-born lieutenant expressed his personal readiness to die for family and country.

2LT Teel then followed. As a New Jersey native, the young lad turned to a fellow resident of the state now serving in the Army, Captain Frazier, as he began to speak. Before one of his superiors, he stated that being a fellow native of the state just as Todd was, he felt that he was ready despite being a young officer having graduated out of West Point 2 years ago but now had his first command billet as adjutant of the platoon, even as he had not been promoted yet. The young lieutenant was ready to help his platoon commander fulfill the mission assigned to the company and the battalion at large, and was ready to take command if needed, knowing his family's history of service to the country in the Army and of many in his state. He said, "Captain Frazier, all of us are ready, and so am I for this first mission. We're ready to fight till the last man. We will fight it all, dead or alive. The mission must be completed at all costs, sir, that's why we're ready to perform the tasks the battalion set for us. Captain, I am ready to give my life for the country I pledged to serve, just as many in our home state did." He then told Captain Tulowitzki of his preparedness to fulfill the job as platoon adjutant of the 2nd Platoon stating that his West Point studies prepared him for this task at hand, as well as his previous duties in his former unit as a platoon adjutant as well. He was well equipped to asssist his commander and 2IC and was ready to help them be prepared for any operation, thus their high combat readiness for the coming battle with the rest of the company they were a part of.

The last to speak was SSGT Tanner, the platoon sergeant. The Mississipi born rifleman from Lucedale, born and lived in an era of racial inequality in his state, accepted the fact that the company he was now a part of was one of the first to be raciallly integrated in company level Army formations to allow greater chances for minority servicemen to serve instead of being in separate units because of their race. Being the most senior ranked NCO in the platoon even after two to four years of service he was indeed well versed in the needs of his fellow NCOs and enlisted personnel in his unit as well as being a link to the officers of the platoon. With a clear voice he said to his company commander: "Sir, the platoon's non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel are ready for the battles to begin for the company's baptism of fire. Captain Troy, I and these men, as the senior NCO of the platoon, are ready to fulfill the orders given to us and the company, as well as the rest of the battalion. Risking our lives for the duty we do our the country and our family, we're ready to follow you and Captain Frazier to whatever the mission takes us to."

TSGT Gose then informed his company commander and XO before speaking to SSGT Tanner: "Captains, having been a part of this company for a few months and before that served 4 years in different units of the Army in this part of the world, I feel for these young boys of the 2nd platoon and the rest of the company, who are ready to fight for our country no matter what the cost if would bring. I myself feel that being a part of this company, no matter what is my racial background, is a great honor as part of my duty to the country. All the NCOs and enlisted of Able Company are set to carry out the orders for the battles in which we're ready to fight." Captain Tulowitzki told the company first sergeant that given the high morale of the NCOs and enlisted from the time the company was initially formed up to strength when he was appointed company first sergeant, he was confident that these men are ready to face determined Axis soldiers of the Wehrmacht, Armed SS and the National Republican Army of the Social Republic, together with the Brigata Nere and that he is more ready to fulfill his duty as the senior enlisted advisor of the company while also helping his fellow servicemen more especially in the battles to come, expecting that he would be prepared to be on the battlefield stronger and tougher for his fellow servicemen. With these words and the later advice of his XO, Captain Frazier, TSGT Gose then said to SSGT Tanner that given the importance of the company's first battle as a unit "Able Company expects that every man in its ranks serve with pride and honor the duty the nation wants of all those serving in the armed forces, including those in the Army" as it gears up for the beginning of the Allied advance over the Gothic Line defenses and the communities along the lines. He then continued on: "Sergeant Tanner, I wish the enlisted personnel and NCOs of 2nd Platoon the best. I expect these men to be ready to fight at all costs as we fight our way thru the suspension bridge and into the town proper of San Marcello Pistoiese, the first of many battles as we begin the crossing of the Gothic Line that had been delayed by months. I hope First Lieutenant Crews knows that you and the sergeants and enlisted personnel of 2nd Platoon are ready more than ever for this operation."

Just as 1LT Robertson arrived, Captain Tulowitzki then spoke to the men of the platoon regarding their readiness for the battle to begin in a few days against the San Marcello Pistoise garrison, the first of many in the foothills of the Apennines and the Gothic Line, hoping that they show tenacity and courage in the battlefield as they fight with their fellow soldiers in the company as one unit in completing their objectives with the rest of the battalion. The captain, hailing from Santa Clara in California, was a West Point grad of 1942 and had served in northern Africa and Sicily, and by the time the 473rd was raised from elements of the anti-air defense artillery battalions, he had been serving as a company second in command in the 2nd battalion of the 338th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division and his XO was just a platoon commander in the 1st battalion of same regiment, having joined the unit as his assignment after a year with another Army regiment under the National Army, because of Fort Dix, the divisional garrison in New Jersey in the fall of 1943, being a few kilometers away from his home in Toms River, however he was transferred to the regular army based in England and was a D-Day veteran before being reassigned to the 338th, fighting in Italy's central regions at the time the 473rd was raised and its 1st battalion fitted with the vanguard platoon at first in Able Company as part of the reorganization to suit the changing ways of battle, ensure the gradual racial integration of the Army's infantry units up to platoon level at that time and to match up with the special operations troops of the Army proper. As the regiment was assembled in the Serchio river valley together with some elements of the Massa-based division, the Gothic Line had been pushed back to the area north of Barga, and by the time the RCT was in full strength partisans and personnel of the division, including the Japanese American 442nd RCT and elements of the 473rd had pushed it to the river border between San Marcello Pistoise and Piteglio towns in Pistoia Province across the Lima River, while most of Lucca Province had been liberated and the German-Italian forces pushed back. In early February, the town's western village of Popigilio, the current garrison of Able Company 1/473rd, was liberated by partisans, and soon elements of the battalion moved there while the 2nd battalion moved south to the town proper leading to the surrender of the German-Italian garrison and soon was reassigned to Popigilo to join the 1st battalion as the regimental staff and the 3rd battalion all moved there to the west of the village, where makeship camps were set while a number of divisional staff from the 92nd moved there to set up a frontline HQ for Operation Encore's infantry phrase, alongside the 1st battalion of the 442nd. The Supreme Allied Commander Italy, Field Marshal Alexander, and the deputy commander Lieutenant General McNarney, did not know at that time that while the Allies were busy destroying the Italo-German artillery formations along the Gothic Line the two newest regiments added to the US 92nd Division, the 473rd and the majority Japanese American 442nd, together with elements of the Italian partisan movement, had already liberated parts of Lucca Province and had now entered Pistoia Province, preparing to break open the road to Modena so that the other Allied forces will break open the enemy defenses to Bolgona and other cities north, enabling the infantry, together with the armor and field artillery together with air forces to break the line and eliminate the garrison forces in towns were many German and Italian Social Republic formations were stationed along the Gothic Line itself and north of the that line into the mountains.

Captain Tulowitzki ended his talk to the men with the following encouraging words: "Men of 2nd Platoon, the nation needs this battle to finally break open the stalemate in which thousands of Allies have been stopped. Only our regiment and the 442nd have been the ones that have opened the way to Modena while the rest of the 92nd are being reformed near the cost and the rest of the Allied forces have remained in their places since December. Now the opportunity to finally break it open is upon us. Good luck gentlemen, and I hope this moment will finally break open the Gothic Line and force the Allies to plan for the offensives to come crossing these mountains to the Po River. Make sure you all are ready for the crossing of the steel bridge and the battle to capture San Marcello Pistoise in a few days, is that clear?"

"Sir yes sir" was the answer.

Captain Frazier then addressed the men in his usual Jersey accent as company XO expecting that the platoon would be ready for the upcoming battle with the rest of the company. Knowing that they would be backing up the 1st platoon, which would serve as the main attack formation, the XO told them to be strong and brave in the midst of firm enemies firing on them at every direction determined to eliminate them, ready to risk their lives to complete the objectives of this important mission and to protect the company's veteran personnel assigned to both the 1st and 3rd platoons. The country needed them, he said, to be ready to "achieve the impossible tasks ahead facing us and rest the men of our army and that of our Allies as they all prepare to make one more attempt to cross the Apennines and break the Axis defenses over the Gothic Line that for months have blocked the roads to northern Italy and we must be that vanguard, capturing the last towns on the slopes before our men will begin crossing the mountains." They must be prepared, he said, to perish fulfilling this mission lest it fails, together with him and all the riflemen and heavy weapons teams of the company, as well as the officers and NCOs assigned to it, for the country and people. Turning to 2LT Teel, he told him, as a fellow New Jersey serviceman, to fight for the sake of the state's long history of resistance to foreign aggression, wherein many of their family members and relatives had fought in uniform of the armed forces before.

1LT Robertson, the company adjutant, spoke last. His words were brief, but he exorted the men to fight like hell to defeat the enemy forces garrisoned on the remaining towns on the slopes of the Apennines, forcing thus the Allies to prepare for the crossing on these mountains in the coming weeks by capturing the towns on the Gothic Line front at every cost.

Following this, the men returned to where they were near the company's main barracks, an old converted home where the company command and 1st Platoon were stationed near the village Catholic church building. The 3rd and 4th Platoon commands were just near that building and by then the platoon commanders had just finished speaking to the personnel reporting under them regarding the mission at hand. But before the men would talk to them, they walked towards the men of the heavy weapons company, and the four talked to them regarding the readiness of the bazooka, machine gun and mortar teams and the pack gun crews for the coming battle in a few days. Given their role, they were encouraged that night to fire harder at the Italo-German forces determined to kill them and stop their crossing of the ruined bridge, and avoid any friendly fire incident against the Allied forces advancing to the town.

After that talk to the heavy weapons platoon, the company command then approached the 4th platoon were they were stationed, just miles from the company command residence, so large that all of 1st platoon slept together in one room with the HQ platoon and some of the officers in separate rooms, while Captain Frazier, the XO, stayed with 1st Platoon regardless of his new status because of the fact that for the entire platoon, he was their leader, given that he was the senior most of the team. TSGT Gose, the company 1st sergeant also from the same platoon, prefered sleeping with the platoon rather than with Captain Tulowitzki owing to the strong friendship he and the rest of the boys made which began when the company was raised as part of the wider regiment and their platoon was the first to be formed from scratch. By now 2LT Bailey, who had been appointed the platoon's commander by the time the company had been raised with the rest of the battalion early in the year, had been already finishing his final words to the men before they were to fight Italian and German forces. The commander from Greensboro in North Carolina, also yet another hotbed of racial tension, understood his duty and the fact that his platoon was also an integrated one made up of men from all over the country. In his early 20s, the lieutenant, set to be promoted to 1LT in weeks, was set to lead his men to help their fellow soldiers accomplish the mission set to the company. Assisted by 2LT Meyer from Woodbury, Minnesota, the platoon 2IC, platoon adjutant 2LT Waddell from Loveland in Ohio and the platoon sergeant and senior enlisted advisor, SSGT Torkelson, a California native from the Petaluna area, he was ready to take that dare, leading his boys in providing rear cover to the bridge crossing and whenever necessary cover the 1st and 2nd platoons during the main battle phrase. He said that it was indeed a greater honor to be a leader in this time of global war, committed to fight for the Allied cause of defeating the Axis by any means, thru every ounce of effort by all those serving in uniform in the armed forces. These young lads who had a great trust in him as commander are ready to follow his orders to accomplish the missions ahead, at the cost of their lives for the country. He ended saying "For the country we pledged to serve, let us fight this battle together!"

The boys responded with a "Sir yes sir" and once this was done Captains Tulowitzki and Frazier, together with 1LT Robertson and TSGT Gose, together with the 1st platoon leadership (1LTs Austin, Alvarez and Jackson and TSGT Filia) approached the young lads. These were recruited from various Army units and came from all over the country regardless of their race just like the other platoons were. And just like in other platoons, they came from various Army divisions as part of the infantry or armored infantry fighting in central Italy that had fought their first battles in 1944 before being united in a singular formation. These young lads, now together in the platoon, were motivated as ever, they shared that high morale with the remainder of the company. 2LT Bailey then spoke to the company command and their counterparts in 1st platoon, whom they would provide the rear party in the coming bridge crossing. He first informed them that the platoon is ready to fulfill the mission assigned to the company by the battalion and regimental leadership.

After informing his company leaders and first sergeant 2LT Bailey expained the rationale on why he joined Able Company by the time the regiment was formed. Even as most of the RCT had been formed of the former anti-air defense artillery gunners converted to infantry, Able Company was majority made up of both combat veterans of who served in Italy and in western European countries (like France and Belgium) and new recruits with several months of combat time in central Italy and was the 1st Battalion's sole racially integrated unit, an example of how servicemen from different races can serve together in one unit rather than in different units as was the case. The young second lieutenant, in his second command billet after serving as a 2IC in another Army infantry division, understanding the fact that his company was the first infantry company ever to be racially integrated and with the composition and action similar to the Rangers and other special formations but made up of solely infantrymen, knew how must the mission was important to the Army to help finally break the Gothic Line and open the Lucca-Modena road, forcing the Allies to consider fighting to open the mountain foot and road crossings over the Apennine range and clear any German and Italian garrison and regional defenses in the high altitude.

He continued "I am very much in my early 20s. But this war wanted me to serve the nation with much conviction and honor, to live the values of an American army officer. There is no doubt that the war is very much testing the oaths we swore to the country, and we have to fulfill it. Captains, the platoon is ready to right on till the very end to clear the final big town on the road to Modena and to test our readiness for the push on these mountains for the rest of our forces south of the Axis Gothic Line, liberating the remaining towns on the slopes of these mountains before we can push on towards the north. We are all prepared to give our lives for the country and our people as we help liberate this part of Italy and overthrow Mussolini. Rest assured, lads, that all of us, no matter who we are, will help accomplish this forthcoming operation."

2LT Meyer then spoke up to the company command and the 1st platoon leaders regarding the operation. As Lieutenant Bailey's deputy, he was ready not just to help accomplish the company's objectives for the battle, but to be his replacement if unable to fulfill his duty or be KIA by the enemy. Coming from Minnesota, he felt the importance of why not just the company be reconfigured to be an elite shock force in the manner of the special operations formations of the Allies, but also to be the first company level Army infantry formation to be fully integrated, regardless of the racial origin of the servicemen, in an effort to encourage more people to join the service while also promoting it as a tool of national unity, that's why some of the company's servicemen came from the separate African American battalions to ensure their representation in majority white units while gradually integrating them, which happened before D-Day, when these men joined the platoons of the leading battalions of infantry and armored infantry regiments with majority white servicemen, which thus were baptized in fire and bullets in the operation and the battles that followed in France and the Netherlands. Those in Italy followed suit weeks later. Given how much the state helped recruit more young men into the Army as part of the national commitments to total defense in the midst of the ongoing global conflict these lads were engaged in, he said that knowing that his family understood that he had to take arms to fight the foreign aggressor in their homeland and prevent them from ever stepping into the US mainland, determined to suffer either injury or death for the country he swore to serve with honor. He ended with a clear promise to his men and the battalion command: "I am ready to complete this battle and many others as may be ordered by the Allied command in Italy no matter what. Captains, when it all ends I will be back in Minnesota. to be with my loved ones, but I'm ready to serve once again when the time comes."

Before long the adjutant, 2LT Wadell, spoke next. His family was one of those who sent family members to the Civil War on the side of the federal forces, and that tradition carried on in the wars that followed. Almost every male family member of his has had service records with the Army and/or the Army National Guard. Determined to continue the tradition of service by most of the residents of Ohio, he, firm and with deep conviction, was ready to sacrifice just as many in the state before him to fulfill their assignments. Coming from Loveland just north of Cincinnati, given their family history he said: "The spirit of the heroic Blue Jackets flows in my blood and I am prepared to make them proud." He knew that it would be a matter of will and determination for his platoon to help the company accomplish its objectives. As adjutant, he was prepared to fulfill the platoon's duties as part of Able Company for the battles ahead.

The platoon sergeant spoke last. Coming from a town north of San Francisco that was unharmed from the great earthquake of 1906, SSGT Torkelson grew up in Petaluna and had joined the Army in early 1941 on the pretext of preparing for the day the country would be at war. After 3 years he was now a staff sergeant and by virtue of his post was able to talk to the sergeants and lower rank enlisted servicemen regarding their needs and their personal matters, as well as what would the platoon do for them. All of the platoon had either a few battles on their service records in Italy, and the sergeant was part of one of those regiments of the II Corps's 88th Infantry Division before being reassigned to the IV Corps's 92nd Infantry Division upon the formation of the regiment. While he was a California lad, now he was serving the country and inheriting the legacy of those who years past had gave a helping hand to the peoples of the Bay Area and was giving back thru his military career, which he was ready to finish till war's end, he said. Assigned to that National Army regiment stationed in Detroit following a brief deployment in Cary, NC, the regimental depot of the local National Guard outfit that also serves as the staging area for both the vanguard platoons training grounds and national servicemen' advanced training within the reserves and the NGB before overseas service, he was reunited that winter with a lot of the lads who trained with him before he was posted to his regiment and that was before he was moved to the regular army. This was the case of all the rifle platoons of Able Company while the heavy weapons platoon was manned exclusively by veterans of the Italian campaign who were there since the start and were determined to share their skills in that new outfit.

SSGT Torkelson ended his words with a firm readiness to help finish off the Axis threat to the peace of the world and fight off the tyrants till the end. For no matter what it takes, he said, he was ready, together with the platoon, to "die for the country and people and for future genertations to know that our did their best." He knew the hard duties the company had to face, and he was ready to help the platoon command and the whole company achieve their objectives.

Now that the command personnel finished their words, Captain Tulowitzki, the company commanding officer, now spoke to them. He began his service as a National Army officer based in Colorado as a OCS graduate before being deployed to the US Army battalion based in Toronto to help the Canadian Army reserve battalions based there before ending up in New York. Now assigned to the company as its commanding officer, his first command billet, he felt the pressure to become a good leader to the men under his overall leadership while being obedient and loyal to his superior officers in the battalion and regiment. He spoke on the matter on why Able Company needed that mission completed as a unit. While it was to be the first major battle of the new 473rd RCT and its component and attached units, it was also to be the big chance the Allies needed to help clear the road to Modena and begin the steps towards the capture of Axis mountain defenses and the communities near them, in order that the roads to the Po Valley and the territories west are open for the Allies for the taking, weakening the Social Republic government futher and enabling the royal government in Rome to reassert control with Allied military support while also indirectly supporting the partisan units with equipment, supplies, ordnance and financial backing to effectively continue their work. This chance is what the Allies were cashing in and the reason why in conjuction with the ongoing artillery and aviation operations, the RCT, together with the 442nd, were already active to clear the Modena highway as not just as a dress rehearsal for future operations but as the infantry component of Operation Encore while the other divisions were being refitted with new recruits and the 92nd still being reorganized. The battle at San Marcello Pistoise would be the regiment's first big battle as it and the 442nd would be facing German and Italian Social Republic forces determined to defend the Gothic Line's southern reaches and the Modena highway against those Allied forces gearing up to climb the Appenines and smash the line on the way north.

That battle would also prove to the Army leadership of the worth of integrating personnel of different racial backgrounds into one unit instead of separate units based on their race, so that they would be integral into winning the wider war when fighting together rather than with servicemen with the same racial backgrounds, an unique concept that would made the 92nd a test unit for racial integration in the armed forces. One more thing, Captain Troy said, the battles to come would be a trigger to Allied command in Rome to prepare for the offensives and help end Mussolini's dictatorship over the people of northern Italy. In the bridge crossing, they have been assigned to provide rear cover and would be ready to help the other platoons capture the town proper inspite of determined Axis resistance. The captain expected that the lads of 4th Platoon fight harder with the rest of the company to accomplish the goals of the battle: eliminate the garrison and prevent any more German forces from threatening the Allied formations before their spring crossing of the mountains as well as the newly liberated communities south of the area, given that there are two more towns left on the Tuscany side of the highway going up to the Emilia-Romagna border where there were even more German and Italian defenses.

As the captain ended his words, he said: "You lads are what this nation needs in this time of war, an outfit made up of young heroes like you who will be the future of the nation. The road to victory is rough, but together, let's finish walking on that road. I therefore hope all of us can finally end the long wait for our comrades in arms so that can too will begin to fight their way into the mountains. Understood?"

After the boys answered "Sir yes sir" the XO, Captain Frazier, was next. Speaking to the platoon the XO from New Jersey encouraged the platoon to follow the lead of the company commander and always be ready to accomplish the mission assigned to this unit no matter what the cost. Given their assignment to provide rear cover as the other platoons cross first, they would be ready to fire at the enemy once they approach the east end of the bridge or at the Axis forces below them once they cross the river, avoiding any friendly fire incidents with Charlie Company's men while they were helping to defeat the forces in Mammiano village. Futher speeches were made by the company adjutant, 1LT Robertson, and TSGT Gose to the men of the platoon, motivating them for the battles to begin. After these, the 4, together with the command staff of the first platoon, said their farewells, and headed off walking to the 3rd platoon under their commander 1LT Bohm where they were stationed.

Earlier, while the Able Company staff had talked to the other platoons, the lieutenant from Omaha in Nebraska, formerly a National Army officer and a West Point grad of 1942, had talked to the men of the platoon of their role in the battle and how much it meant to them. Assigned to back up the first, second and 5th platoons during the bridge crossing and to help them capture the town proper, the men of the 3rd platoon under his command had a hard task ahead. By the time he was called to then newly formed Able Company earlier that year, his former assignment was with the 1st battalion of the Philadelphia based infantry reserve regiment of the National Army, the same unit 1LT Harper was also assigned under its commander COL Girardi before he was called to the active ranks and was a veteran of D-Day and the western European campaigns. That was before he was reassigned to Italy to form part of the new 473rd. The same case of being racially integrated was there as well with Bohm's men being veterans of the Western European campaigns of 1944, regardless of their reporting formations and their former assigments in reserve regiments of the Army Reserve (National Army inclusive). These included a number who were in these regiments and the second line battalions attached to these units where they were stationed by the time the new regiment was raised. These was the same case for those in the other rifle platoons.

By the time 3rd Platoon was stood up 1LT Bohm was designated its commanding officer under Captain Tulowitzki's overall command. Together with him was 1LT Adell, platoon second in command hailing from Louisville in Kentucky, the very place of the reserve battalion where SGT Kolozsvary was assigned before he was called up to the active ranks, platoon adjutant 2LT Dalbec from Seattle and assigned by now to the regiment in Boston after a brief stay in Worchester (platoon adjutant is his first staff position) and platoon sergeant SSGT Feyereisen, a River Falls, Wisconsin native and assigned before to the Tampa Bay regiment by way of the reserve regiment in Durham. Now together in one platoon, the men were slated to join the fight as part of the company in the operations slated in a few days. Amongst the enlisted personnel and NCOs were Corporals Croneworth and Vaughn, who were a part of Operation Market Garden.

The platoon commander had just finished speaking to his men regarding the battle at San Marcello Pistoise when the company command came to their positions in the village proper. He spoke at length on the part they were to play in the forthcoming operation and how they were to prepare to risk all for the country they swore to serve as members of the armed forces, just to fulfill their duties. Following this, as he ended his address, the company command arrived. In the presence of CPT Tulowitzki, 1LT Bohm reported "3rd Platoon is ready for the forthcoming operations and we're ready to fight with all that we have." He then spoke to the company command on what it means for them to be ready for the crossing of the suspension bridge and the capture of the town.

@joeybosa-aaronjudge @lightninging @homerofthebraves @dilangleywritesfanfic @auroralightsthesky @alekmanoah

[junker-town]

Rutgers is down to just one big problem, at least

Third-year head coach Chris Ash has built depth and boasts quite a few exciting prospects.

Bill C’s annual preview series of every FBS team in college football continues. Catch up here!

Anyone who’s been reading these previews through the years knows I’m a hedger. I’m bad at saying Team A is definitely going to achieve, get its coached fired, win its conference, or whatever. When I’m wrong, I try to figure out why, so I can avoid the same trap in the future, but when it comes to prognosticating about 85 18- to 22-year olds playing with a pointy ball that sometimes has a mind of its own, it’s only a matter of time until you’ve gotten everything wrong at least once.

I try to present things in terms of odds and scenarios — Scenario A is the most likely, but if these three things happen, then Scenario B is definitely on the table.

And sometimes I just punt. That was the case in last year’s Rutgers preview, entitled “Rutgers might look like a Big Ten football team by 2018.”

S&P+ projections suggested that former Wisconsin and Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s second Rutgers team would rise from 114th to 92nd with a record around 4-8. It went 1-for-2. The Scarlet Knights indeed won four games, thanks to the combination of four games against teams ranked 100th or worse (they went 3-1) and a midseason upset of Purdue. But they ranked 110th overall, losing to five top-30 opponents by an average of 39-8 and losing their last three games by a combined 116-13.

The strengths and weaknesses were the same as that of the 2016 team that went 2-10. The offense ranked 125th in Off. S&P+ in 2016 and 126th in 2017; the defense ranked in the mid-50s both years.

It’s not hard to see that continuing this year, considering the offense has a lot to replace (granted, leaving a pretty low bar to clear), but the defense returns most of its most exciting pieces and gets a couple of key players back from injury.

If a coach’s rebuild is going to be successful, we’ve usually seen signs by the end of his third year. Eastern Michigan, for instance, was hapless for most of Chris Creighton’s first two seasons before taking a third-year leap and maintaining in year four (which included a win over Rutgers).

Those leaps are pretty hard to see coming in advance, though, and we don’t have any reason to assume Ash’s team will suddenly boast offensive competence — in the last nine years, RU has ranked better than 84th in Off. S&P+ just once.

Still, the defense should be strong, and the first two months of the schedule feature seven games in which RU is either a favorite or a touchdown-or-less underdog. (The last month features four consecutive opponents projected in the S&P+ top 12. We should probably not talk about that.) There are potential wins on the board if the defense is as good as advertised and the offense ... does something remotely competent.

Offense

In 2009, John McNulty left a successful three-year stint as Rutgers offensive coordinator for the NFL. It was a good time to cash in his chips — the typically moribund Rutgers attack had ranked in Off. S&P+’s top 40 for three years.

Over the next nine seasons, he would bounce around as a position coach for the Cardinals, Bucs (under former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano), Titans, and Chargers. RU, meanwhile, posted an average offense ranking of 101.8.

Attempting to revive a flagging unit by bringing in someone who succeeded a decade ago isn’t the most surefire approach, but you can see what Ash was probably thinking. McNulty is Ash’s third OC in as many years, following Drew Mehringer in 2016 (who left for Texas) and Jerry Kill in 2017 (who re-retired).

From 2006-08, McNulty built a system around Mike Teel’s arm (he improved from 2,135 yards with a 120.6 passer rating in 2006 to 3,418 and 148.1 in 2008) and a persistent ground game. In 2006-07, Ray Rice carried the ball an average of 358 times per season, and after his departure in 2008, a trio of backs rushed 318 times.

The game’s changed, but in theory, McNulty’s principles can still work if he’s got the right personnel.

About that. McNulty’s going to need quite a few sophomores to raise their games. There’s a layer of senior leadership, but it hasn’t proved a ton.

Quarterback Giovanni Rescigno has spent the last two seasons winning and losing the starting job, completing too few passes (51 percent completion rate) for minimal yards (10.6 yards per completion) and taking too many sacks (10 percent sack rate). He also hasn’t had much to work with.

Rutgers did win three of its four games with him behind center, and he does avoid picks, but when the Knights were succeeding last fall, it was with the run game. And it was mostly with backs that aren’t at Rutgers anymore (Gus Edwards and Robert Martin rushed for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns).

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Jerome Washington

Beyond that, the only other seniors that figure to play major roles are running back and BC grad transfer Jon Hilliman, tight end Jerome Washington, and left tackle Tariq Cole. Hilliman is a powerful runner but doesn’t usually get very far, and Washington led the Scarlet Knights in receiving last year, but only because someone technically had to. Cole’s a keeper, at least: he was honorable-mention all-Big Ten.

Enter youth.

Sophomore Jonathan Lewis got a few (mostly unsuccessful) reps at QB last year, and either of two true freshmen (Artur Sitkowski or Jalen Chapman) could get reps. Sitkowski looks ready to challenge for the starting job, but starting a true freshman behind center isn’t exactly the most direct path to quick improvement.

Sophomore running back Raheem Blackshear was a brief bright spot last year, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Granted, most of his success came against Morgan State, but it’s something.

The receiving corps will be incredibly young. The four leading returning WRs are sophomores Hunter Hayek, Bo Melton, Everett Wormley, and Mohamed Jabbie, who combined to catch just 19 of 45 passes for 183 yards last year. Wormley is the only of the quartet who stands at least 6’0 tall (he’s listed at exactly 6’0), but redshirt freshman Shameen Jones is 6’1, and high-three-star freshmen Daevon Robinson and Zihir Lacewell are 6’4 and 6’3.

Center Michael Maietti started 10 games as a freshman, and center/guard Jonah Jackson started four as a sophomore. Sophomore Micah Clark is a former mid-four-star prospect, and sophomores Nick Krimin and Mike Lonsdorf were looking like potential starters by the end of spring.

It’s hard to be slightly optimistic about the passing game because of how awful it was last year and how much turnover it has to deal with. But Washington is the only senior in the receiving corps, and his backup, Nakia Griffin-Stewart, is probably the only junior. Whatever answers emerge, they’ll remain answers for a while.

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Hilliman

Defense

The RU defense was projected to improve more than it did last year. With what they returned, the Scarlet Knights were supposed to push the top 40 in Def. S&P+ but ended up only 53rd.

But it’s hard to be too disappointed, considering they were without two key pieces (linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams and Blessuan Austin) and they were forced to compensate for that offense.

Perhaps in part because Ash and coordinator Jay Niemann — who’d fielded an attacking defense at NIU — knew that any failed risk would result in more points than their offense could match, Rutgers fielded a terribly passive front seven last year. The Knights were 125th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line) and 105th in Adj. Sack Rate; they reacted pretty quickly, however, and still held opponents at or below their season averages. In the Knights’ four wins, they allowed only 15 points per game.

If a retooled line holds up, a well-seasoned back seven could dominate, even if Ash and Niemann still don’t feel good enough about the offense to go damn-the-torpedoes.

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Deonte Roberts

Only one of last year’s top four tacklers returns up front, but depth was a relative strength there, at least. Ten linemen made at least one tackle for loss, and eight made at least nine tackles.

Returning end Kevin Wilkins was maybe RU’s best run defender, recording 5.5 non-sack TFLs, and senior tackle Jon Bateky was a heck of a gang tackler — he had just six solo tackles all season but made 27 assisted tackles. Throw in junior tackle Willington Previlon and a trio of sophomores (ends Elorm Lumor and CJ Onyechi and tackle Julius Turner), and it seems like RU should still be decent up front. But if one of these young defenders could develop a more disruptive streak (it bears mentioning that the eight plays Onyechi took part in stopping averaged just 1.8 yards per play), that could make a huge difference.

Beyond that, the Knights are set. Senior linebackers Trevor Morris and Deonte Roberts return, Maddox-Williams is back from an August ACL tear, and sophomore Tyshon Fogg was getting major reps by the end of the year. This was more of a reactive linebacking corps last year, but Maddox-Williams and Fogg give RU more attacking options.

The backfield could be awesome. Almost 45 percent of opponents’ incompletions were due to either an interception or breakup (third in FBS) and despite the passive front seven, RU allowed just a 128.3 passer rating and 57 percent completion rate.

Three of last year’s primary DBs — corners Damon Hayes and Isaiah Wharton, safety Saquan Hampton — all return, as does corner Blessuan Austin, who was fourth in the Big Ten in passes defensed (15) in 2016 before injuring his knee last September.

[Since this preview was first posted, Rutgers dismissed safety K.J. Gray and linebacker Brendan DeVera amid an investigation into alleged credit card fraud, and redshirt freshman linebacker Syhiem Simmons left the team. The text of this posted has been updated.]

Despite the total lack of a pass rush (and the lack of Austin), RU still ranked 36th in Passing Downs S&P+ last fall. It would be disappointing if the Scarlet Knights weren’t at least top-30 in that category.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Blessuan Austin

Special Teams

Rutgers had a forgettable unit in 2017, and with special teams, forgettable ain’t bad. The Knights ranked between 59th and 80th in four of five efficiency categories and 63rd in Special Teams S&P+, and Justin Davidovicz ranked 29th in kickoff success rate as a freshman.

Unfortunately, Davidovicz and kick returner Raheem Blackshear are the only returnees. No one in this unit is irreplaceable, but with new pieces, you’re just as likely to move down as up.

2018 outlook

2018 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 1-Sep Texas State 123 14.1 79% 8-Sep at Ohio State 1 -32.6 3% 15-Sep at Kansas 103 2.6 56% 22-Sep Buffalo 93 4.8 61% 29-Sep Indiana 58 -2.8 44% 6-Oct Illinois 99 7.0 66% 13-Oct at Maryland 80 -3.9 41% 20-Oct Northwestern 38 -7.1 34% 3-Nov at Wisconsin 12 -23.3 9% 10-Nov Michigan 10 -18.9 14% 17-Nov Penn State 8 -20.8 11% 24-Nov at Michigan State 11 -23.6 9%

Projected S&P+ Rk 84 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 119 / 29 Projected wins 4.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -7.8 (103) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 53 / 60 2017 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -5 / 4.1 2017 TO Luck/Game -3.8 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 71% (60%, 81%) 2017 Second-order wins (difference) 3.8 (0.2)

When a third-year leap happens, it’s because a coach’s culture is in place, he’s got better depth on the two-deep, and he’s got his guys everywhere.

Ash has those things going for him, at least when it comes to the defense and the rushing offense.

The passing game’s lack of quality and continuity is still going to affix a pretty low ceiling, though. S&P+ isn’t designed to see third-year leaps coming, and its emphasis on passing game continuity means the offense is projected to remain terrible.

But with a defense that could improve to top-30 levels, the Knights are favored in four games and a small or moderate underdog in three more. Rutgers won four games last year with all of last year’s limitations, and it will take only a little bit of overachievement to threaten bowl eligibility.

Still, there’s minimal margin for error. Life in the Big Ten East assures that, especially with a cross-division trip to Wisconsin. RU is a significant underdog in five games, which means the Knights will have to almost sweep their remaining contests to go bowling.

I said last year that RU could become an honest-to-goodness Big Ten team in 2018. The defense should hold up its end of the bargain, at least.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[nocaine]

JERRY TEEL, WALTER DANIELS & MARCO BUTCHER - SUCH A SHAME

[dcooper007]

Animafest Zagreb predstavlja Natjecanje filmova za djecu i Svjetsku panoramu! Vidimo se na Animafestu od 4-9 lipnja 2018!

Svjetski festival Animiranog filma - Animafest Zagreb 2018 ponosno predstavlja izabrane filmove za Natjecanje filmova za djecu i Svjetsku panoramu.

Središnji događaj bogatog Programa za djecu i mlade Animafesta 2018 je Natjecanje filmova za djecu, međunarodna konkurencija koja broji 44 filma iz svih krajeva svijeta. Filmove je odabrala slovenska medijska psihologinja Martina Peštaj, urednica Dječjeg i omladinskog programa Radiotelevizije Slovenije, koja ih je razvrstala prema prilagođenosti četirima dobnim kategorijama (4-7, 7-10, 10-14 i 14+).

Svjetska panorama je raznolik nenatjecateljski program koji prikazuje originalne i inovativne naslove koji pomiču granice animacije. Prikazat će 30 filmova (15 studentskih i 15 profesionalnih autora) iz 22 zemlje.

NATJECANJE FILMOVA ZA DJECU NATJECANJE FILMOVA ZA DJECU 1 (DOB 4 – 7)

ANT, Julia Ocker (Njemačka / 2017 / 03:37) BOXI: IN THE NATURE, Béla Klingl (Mađarska / 2017 / 04:21) DRAGON SLEDGE, Evgeniya Jirkova (Rusija / 2017 / 02:30) GROWTH, Marta Kwasniewska (Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo / 2017 / 02:20) KOYAA - WILD SUNBED, Kolja Saksida (Slovenija / 2017/ 02:45) KRILA ZA KROKODILA, Ivana Guljasevic (Hrvatska / 2018 / 04:40) NUTZ, Denis Alenti (Hrvatska / 2018 / 02:21) PATCHWORK MOLE, Angela Steffen (Njemačka / 2017 / 03:53) PRINCE KI-KI-DO; WINTER STORY, Grega Mastnak (Slovenija / 2017 / 05:00) SMALL FOREST STORIES, Veronika Fedorova (Rusija / 2017 / 03:11) THE SWIMMING LESSON, Tatyana Okruzhnova (Rusija / 2017 / 03:00)

NATJECANJE FILMOVA ZA DJECU 2 (DOB 7 – 10) 6:1, Sergei Ryabov (Rusija / 2018 / 02:53) BIJELA VRANA, Miran Miošić (Hrvatska / 2018 / 09:00) CICADA, Gabriela Borregales (Sjedinjene Države / 2018 / 03:57) KING MATHEUS, Katarina Nikolov (Slovenija / 2017 / 10:35) STRENGTH IN NUMBERS, Anais Sorrentino (Francuska, Belgija / 2017 / 06:51) THE BOY AND THE RACCOON, Yereum Cho, Jinsun Choi, Suyeon Kang, Eunha Ko (Južna Koreja / 2017 / 05:05) THE FRUITS OF CLOUDS, Katerina Karhánková (Češka Republika / 2017 / 10:00) THE HUNGRY LITTLE WOLF, Arnaud Demuynck (Francuska, Belgija / 2017 / 08:46)

NATJECANJE FILMOVA ZA DJECU 3 (DOB 10 – 14) ANIMAL LAUGHING, Aurore Peuffier (Francuska / 2017 / 03:00) EXAM STRESS: SYRIAN STYLE, Raj Yagnik (Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, Sirija / 2017 / 02:30) FLIPPED OUT, Jae Bae (Sjedinjene Države / 2017 / 05:41) FUNNY FISH, Krishna Chandran A. Nair (Francuska, Švicarska / 2017 / 06:20) GELATO – SEVEN SUMMERS OF ICE CREAM LOVE, Daniela Opp (Njemačka / 2017 / 2:18) GYPSY TALES / HOW WAS MAN CREATED, Mária Horváth (Mađarska / 2017 / 07:00) HURRY UP, HEROLD!, Francie Liebschner (Njemačka / 2017 / 08:00) JEFF, Britt Raes (Belgija / 2018 / 01:31) LES PIONNIERS DE L’UNIVERS, Benjamin Bernon, Clémentine Courbin, Matthieu Guevel, Anthony Rege, Jérôme Vanbeneden (Francuska / 2017 / 05:21) METAMORPHOSIS, Jane Carmen Oliveira (Brazil / 2017 / 05:22) PEANUT BUTTER AND JERRY, Shellie Leibensperger (Sjedinjene Države / 2017 / 03:10) THE CURVE OF YOUR EYES ENCIRCLES MY HEART, Nicolas Rolland (Francuska / 2017 / 03:00) VRLO MOKRA NOĆ U MUZEJU, Milan Trenc (Hrvatska / 2017 / 07:30)

NATJECANJE FILMOVA ZA DJECU 4 (DOB 14+) BIRDLIME, Evan DeRushie (Kanada / 2017 /10:52) BURN OUT, Cécile Carre (Francuska, Sjedinjene Države / 2017 / 04:15) COMPARTMENTS, Daniella Koffler, Uli Seis (Njemačka, Izrael / 2017 / 15:00) CREATION, Yulia Baygulova (Rusija / 2017 / 06:03) LATE AFTERNOON, Louise Bagnall (Irska / 2017 / 09:23) LIVELY AIR, Pierre Grillère (Francuska / 2017 / 03:00) MATINS, Axel De Lafforest (Francuska / 2017 / 03:00) THE EEL, THE WEASEL AND THE VULTURE, Suki (Francuska / 2017 / 04:40) TWO BALLOONS, Mark C. Smith (Sjedinjene Države / 2017 / 09:08) USEFULNESS, Amaury Brun (Francuska / 2017 / 03:00) WANDA, Denise Hauser (Norveška / 2018 / 12:32) WINDS OF SPRING, Keyu Chen (Kanada / 2017 / 06:07)

SVJETSKA PANORAMA A TABLE GAME, Nicolás Petelski Mesón (Estonija, Španjolska / 2017 / 03:53) A VISIT, Parissa Mohit (Kanada / 2018 / 12:18) AN ISLAND, Rory Byrne (Irska / 2017 / 12:50) BALLERINA, Steven Subotnick (Sjedinjene Američke Države / 2017 / 04:30) BETWEEN US TWO, Wei Keong Tan (Singapur / 2017 / 05:03) BLIND MICE, Nicholas D’Agostino (Sjedinjene Američke Države / 2017 / 09:00) CHILDLINE – NSPCC, Moth Studio (Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo / 2017 / 02:28) COYOTE, Lorenz Wunderle (Švicarska / 2017 / 09:55) HELL GATE, Ilhyun KIM (Južna Koreja / 2018 / 09:47) HORS SAISON, Nicolas Capitaine, Céline Desoutter, Lucas Durkheim, Léni Marotte (Francuska / 2017 / 06:07) IN OUR SKIN, Rosa Beiroa (Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo / 2017 / 03:55) JASON’S SENTENCE, Elyse Kelly (Sjedinjene Američke Države / 2017 / 02:25) LOTUS LANTERN, Xingpei Shen (Kina, Sjedinjene Američke Države / 2017 / 06:30) LOVE HE SAID, Ines Sedan (Francuska / 2018 / 05:40) MONSTER DON’T EXIST, Ilaria Angelini, Luca Barberis Organista, Nicola Bernardi (Italija / 2017 / 03:23) MUSICAL TRAUMAS, Miloš Tomić (Srbija / 2018 / 10:23) OASIS, Daria Kashcheeva (Češka / 2018 / 02:26) OLIVIER, Armelle Mercat (Francuska / 2018 / 11:30) ONCE IN THE FIELDS OF BOREDOM, Teele Strauss (Estonija / 2017 / 05:20) PREY, Dal Park (Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo / 2018 / 02:12) REGRETS, Petra Stipetic (Njemačka / 2018 /02:33) RE-VUE, Dirk de Bruyn (Australija / 2018 / 05:58) THE ORIGIN OF SOUND, Paul Driessen, Toon Loenders (Belgija, Nizozemska / 2018 / 13:15) THE WALKER, Frédéric Hainaut (Belgija / 2017 / 11:18) UTOPIA NOW, Remo Rauscher (Austrija / 2017 / 04:44) VERMIN, Jeremie Becquer (Danska / 2018 / 06:00) VOYAGERS, Gauthier Ammeux, Valentine Baillon, Benjamin Chaumeny, Alexandre Dumez, Lea Finucci, Marina Roger (Francuska / 2017 / 07:33) WHAT’S IN YOUR MIND?, Jo Ying Lee (Tajvan /2017 / 02:20) WOO-HOO!, David Stumpf (Slovačka / 2018 / 06:39) WORLD OF TOMORROW EPISODE TWO: THE BURDEN OF OTHER PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS, Don Hertzfeldt (Sjedinjene Američke Države / 2018 / 23:00)

[slovenlyrecordings]

MAIL ORDER UPDATE!

Start grabbing all this wicked new shit we just got in, like NOW before it gets atomized! Slovenly / Black Gladiator alumni GINO and the GOONS have a raw-assed new 10” in a swank gatefold jacket loaded with assorted band pics and nekkid wimmin, courtesy of Germany’s Red Lounge Records. Are the Goons too fun for ya? Looking for some intense and fucked up brutality that might not get you laid but will undoubtedly blast your ears into orbit? Then get the LPs from URANIUM CLUB and BEEKEEPERS. Those two recs have given us a ton of hope in these desperate times. We got a sweet stack from the stellar California punk freaks at Neck Chop Records: ACRYLICS, ERIK NERVOUS, BEATNIKS and a few more from their rapidly growing whoop-ass catalog! Feeling a wee bit mature? Like you like actual “music?” Jerry Teel - he of Honeymoon Killers, Chrome Cranks, Knoxville Girls - has a new LP with his current NOLA swamp swingers CHICKEN SNAKE. It’s NICE, but not polite. Capisce? We got copies of the LAVENDER FLU repress on clear vinyl, so if you missed the first press of this psychedelic masterpiece that seemed to sell out everywhere in two days, this could be your last chance. Headphone junkies take note and TRUST. And this is just the USA mail order. Check the Slovenly Worldwide link below for a whole ‘nother set of prime coolness!

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[vinylfromthevault]

Boss Hog “Cold Hands” released 30 years ago today, November 16th, 1990. Amphetamine Reptile Records. Produced by Steve Albini. Punk blues/noise rock, Cold Hands is Boss Hog’s was the band’s first full length release (their EP Drinkin', Lechin' & Lyin' came out in ‘89, also produced by Albini) with their original line-up: über-cool couple Jon Spencer and Cristina Martinez, along with noise rock notables - Kurt Wolf (guitar, also in Spencer’s band Pussy Galore), Charlie Ondras (drums, also in noise rockers Unsane; he died in ‘92) and Jerry Teel (guitar, also in Honeymoon Killers), and joined by new addition Pete Shore (bass, guitar). It’s loud, crazy, noisy, crazed and awesome. My top tracks are the opener “Gerard,” the malevolent “Eddy,” the industrial-noise “Red Bull,” the growling slink of “Go Wrong” and “Pop Catastrophe.” “Pop Catastrophe” is particularly great because its title spawned the name for Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s archivist’s webpage: http://www.pop-catastrophe.co.uk.

[lumpenabstract]

RYMH # 989 (12"#475)

The Honeymoon Killers "Turn Me On" (Buy Our Records, 1987)

Das Dum Fuck.

http://grooveshark.com/s/Dolly+W+A+Dick/3xahMc?src=5

[banglamafiarockenroll]

CHICKEN SNAKE " YER POISON " from the New Orleans Sessions (di Owens Teel)

[junker-town]

Rutgers is down to just one big problem, at least

Third-year head coach Chris Ash has built depth and boasts quite a few exciting prospects.

Bill C’s annual preview series of every FBS team in college football continues. Catch up here!

Anyone who’s been reading these previews through the years knows I’m a hedger. I’m bad at saying Team A is definitely going to achieve, get its coached fired, win its conference, or whatever. When I’m wrong, I try to figure out why, so I can avoid the same trap in the future, but when it comes to prognosticating about 85 18- to 22-year olds playing with a pointy ball that sometimes has a mind of its own, it’s only a matter of time until you’ve gotten everything wrong at least once.

I try to present things in terms of odds and scenarios — Scenario A is the most likely, but if these three things happen, then Scenario B is definitely on the table.

And sometimes I just punt. That was the case in last year’s Rutgers preview, entitled “Rutgers might look like a Big Ten football team by 2018.”

S&P+ projections suggested that former Wisconsin and Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s second Rutgers team would rise from 114th to 92nd with a record around 4-8. It went 1-for-2. The Scarlet Knights indeed won four games, thanks to the combination of four games against teams ranked 100th or worse (they went 3-1) and a midseason upset of Purdue. But they ranked 110th overall, losing to five top-30 opponents by an average of 39-8 and losing their last three games by a combined 116-13.

The strengths and weaknesses were the same as that of the 2016 team that went 2-10. The offense ranked 125th in Off. S&P+ in 2016 and 126th in 2017; the defense ranked in the mid-50s both years.

It’s not hard to see that continuing this year, considering the offense has a lot to replace (granted, leaving a pretty low bar to clear), but the defense returns most of its most exciting pieces and gets a couple of key players back from injury.

If a coach’s rebuild is going to be successful, we’ve usually seen signs by the end of his third year. Eastern Michigan, for instance, was hapless for most of Chris Creighton’s first two seasons before taking a third-year leap and maintaining in year four (which included a win over Rutgers).

Those leaps are pretty hard to see coming in advance, though, and we don’t have any reason to assume Ash’s team will suddenly boast offensive competence — in the last nine years, RU has ranked better than 84th in Off. S&P+ just once.

Still, the defense should be strong, and the first two months of the schedule feature seven games in which RU is either a favorite or a touchdown-or-less underdog. (The last month features four consecutive opponents projected in the S&P+ top 12. We should probably not talk about that.) There are potential wins on the board if the defense is as good as advertised and the offense ... does something remotely competent.

Offense

In 2009, John McNulty left a successful three-year stint as Rutgers offensive coordinator for the NFL. It was a good time to cash in his chips — the typically moribund Rutgers attack had ranked in Off. S&P+’s top 40 for three years.

Over the next nine seasons, he would bounce around as a position coach for the Cardinals, Bucs (under former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano), Titans, and Chargers. RU, meanwhile, posted an average offense ranking of 101.8.

Attempting to revive a flagging unit by bringing in someone who succeeded a decade ago isn’t the most surefire approach, but you can see what Ash was probably thinking. McNulty is Ash’s third OC in as many years, following Drew Mehringer in 2016 (who left for Texas) and Jerry Kill in 2017 (who re-retired).

From 2006-08, McNulty built a system around Mike Teel’s arm (he improved from 2,135 yards with a 120.6 passer rating in 2006 to 3,418 and 148.1 in 2008) and a persistent ground game. In 2006-07, Ray Rice carried the ball an average of 358 times per season, and after his departure in 2008, a trio of backs rushed 318 times.

The game’s changed, but in theory, McNulty’s principles can still work if he’s got the right personnel.

About that. McNulty’s going to need quite a few sophomores to raise their games. There’s a layer of senior leadership, but it hasn’t proved a ton.

Quarterback Giovanni Rescigno has spent the last two seasons winning and losing the starting job, completing too few passes (51 percent completion rate) for minimal yards (10.6 yards per completion) and taking too many sacks (10 percent sack rate). He also hasn’t had much to work with.

Rutgers did win three of its four games with him behind center, and he does avoid picks, but when the Knights were succeeding last fall, it was with the run game. And it was mostly with backs that aren’t at Rutgers anymore (Gus Edwards and Robert Martin rushed for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns).

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Jerome Washington

Beyond that, the only other seniors that figure to play major roles are running back and BC grad transfer Jon Hilliman, tight end Jerome Washington, and left tackle Tariq Cole. Hilliman is a powerful runner but doesn’t usually get very far, and Washington led the Scarlet Knights in receiving last year, but only because someone technically had to. Cole’s a keeper, at least: he was honorable-mention all-Big Ten.

Enter youth.

Sophomore Jonathan Lewis got a few (mostly unsuccessful) reps at QB last year, and either of two true freshmen (Artur Sitkowski or Jalen Chapman) could get reps.

Sophomore running back Raheem Blackshear was a brief bright spot last year, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Granted, most of his success came against Morgan State, but it’s something.

The receiving corps will be incredibly young. The four leading returning WRs are sophomores Hunter Hayek, Bo Melton, Everett Wormley, and Mohamed Jabbie, who combined to catch just 19 of 45 passes for 183 yards last year. Wormley is the only of the quartet who stands at least 6’0 tall (he’s listed at exactly 6’0), but redshirt freshman Shameen Jones is 6’1, and high-three-star freshmen Daevon Robinson and Zihir Lacewell are 6’4 and 6’3.

Center Michael Maietti started 10 games as a freshman, and center/guard Jonah Jackson started four as a sophomore. Sophomore Micah Clark is a former mid-four-star prospect, and sophomores Nick Krimin and Mike Lonsdorf were looking like potential starters by the end of spring.

It’s hard to be slightly optimistic about the passing game because of how awful it was last year and how much turnover it has to deal with. But Washington is the only senior in the receiving corps, and his backup, Nakia Griffin-Stewart, is probably the only junior. Whatever answers emerge, they’ll remain answers for a while.

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Jon Hilliman

Defense

The RU defense was projected to improve more than it did last year. With what they returned, the Scarlet Knights were supposed to push the top 40 in Def. S&P+ but ended up only 53rd.

But it’s hard to be too disappointed, considering they were without two key pieces (linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams and Blessuan Austin) and they were forced to compensate for that offense.

Perhaps in part because Ash and coordinator Jay Niemann — who’d fielded an attacking defense at NIU — knew that any failed risk would result in more points than their offense could match, Rutgers fielded a terribly passive front seven last year. The Knights were 125th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line) and 105th in Adj. Sack Rate; they reacted pretty quickly, however, and still held opponents at or below their season averages. In the Knights’ four wins, they allowed only 15 points per game.

If a retooled line holds up, a well-seasoned back seven could dominate, even if Ash and Niemann still don’t feel good enough about the offense to go damn-the-torpedoes.

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Deonte Roberts

Only one of last year’s top four tacklers returns up front, but depth was a relative strength there, at least. Ten linemen made at least one tackle for loss, and eight made at least nine tackles.

Returning end Kevin Wilkins was maybe RU’s best run defender, recording 5.5 non-sack TFLs, and senior tackle Jon Bateky was a heck of a gang tackler — he had just six solo tackles all season but made 27 assisted tackles. Throw in junior tackle Willington Previlon and a trio of sophomores (ends Elorm Lumor and CJ Onyechi and tackle Julius Turner), and it seems like RU should still be decent up front. But if one of these young defenders could develop a more disruptive streak (it bears mentioning that the eight plays Onyechi took part in stopping averaged just 1.8 yards per play), that could make a huge difference.

Beyond that, the Knights are set. Senior linebackers Trevor Morris and Deonte Roberts return, Maddox-Williams is back from an August ACL tear, and sophomore Tyshon Fogg was getting major reps by the end of the year. This was more of a reactive linebacking corps last year, but Maddox-Williams and Fogg give RU more attacking options.

The backfield could be awesome. Almost 45 percent of opponents’ incompletions were due to either an interception or breakup (third in FBS) and despite the passive front seven, RU allowed just a 128.3 passer rating and 57 percent completion rate.

Last year’s starters — corners Damon Hayes and Isaiah Wharton, safeties K.J. Gray, Jawuan Harris, and Saquan Hampton — all return, as does corner Blessuan Austin, who was fourth in the Big Ten in passes defensed (15) in 2016 before injuring his knee last September. Despite the total lack of a pass rush (and the lack of Austin), RU still ranked 36th in Passing Downs S&P+ last fall. It would be disappointing if the Scarlet Knights weren’t at least top-30 in that category.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Blessuan Austin

Special Teams

Rutgers had a forgettable unit in 2017, and with special teams, forgettable ain’t bad. The Knights ranked between 59th and 80th in four of five efficiency categories and 63rd in Special Teams S&P+, and Justin Davidovicz ranked 29th in kickoff success rate as a freshman.

Unfortunately, Davidovicz and kick returner Raheem Blackshear are the only returnees. No one in this unit is irreplaceable, but with new pieces, you’re just as likely to move down as up.

2018 outlook

2018 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 1-Sep Texas State 123 14.1 79% 8-Sep at Ohio State 1 -32.6 3% 15-Sep at Kansas 103 2.6 56% 22-Sep Buffalo 93 4.8 61% 29-Sep Indiana 58 -2.8 44% 6-Oct Illinois 99 7.0 66% 13-Oct at Maryland 80 -3.9 41% 20-Oct Northwestern 38 -7.1 34% 3-Nov at Wisconsin 12 -23.3 9% 10-Nov Michigan 10 -18.9 14% 17-Nov Penn State 8 -20.8 11% 24-Nov at Michigan State 11 -23.6 9%

Projected S&P+ Rk 84 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 119 / 29 Projected wins 4.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -7.8 (103) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 53 / 60 2017 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -5 / 4.1 2017 TO Luck/Game -3.8 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 71% (60%, 81%) 2017 Second-order wins (difference) 3.8 (0.2)

When a third-year leap happens, it’s because a coach’s culture is in place, he’s got better depth on the two-deep, and he’s got his guys everywhere.

Ash has those things going for him, at least when it comes to the defense and the rushing offense.

The passing game’s lack of quality and continuity is still going to affix a pretty low ceiling, though. S&P+ isn’t designed to see third-year leaps coming, and its emphasis on passing game continuity means the offense is projected to remain terrible.

But with a defense that could improve to top-30 levels, the Knights are favored in four games and a small or moderate underdog in three more. Rutgers won four games last year with all of last year’s limitations, and it will take only a little bit of overachievement to threaten bowl eligibility.

Still, there’s minimal margin for error. Life in the Big Ten East assures that, especially with a cross-division trip to Wisconsin. RU is a significant underdog in five games, which means the Knights will have to almost sweep their remaining contests to go bowling.

I said last year that RU could become an honest-to-goodness Big Ten team in 2018. The defense should hold up its end of the bargain, at least.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[dasschlongerdink-blog]

Knoxville Girls : "65 Days Ago" One of my all time favorite instrumentals.....an amazing band!

[vinylfromthevault]

“Set It On Fire!” 1993. Dog Meat Records. The Scientists tribute comp by a stellar list of grungy garage-punks including Honeymoon Killers (and when I read the liner notes I discovered that not only is Jon Spencer on guitar on this track, but so is JSBX’s Judah Bauer - also on guitar - and Russell Simins on drums, along with Jerry Teel on vocals/guitar and Lisa Wells on bass), Mudhoney, Cheater Slicks and Laughing Hyenas. The Scientists were an Australian post punk band in the late 70′s and 80′s. Set It On Fire! is a super-solid comp, lo-fi and hard-edged. My top tracks include Honeymoon Killers “Murderess in a Purple Dress,” Cheater Slicks “Set It On Fire,” Star Spangled Banana “Frantic Romantic” (no link to their version but here’s The Scientists playing the original), Mudhoney “We Had Love,” Sugar Shack “Hell Beach,” Philisteins “Teenage Dreamer” and Laughing Hyenas “Solid Gold Hell.” So basically the entire record. 

[vinylfromthevault]

Chrome Cranks “Love in Exile” 1996. Today, June 11th, is Bob Bert’s birthday (b. Robert Bertelli, 1955). Bert drummed for Chrome Cranks, as well as for Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Knoxville Girls, Jon Spencer and the HITMakers, among many others. Love in Exile was Chrome Cranks’ third and final studio album and also features former Honeymoon Killers’ bassist Jerry Teel along with Cranks founders William Weber and Peter Aaron. Much like Sonic Youth, Honeymoon Killers and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, it’s blues-punked noise rock, with a dash of psychobilly thrown in for a sound Allmusic labels “sleaze-rock.” There’s a deeply sinister cover of the old traditional tune “See That My Grave is Kept Clean” as well as some sparse - and also sinister - experimental tracks like “Movie Star” and “Curtains for My Baby.” Some of my favorites are the growling blues-exploded “We’re Going Down,” the blues-boogie punk of “Lost Time Blues,” as well as “Hot Blonde Cocktail,” a great screaming ass-shaker that weirdly got a decent amount of airplay on MTV in the mid-90′s. 

I saw Bob Bert perform with Jon Spencer last summer, July 2018. His “drum kit” was a refabbed car engine atop a bass drum and hooked onto a trash can; he hit his kit mainly with hammers.