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well, this obviously complicates things. it's quite clear this is going to take longer, and require far more resources than initially projected. jw question: what am i supposed to be looking for again? 3 minutes in and my mind suddenly blanked.

obviously, your research wasn't exhaustive enough, and leads me to wonder whether such a task be left to an amateur. in conducting my own study, i'm still in the process of reaching my own conclusions, and there's a very good chance this might take a while. jw

ask and i shall deliver: Over-rated No. 2: Dave Matthews Band. the less said, the better. this Peter Gabriel wannabe pop-pusher can be blamed for inspiring much of what's been relentlessly cloying in pop these days, from the icky john mayer to mumford and sons. it's harmless music pretending to be important. he's had his moments, "Crash" is a very good song, but how matthews ever became to be so overly popular is way beyond me except for his ability to repackage "Crash" every once in a while to sell records: "Mercy" comes to mind in that regard. change the lyrics, keep the melody. you hear one song, you've essentially pretty much heard them all. and yet, there seems to be bottomless demand for these endless-loop odes to pretention. i guess every generation needs its Sussudio guiilty pleasures guys who attend dmb concerts tell me they do it because there's plenty of girls there. girls attend the concerts because there's guys there. thus, the music being played onstage -- i'm guessing, since i have a self-imposed mile-long restraining order against this band -- becomes mere background noise. it works to Matthews' benefit, his ability to manufacture mood. sure it works, but don't call it substantial. Cash into him. Under-rated No. 1B: Nick Lowe been having a near-endless internal debate over whether Nick Lowe deserves to be ranked as the most under-rated artist of all time, thus my decision to give him the "1B" place rather than 2. and even as i write this i want to switch back and go with the act i chose to be No. 1 overall. whether as a solo artist, his collaborations with Dave Edmunds, or his assists with Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, John Hiatt and even the Pretenders (Stop Your Sobbing), Lowe was prolific in influencing modern music as we know it. and yet, Lowe somehow got lost on this side of the pond, cast aside as being too what? good? at a time Toto and Forieigner and JGiells were starting to sell out, Lowe was busy organizing the next British Invasion as an artist, song-writer and producer. Rockpile's "Seconds of Pleasure" was a near-perfect album in ushering the rockabilly movement, a fine collection of hip-shaking rock songs rooted in Hank Williams' riffs. i guess this was too far advanced for the tin-eared suits and radio programmers and, perhaps, many listeners, to appreciate it at the time. and yet, there is no excuse now as to why Nick Lowe should continue to be overlooked in having been the Buddy Holly of his time. Lowe's sound stands up today, and prevails as a testament to what rock and roll still and always has stood for. the only one close to matching this sound and poppy drive coming out of America at this time were Marshall Crenshaw and, perhaps, the Go-Gos. and yet, no one to this day has been capable of matching Lowe for his seemingly near perfect pitch and ear for crafting a two-and-a-half minute pop song. Nick Lowe has done more for music than sir paul mccartney ever came close to in tarnishing his post-Beatles reputation. and sir elton john, as it turns out, couldn't hold a candle in the wind to Lowe's lengthy anthology. the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's ongoing exclusion of Lowe is a reason why i continue to question its relevance as an arbiter of what matters. and it's why i had difficulty stomaching a few of the latest inductees, Rush and Heart for instance, specifically, and Blondie and the Pretenders a few years back. not to say that they don't belong -- though a good case could be made against Heart and the Pretenders given how they both devolved into rock parody. but an institution that pretends to represent the best of what rock and roll has had to offer, and fails to include Nick Lowe, leaves itself open to being second-guessed for easy fixes and an eye for what's "popular" as compared to what's important. as the New York Times argued a few years back: "The 40-year career of the English song-writer Nick Lowe constitutes a paradox: the songs he has written are better known than he is." and as i write that, i have this want and desire to cut and paste this and save it for the next entry. i'll leave it be in opening myself up to criticism for being the latest in a long line of people to not give Nick Lowe his proper and far-too-belated due. jw

it's not secrecy. it's the want and desire to manage the message through essentially hired publicists. jw

glad to hear he's "excited," or at least that's what the inhouse staff reported. sad to say, he was not made available to share his "excitement" with anyone else in the media in the event we might have misquoted him or somehow left out an exclamation mark. jw congrats, though, for getting this deal done.

geez, no worries, friend. you cited a source in saying you heard it on your local radio station so it sounds as if you're not the only one fooled by whatever was reported. the blame should instead go to whomever allowed that report to go on the air in the first place. of course, this negates you from winning "Last Post Wins" though. ... jw

yes, all that talent, all those clutch shots, mvp awards, championship rings -- what a putz. come to think of it, let's lump him in with Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Wilt and Montana, Walter Payton, Larry Bird and Magic and be done with them. Wooden, too. i hate success when it comes to sports. rubs me the wrong way. jw

the answer to the thread title is: no. jw

yep. 4-years, $8.9 million with $4.84 guaranteed. there is an option for a 5th year, but it's considered a 4-year deal. jw

mama, mia. jw

will have terms of the deal in next version of story, i've just filed for editing. jw

don't know if talks are adversarial. Byrd, through his agent, has not exactly dug in, but is sticking to what they believe is fair. The Bills obviously disagree. there's no animosity here to my knowledge. and why should Byrd show up to camp and give up a semblance of leverage. take sports out of the equation. this is a black and white business negotiation, and to suggest one side should do something that you might not do is a little naive to suggest. i don't mean to be mean here, but couldn't the same thing be said of the Bills. might it not be in their best interest to sit down in Byrd's living room or Parker's office and hash this out? jw

cranked on music, so let's move on: Over-rated No. 3: Radiohead. i'm tired of the tributes and syrupy-applaud plaudits being doled out to these wingey, whiney, nearly unlistenable sour-pusses. gawd, the mere thought of putting on a Radiohead album leads me to despair and thoughts of hurting myself -- and at the very least acquiring long, heavy-duty nails in order to poke out every last remnant of my eardrums. and it's no better when the slow torture begins in actually having to endure the sad malaise of "Paranoid Android," because -- heavy guitar solo aside -- i know it's going to segue into more and more melancholy. and as if on cue, up pops "Karma Police." what are the benefits of listening to this slow march into melodrama. cloying in its grief and over-production. you almost want to spank Thom Yorke and suggest that perhaps there's a little more to life than this falsetto misery. gees, get over yourself. they are as alternative as Royal Albert's Hall, all sardonic and no sniff of wit. it's Pink Floyd on downers. it's unbearable. each album they released should've bore the same name: "More Adventures into Self-Loathing." and each track could very well be titled "6 Minutes of Gloom." the lyrics on "Fake Plastic Trees" pretty much sums it all up for me: "It wears me out." Radiohead makes me angry for its psuedo-serious zeal. no one this side of Kurt Cobain can be this depressed. art, perhaps, but rock? by golly, no. Under-rated No. 3: The Replacements. it may be mere coincidence, or perhaps inspired synchronicity. this entry on my list has been locked in from the beginning, and it just so happens that the timing of this post coincides with some of the biggest news to "hit the fans" in 22 years: the announcement that Westerberg and Stinson are back together again and touring. few bands out of America have influenced so much and received so little for it than the 'Mats. mining such bands as the Faces and leaning heavily on the Dolls, the Replacements burst on the scene with a crash and clamor noise at a time when the nation was glued to MTV, and the Brits had once again invaded. over their 12-year stretch, the Replacements grew in talent, proportion and influence by putting out some of the best rock and roll of their day. the holy trinity of albums -- "Let it Be" (which was supposed to be called !@#$ 'Em All), "Tim" and "Pleased to Meet Me" -- stills stands today as a blistering tribute to their exceptional and sloppy talent. they've influenced everyone from Nirvana to Green Day, the Drive-By Truckers to even receiving a bon-mot from Robert Plant. there is a quote attributed to Plant regarding his reaction to first hearing Nirvana: "Nirvana?" he said, "****, the Replacements were doing this 10 years ago." Westerberg has emerged as an American Ray Davies, or perhaps a Graham Parsons for what he's done as a solo artist. the best album you've likely never heard to come out in the 2000s was Westerberg's 49:00. it's a cacophony of a one-track opus that's both perfect and imperfect in its vastness and desperation. unfortunately, it was only made available on Amazon online and only, it turned out, for a couple of weeks. royalty issues forced Westerberg to pull it from sale, which is par for the course for a band that stumbled at nearly every chance of success. they'd be higher on this list, but the 'Mats have since earned their share of respect, be it Westerberg's occasional writings in the NYTimes, or the buzz they've created this week by reuniting for three shows in Toronto, Chicago and Denver. in fact, the 'Mats-headlined show in Toronto has nearly sold out in some 48 hours. that's a testament to their lasting power. there was and still is merit to their dysfunction in having done it all wrong and still made a big dent. jw

Buffalo still is: Jason Isbell's playing in Buffalo. that's big. Black Keys are playing Canalside. that's big, too. though, Buffalo might be on the less beaten track, it's place geographically can't be beat. there's enough big cities within a 3 hour drive to easily see essentially anyone and everyone that's touring. heck, last year, my wife and i made a weekend road trip to see the Truckers and Lucinda Williams play outside of Baltimore. i understand your point, but there's enough going on to satisfy everyone's needs, i think. and looking forward to experiencing what this new Waiting Room is all about after getting tickets for Isbell. i'm not a huge fan of big-venue shows, and had no interest in seeing the Stones this, the last or the last after that time around. i missed them when they were truly relevant rockers and won't overpay to see them in some big stadium setting. i did that for GnR back in the day, only because i figured it might be the last time to catch them as a whole -- and it was. and i still contend Buffalo is a hip town. ... the Hip, in fact, are playing later this summer Canalside. jw

disagree. he's developed into more of a complete player over past three years. and as well as Byrd did in his rookie season, a case can be made that last year was his most complete season. he was the most consistent player on defense last season, and despite the unit's numbers, that is a compliment. jw

replacements. jw

having already seen the 'Mats twice, and shook hands with Stinson down at the Mohawk, i'd pay to see Jesus (small club/temple only, maybe a mount), Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer and Hank Williams first. after that, the list thins pretty quickly. jw

one-year wonder? i disagree. first, if he was, then the Bills would not have franchised him. second, the numbers indicate that he's not. and not entirely sure what you would consider "overpay." Byrd is seeking what he believes that he's worth. the Bills believe the number's lower. it's called a negotiation. they're willing to pay him $6.9 million for next season. if they didn't think he was worth that, then why apply the tag? jw

i wrote "barely got a shot" and you say "not a great one." in truth, there were questions about Tarvaris' future all along in Buffalo. the Bills targeted him in February because they weren't sure as to who was going to be available in free agency, and whether they'd be able to land him. they were clearly looking for an upgrade over Jackson from the beginning. Fitzpatrick could've been that player, but he balked on restructuring his deal. that left the Bills going after Kolb, making him fully aware that they were going to draft a quarterback in the first round. once the Kolb deal was done, all that was left was waiting to draft EJ. Jackson was a longshot to win the backup job, and he had to fully out-perform Kolb in voluntary minicamps. it became clear very early that wasn't going to happen. in the practices opens to media not employed by the Bills, Jackson never came close to matching Kolb's grasp fo the offense and rapport with the receivers. sure, he got his shot if you want to split nits. but once the Bills went after Kolb and signed him, the writing was essentially on the wall from my perspective. it was a matter of when not if. jw

big buffalo contingent seems to be going. the 716 shall represent. ... funny, i'm not a fan of the Bills or Sabres, it's not part of the job title, and it wouldn't be fair to my employer, my profession or to the one or two readers i might have. but when it comes to my love -- yes love -- of the 'Mats, i get it. i get the blood on the sleeve rooting fascination you folks have. and the connection between The Replacements and the Bills is not as loose as one might think. i've always compared this town, that team and the 'Mats as being similar in have being the ones who nearly did, beautiful losers, who aspired to greatness and stumbled. and the drinking part of both cultures helps. jw

the evolution -- or perhaps devolution -- to 'Mats was spurred from fans lovingly calling them "The Placemats," in part because it was shorter than Replacements, and also a nod to their never-can-win, doormat luck. it's from there that the 'Mats' name came to be and stuck. it's funny, having to explain this, because 'Mats nation is fully accustomed to the short-form nickname, and it sometimes befuddles us kool-aid drinkers that others -- outside the club -- wouldn't know that. i don't mean harm with that, but it's just weird how wired us fans are, oblivious to those who aren't familiar with the band. start with "Tim" and then go from there, back to the beginning up to the fall-apart end to get an appreciation for their sound. perhaps, a little under-rated, but that might, of course be for another thread ... jw

well, you can ask, and hopefully, your post will be read. i just discovered the person involved in putting this series together happens to be a Bills fan and just might also be a member of this board. ... i kid you not. jw

i got mine. can't hardly wait. (and i'd like to thank both the 'Mats and the NFL scheduler for having the Toronto show on Aug 25, a day in which the Bills will be off (following their game at Washington), and thus i will be as well. as it should be.) jw

sorry for the delay, as i got bogged down with work, but let's move on: Over-rated No. 4: Garth Brooks i know, i know. this is supposed to be all about rock and roll, but given Brooks' popularity and the fact that he played a role in nudging country into pop's ballpark, he certainly deserves merit -- or, in this case, blame. just because he wore a cowboy hat and boots, and just because he strummed a guitar, and made his base in Nashville certainly don't make him country. sure there's talent there, if you dig deep enough through his syrupy collection. for every good ol' boy song, starting with his trademark "Friends in Low Places," there's also too much of a sour serving of sloppy mash. what is this baloney of "Unanswered Prayers" and "Thunder Rolls." and how he got off putting out one last album and then calling it quits, only to have his "popularity" grow is one of music's mysteries. what's worse, and i mean this absolutely, Brooks came out at a time when country was approaching a bit of a crossroad, with rebel yellers such as Dwight Yoakam and Steve Earle pushing the edges of the sound with a guttural twang. unfortunately, the masses went the other way, following Brooks' lead down a path of posers and country carpetbaggers: from Shania's psuedo-country to Tim McGraw's schizophrenic swings from rocker to sap, and eventually Lady Antebellum (a trio pretending to be from the south) to Hootie himself, Darius Rucker (the next country song he pens, will most certainly be his first). Trisha Yearwood's certainly a better song-writer and Brooks, for all his party anthems, never seemed like the guy you'd find in a honky tonk, unless of course, he owned it and turned it into a suburban strip-mall franchise. which brings us to Under-rated No. 4: Steve Earle. what's a poor boy gotta do to get some respect around here. sure, "Copperhead Road" was a sure-fire hit, but that was a long time ago and, in retrospect, might have been among his weakest releases, given what followed. there was the gritty rocker, "El Corazon," which somehow made it all the way to 126 on the Country List, followed by the exceptionally complete "Transcendental Blues," which should have secured Steve's place as one of America's top song-writing talents. and let's not forget Steve's rambles into folk music's past, from "Townes" to the album he put out with the Del McCoury band. perhaps, the difficulty of pegging Earle's place in music is because of how difficult it is to put your arms around his vast and lenghty playlist -- from twang, to pop to rock and folk. but that's the beauty of Earle's talent, over the years he's been comfortable as both a hayseed or rocker. mean, ornery and prolific. and he's no Garth, that's for sure. you want pithy ballads, give "Ft. Worth Blues" a listen. you want a blistering rocker, try "Here I Am." that they both happen to be on the same album is a tribute to Earle. that he wrote one of the best pop songs in "Galway Girl" certainly says something about his instincts, talent and unshakeable ear. sure there have been accolades, from bit parts in HBO series to a hilarious, poppy tribute song penned by Sugarland. yet, there's an industry-wide respect that still seems to be missing, perhaps because of his loner ways and a seemingly endless want to not follow the crowd. it was no coincidence that Steve, at one point, moved in on a farm near Johnny Cash's home. the two became friends, and Cash would talk about how Earle would occasionally shake the countryside by lighting off a cannon. booming enough to gain attention, sure, but not loud enough to crack the antiseptic offices of Nashville or corporate radio bosses. jw

This means that Byrd is not signed. That's all. jw