The Weekday Ramble is a daily dose of sports, music, culture, and more from Rambling On founder Erik Ritland. For more information check us out on Twitter, Facebook, or at our website.
Monday January 5, 2015
Saying goodbye to Big Joe, Little Jimmy, and Stuart Scott, Rambling On's best of 2014 album list, Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys
In threes
On Friday I mourned the death of Big Joe Siedlik, host of RFD-TV's Big Joe Polka Show. I was sad to find the next day that Little Jimmy Dickens, country legend and Grand Old Opry star from the '50s and '60s, also died. Proving quickly that bad things come in threes, yesterday ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott succumbed to cancer.
All three men were iconic in their fields and will be missed. It's especially sad in Scott's case, as he was still at the top of his game and had plenty of quality years left in him. May he rest in peace and his family find comfort and strength.
It was a very good year
I've been busy compiling and writing Rambling On's top 15 albums of 2014. There's an eclectic mix throughout and it features several overlooked releases. Check out #15-11, which includes offerings from Weezer, the Twin Cities own Twinkie Jiggles, Jeff Tweedy, and more. It's a personal piece that also comments on the state of new music. Coming in at #10 is Neil Young's A Letter Home. You can check out the review of here.
The roar...
A painfully boring weekend in football was capped off by one exciting game, America's least favorite team the Dallas Cowboys knocking off the motor city kitties of Detroit. At least how awful Dallas played, and at home even, proves conclusively that they’re more mirage than trend. The blown pass interference call was pathetic but you can’t blame the refs because they’re not used to working together (the NFL idiotically puts “all-star” officiating crews together for the playoffs). Regardless, the romance of an Ice Bowl rematch is too great for even a cynic like me to deny the power of.
Special thanks to the Common Man Dan Cole for providing me with two bits in “The roar…” portion of today’s Weekday Ramble.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He is also a contributor for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
RSS Feed
