Tonight is a good night. Let me count the reasons why:

* Supposedly, we’ve got a lunar eclipse starting in a few hours, but I have absolutely no intention of staying up for that celestial display. I know, I know, these are the kinds of things that should be experienced, but since it was on National Public Radio this morning that I heard about it, well, we can’t let that bastion of liberal progressive thought in this country (something, BTW, taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for any longer) make me change my normal sleeping schedule, now can we?

* Even though it’s still summer here in Arizona and likely to stay that way for another month or more, the inner New England clock within me says it’s time for more hearty fare, so tonight I have a huge pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Funny how your inner clock betrays what is around you, isn’t it?

* The new Top Priority band shrine at the Kitthwawk Productions website (www.kittyhawkproductions.com) is just about to go live, with an official kick-off scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Oh baby, there you’ll find everything for the Top Priority fan in your family – autographed photos, their new “Anthology 1974-76” CD, pre-ordering for their upcoming book (excerpted here at Goodboys Nation), and even historical tours ($18.75 per person with 2 weeks advanced notice) of landmark sites in Top Priority history. A must with Christmas just around the corner!

* Tonight I rediscovered the Beach Boys’ 15 Big Ones album. Released in 1976, history hasn’t been kind to this particular band effort, but compared to some of what came afterwards, I don’t think it’s that bad. Looking back, the whole “Brian [Wilson] Is Back” campaign did a hell of a lot more harm than good, seeing that at that time the Beach Boys’ leader and producer was in no shape to reclaim the band’s producer reigns, but listening to the album after two decades, one can’t deny that Brian was ahead of his time in the use of Moog bass, and the Boys were actually in pretty good vocal form. To me the highlights are the single “It’s OK”, the late Carl Wilson‘s vocal on “Palisades Park” and “Just Once In My Life”, and the late Dennis Wilson croaking “In The Still Of The Night”. Hearing the album brought back a lot of memories, and to me, it wasn’t nearly as bad as critics pounded them for at the time.

* It’s August 28, and the New York Yankees are a full eight – count ’em, eight – games behind the Red Sox. While I understand the Evil Empire has some pretty effective offensive weaponry, how can any team hoping to gain a foothold in the race for the American League wild card lose a game 16-0 to the Detroit Tigers. I’ll tell you this, even if the Yanks were to take 2 of 3 from the Red Sox and close to within seven games of the A.L. East lead, I don’t see how losing games like that provides any sort of hope for post-season play. I mean, will they even have a functioning bullpen by that time?

* Cosmo the rabbit seems very happy bounding around the room. Always a nice sight.