In the 1980s, the Pet Shop Boys forged their unique sound on the radio waves and dance floor with "Always on My Mind", "Left to My Own Devices", "West End Girls" and other hits. But after their 1991 Discography greatest hits album, all went silent for the duo, as time tends to take its toll on bands of all flavors.

Imagine my surprise today when I saw that iTunes was featuring a brand new album by the Pet Shop Boys, called Fundamental. The CD, or that which I've heard so far, hearkens back to the original sounds and tunes that made the band famous in the first place. Anybody who fell in love with the sounds of the Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and Information Society, not to mention a host of others in this period, will at least want to give a cursory glance to the latest offering from the band.

And isn't it great knowing I don't have to go to Tower Records or Amazon to get this music? iTunes always has it, and it's just a download away. Thank God for Apple.

Listening to ''Psychological'', by Pet Shop Boys (Play Count: 1)

After a few months of relative stability, we're hitting the road again - this time heading East, to Boston, Massachusetts, where we will be staying through Saturday, when we return to the Bay Area. Though I expect to have full Web access, my daytime activity, all work-related, will surely disrupt anything resembling regular posting.

Maybe, if you're good, we'll present pictures, but no guarantees.


Where We'll Be This Week

Listening to ''Integral'', by Pet Shop Boys (Play Count: 1)

Cross-posted on Athletics Nation...

If any A's fans were on the fence regarding Milton Bradley before today, they've made sure to jump on The Gamer's back now, after he struck the final blow, a three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, to bring the A's back from the jaws of defeat, sending them off the homestand victorious, having taken 3 of 4 from the Blue Jays. Since the All-Star Break, Bradley has been a giant among men for the A's, and his walkoff, the first of his career, was as dramatic as you'll see.

But beyond the final swing (what  a swing!) some elements cannot be overlooked.

* Mark Kotsay was ridiculously great in forcing a 12-pitch walk from vaunted Blue Jay closer B.J. Ryan, extending the game. He fouled off seven pitches, and took ball four, bringing Bradley to the plate as the potential winning run.

* Huston Street picked up the victory, but also proved many ANers right by folding in the 9th after sitting on the bench after having closed out the 8th. As we've seen a number of times this season, Huston hasn't had the tenacity to save a game when called upon to get more than three outs. To reach the status of a Mariano Rivera or other storied closers, he will need to develop this skill.

* Eric Chavez! The guy's hurting. We all know it, but he hasn't asked to take a day off. Even as his hitting is returning (he was in the 5 spot today, going 1 for 4), his defense is still top-notch. He was a defensive machine today, getting everything that went his way.

* And lastly, Shane Komine. Though he didn't pick up the victory in his major league debut, he left the game after six full with the A's on top. After the first pitch, he took the ball and threw it into the dugout for a keepsake, but the next pitch was a home run by the Jays' leadoff batter, giving the fan a keepsake themselves. After that, he was nearly lights-out, finishing with only four hits and four walks to go with the one run. He could be a great alternative to Saarloos if the league doesn't figure him out.

AN Day 3 could not have ended better. There was much more about AN Day 3 to discuss, and it will be discussed, with photos, but for now, we can rest in the glow we all felt when Bradley mashed that final pitch over the wall. For yet another day, the A's will go to bed in first place... alone.

Some sneak peek photos from AN Day 3... which saw A's GM Billy Beane and radio broadcaster Ken Korach entertain us with their stories and answering Q&A before the game, which also saw the first 15,000 receive Dan Haren bobbleheads at the gate. Billy Beane said he didn't expect any big moves to happen at the trading deadline, so barring a near-term apocalypse, we can all rest easy regarding Zito. I'll let others recap those discussions, but to whet your appetites, here are three images from AN Day 3. Others more adept at photography will no doubt follow with pictures that include more of the AN crew!

Click for a larger version of each...


Dan Haren strikes a pose with the Coliseum in the background.


Ken Korach talking to Blez prior to the game, with Beane listening.


Billy Beane answering questions from AN with Korach and Blez listening.

For a group photo of the AN crew listening to Billy Beane and Ken Korach, you could click here. I warn you... Nico and I are too closely featured. You've been warned.

An Apple rumor a day keeps Steve Jobs away. Or so it seems. On what should have been a lazy Saturday in the rumor mill for the Cupertino computer and digital device maker, the Web is aflurry with yet another discussion about the often-rumored and never seen, iPhone. It's been suggested pretty much ever since Apple debuted the iMac in 1998 that a move to cellular phones was next - and that the company would leverage is unparalleled design and user interface abilities to rock the worlds of Motorola and rest of the handset developers. 

With the subsequent debuts of the iPod in 2001, and work with Motorola on the Rokr and Slvr, Apple continues to draw attention to something they haven't mentioned - the iPhone. Even the most ardent of Cupertino followers is probably tired of this news cycle - as they've only been told about the Cupertino-owned URL www.iphone.org about 10 million times. But that news cycle is back, in one of those "A friend of a friend told me" type of deals. Engadget is now saying that an insider familiar with the commercial production for many of Apple's projects has seen the sleekest cell phone ever, and that it will debut in August - as if Steve Jobs has such loose control over the company that this helpful piece of data would just fall out of their mouths...

But that's not all in Apple land tonight. It turns out that the company's current products are humming along very nicely now too. As the company makes the third major transition in the last decade, over to Intel, not all of the company's faithful customers (myself included) have yet made the switch, and as eWeek writes, there just may be a "perfect storm" of Macintosh sales on the horizon, which in my hopes, would propel AAPL stock to new heights unseen in recent times. With my portfolio rebounding, it'd be great to have Apple pushing us well beyond our current position. Maybe, with my new iPhone, I could call my broker (if I had one) and tell him to buy, buy, buy AAPL stock. That'd be a kick. Now we just have to wait a month. Maybe. If the rumors are true...

Listening to ''Flowerz'', by Armand Van Helden (Play Count: 6)