Is Max Kepler Figuring Out Lefties?

The Twins' rebuild began with the disastrous 2011 season, and it has yet to truly produce a contender. Long-term improvement and short-term overperformance have taken the team to winning records in two of the last four seasons, as well as a Wild Card berth in 2017, but the Twins haven't surpassed averageness.

A significant reason the Twins have failed to break out thus far has been a struggling group of young players. Eddie Rosario and José Berríos overcame initial difficulties to become the team's most valuable hitter and pitcher, respectively, but the Twins are still waiting on a few others to find their ways.

Byron Buxton was MLB.com's top overall prospect in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Though he plays center fielder like a Gold Glover, Buxton has struck out too much and repeatedly hit the Disabled List.

Miguel Sanó, ranked seventh on the 2014 list and third the year before, has phenomenal power and takes plenty of walks. But he's been unable to make contact consistently, reported to spring training overweight, missed time due to injuries, and was accused of assault last winter.

Jorge Polanco has had moderate success since becoming the starting shortstop in late 2016, but a PED suspension kept him off the field for half of 2018.

And then there's Max Kepler. The German has provided excellent defense in right field and shown enough flashes of offensive prowess to be a decent regular, but one thing held him back in his first couple of seasons.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 043

The Vikings' blowout win against the Dolphins and previewing Georgia Tech-Minnesota.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 042

College football coaching changes, Vikings-Seahawks, and a selection of albums of 2018.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 041

Conference championships, coaching moves, a bowl preview, and a quick recap of Vikings-Patriots.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 040

National college football happenings, Minnesota's unforgettable, landmark conquest of Camp Randall, and the Vikings' completion of a St. Croix sweep with a win over the Packers.

A note: Since we recorded, Jeff Brohm announced he will stay at Purdue.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 039

Reviewing Minnesota's loss to Northwestern and previewing their upcoming game against Wisconsin, as well as reviewing the Vikings' loss to the Bears.

A correction: West Virginia has two conference losses. Somehow, their disastrous trip to Ames slipped Chandler's mind.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 038

Aaron reacts to the Jimmy Butler trade, and Chandler offers his thoughts on a shocking Gophers win over Purdue and their upcoming game against Northwestern.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Damien Jurado, Waters Ave. S.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 037

Extended national college football discussion, abbreviated Gophers discussion, and bonus Aaron-seeing-Ween discussion.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 036

Reviewing an eventful Gopher victory over Indiana and previewing a hopefully uneventful victory over Illinois, as well as reviewing the albums Aaron and Chandler exchanged last week.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 035

The Gophers' disastrous loss and underwhelming next opponent, as well as Part I of an album exchange bit.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 034

The wild weekend in college football, a surprisingly positive Minnesota loss, a preview of Nebraska, and a solid Vikings win.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 033

College football, the Gophers' loss, and the Vikings' win, with extra sports bits sprinkled on top.

A small correction: The former Texas quarterback was David Ash. Chris Ash is Rutgers head coach.

Aaron's Album of the Week: The Marcus King Band, Carolina Confessions

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 032

Wrapping up the baseball season and possibly Joe Mauer's career, perusing college football news, and previewing Iowa-Minnesota.

Less than an hour after we finished recording, the Twins announced they had fired Paul Molitor. We will address that next week.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Tom Waits, Bone Machine

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 031

The catastrophic Gophers' and Vikings losses, as well as Aaron's Driveby Trucker and The Hold Steady excursion.

Due to the pressures of school, this is going up a day later than desired. Please forgive the moments that are out of date.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 030

College and pro football roundups, with the usual special foci on the Gophers and Vikings.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Dr. John, In the Right Place

A note: When we recorded on Tuesday and mentioned LeSean McCoy, we did not mention that he might not play because of a rib injury. Nor did we know of the allegations against him of child abuse.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 029

The Gophers' narrow victory over Fresno State and upcoming game against Miami (Ohio), with a bit of 49ers-Vikings thrown in as well.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Bill Frisell, Nashville

A correction on the identity of the BYU quarterback: It's Tanner Mangum. Yes, he's still in school.

More depressingly, an update on Rodney Smith: He is out for the rest of the season.

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 028

Chandler reviews the Gophers' win over New Mexico State and briefly previews their game against Fresno State, and Aaron reviews seeing the Avett Brothers and Government Mule in Chicago.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Metallica, ...And Justice for All

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2018 College Football Preview: Predictions

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

After all the conference previews, we wrap up with the usual preseason features: a Heisman watch list, a top 25, bowl projections, and Playoff predictions.

Heisman Watch List

1. Khalil Tate, Arizona QB
2. Bryce Love, Stanford RB

3. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin RB

4. Trace McSorley, Penn State QB

5. Jake Browning, Washington QB

2018 College Football Preview: Big Ten

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

We've finally reached the last conference in FBS: The Big Ten.

Big Ten Conference

West

Predicted standings:

1. Wisconsin

2. Northwestern

3. Iowa

4. Purdue

5. Nebraska

6. Minnesota

7. Illinois

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 027

Aaron reviews the Smashing Pumpkins, and we discuss the SEC and the Big Ten. Then, Chandler previews the Gophers' season and their Week 1 game against New Mexico State.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Disclosure, Settle

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2018 College Football Preview: Southeastern Conference

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

Today, we cover the SEC.

Southeastern Conference

West

Predicted standings:

1. Alabama (conference champions)

2. Auburn

3. Mississippi State

4. LSU

5. Texas A&M

6. Mississippi

7. Arkansas

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 026

The ACC and Chandler's trip to San Antonio to see Anthrax, Slayer, and more.

Aaron's Album of the Week: The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream

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2018 College Football Preview: Atlantic Coast Conference

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

Today, we delve into maybe the deepest conference in college football, the ACC.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlantic

Predicted standings:

1. Clemson (conference champions)

2. Wake Forest

3. Florida State
4. Louisville
5. NC State

6. Boston College

7. Syracuse

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 025

The Big 12 and the Maryland scandal.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Brent Cobb, Providence Canyon

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The audio is a little weird this week because we recorded it from opposite ends of the country. There were also a couple of technology issues that forced significant edits, so there's something of an abrupt transition out of our Maryland conversation.

2018 College Football Preview: Big 12

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

Today, the wild and parity-ridden Big 12.

Big 12 Conference

Predicted standings:

1. Oklahoma (conference champions)

2. West Virginia

3. Oklahoma State

4. TCU

5. Texas
6. Texas Tech
7. Kansas State

8. Iowa State

9. Baylor

10. Kansas

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 024

The Pac-12 and what the Urban Meyer and Roberto Osuna situations say about sports culture.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Radiohead, The Bends

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2018 College Football Preview: Pac-12

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

Today, we move onto the Power Five, beginning with the Pac-12.

Pac-12 Conference

North

Predicted standings:

1. Washington (conference champions)

2. Stanford

3. Oregon

4. California

5. Washington State

6. Oregon State

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 023

Continued college football previews, a draft of Aaron and Chandler's favorite cool athletes, and remembering Metallica's Ride the Lightning.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Tony Molina, Kill the Lights

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One minor correction: Jason Terry never made an All-Star Game.

2018 College Football Preview: American, Independents

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

Today, we wrap up the mid-major conferences with the AAC, and then we cover the six independents.

American Athletic Conference

West

Predicted standings:

1. Memphis

2. Houston

3. SMU

4. Navy

5. Tulane

6. Tulsa

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 022

The Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade and stupid things Josh Hader and Larry Fedora said.

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2018 College Football Preview: MAC, Mountain West

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

In this post, we discuss the MAC and Mountain West.

Mid-American Conference

West

Predicted standings:

1. Toledo (conference champions)
2. Northern Illinois
3. Western Michigan
4. Central Michigan
5. Eastern Michigan
6. Ball State

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 021

Macro ramblings on soccer and the NBA, Chandler's Conference-USA and Sun Belt opinions, and Aaron's review of seeing Radiohead in Chicago.

Aaron's Album of the Week: The Jayhawks, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2018 College Football Preview: C-USA, Sun Belt

College football's annually grueling hiatus is almost over. To celebrate, Ski-U-Blog previews and predicts the 2018 season, going conference-by-conference across the country.

It's still some time until the first FBS games on August 25, but it's never too early to start talking about the mid-majors. Today, we cover Conference USA the Sun Belt.

Conference USA

West

Predicted standings:

1. UAB

2. North Texas

3. Louisiana Tech

4. Southern Mississippi

5. UTSA

6. Rice

7. UTEP

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 020

Aaron's time seeing Dead and Company, and our live music regrets.

Aaron's Album of the Week: James McMurtry, Saint Mary of the Woods

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We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 019

Aaron's trips to the Revival Music Festival and Bonnaroo, and Chandler's time seeing Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers.

Also: We're on iTunes now. Isn't that neat? Subscribe here.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 018

After a three-week hiatus, Aaron and Chandler catch up on the goings-on in the sports world and finally discuss Steven Hyden's book Twilight of the Gods.

Eddie Rosario Continues to Evolve

Last year, you may recall that I published a quick post on Eddie Rosario's plate discipline dramatically improving, which in turn made him a much better hitter. Rosario finished 2017 with the best walk and strikeout rates of his major league career and, for the first time, an above-average line: .290/.328/.507 with 27 homers, good for a 116 wRC+.

I now call your attention to another significant development in Rosario's career. Through Tuesday's games, only 19 qualified hitters (one of whom, somehow, is teammate Eduardo Escobar) lead Rosario in isolated slugging. Rosario leads the Twins in batting average, hits, home runs, slugging percentage, OPS, and wRC+; he shares the lead in runs with Brian Dozier.

Eddie Rosario is now a slugger.



This is a major step for a player trying to prove he belonged in the majors last Opening Day. And the way he's developed has resulted in a unique profile without a perfect comparison in recent memory.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 017

Sports, the Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute at the Cabooze, and Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Featuring much intellectual meandering.

An Exercise in Resurrection: Crafting My Dream Stevie Ray Vaughan Setlist

Recently, at the invitation of a friend, I saw a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute at a West Bank bar. It was an up-and-down, but ultimately enjoyable enough, night with plenty of skilled guitarists playing the work of Dallas' best musical export and one of my all-time favorite artists.

Of course, there were some moments where I was reminded that I was not watching Vaughan himself – mainly on the vocal side, since he had such a powerful and distinctive voice that perfectly fit his brand of blues rock. Anyone would sound underwhelming by comparison.

I've told friends before, and I still believe, that if I could bring back any one musician that died prematurely for a one-off show, it would be either Keith Moon or Stevie Ray Vaughan. In the interest of serving the latter fantasy, and of relating to my tribute show experience, I present my ideal setlist for a Vaughan resurrection concert.

As said in the Iron Maiden iteration of this exercise, the rules to which I hold myself are straightforward: The setlist must be roughly the same length as what the artist would typically do. On his last tour, Vaughan played 14 or 15 songs, so we'll do 15. I can pick whatever songs I want (as long as he played or recorded it at least once) and choose their order, though my hypothetical setlist doesn't necessarily have to match a list of my 15 favorite songs he recorded. I try to include a good mix of standards and B-sides, and I try to avoid redundancies.

With everything properly introduced, let's get on with it.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 016

Various Gophers-related notes, more playoffs, and sports deals we would make with the Devil.



A correction: It turns out that Jason Castro's knee injury will keep him out the rest of the season. This news broke a few hours before we recorded, but I guess I missed it. May Willians Astudillo come and rescue us.

As was the case the last time we recorded, there was an issue with the studio microphone, so we recorded this week's episode on my phone. It sounds less fuzzy than last episode, but it's still obviously a little off, and there's a good bit more background noise. Hopefully, the studio is wholly functional next time.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Travis Meadows, Killing Uncle Buzzy

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 015

Final thoughts on the NFL Draft and our fondness for audio-based sports media.



For unknown reasons (I think a problem with the studio microphone), the original volume of the audio was very low and fluctuated. I did as best I could to address these problems in editing, but it's still imperfect. At a certain point of increasing the volume, the clarity suffered, so this episode might be a little quieter. I therefore recommend listening on a higher volume, if possible.

Aaron's Album of the Week: Li'l Cap'n Travis, In All Their Splendor

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 014

Aaron's Jeff Rosenstock and Spring Jam experiences, continued surveys of the NBA and NHL playoffs and the NFL Draft, and the plight of sports journalism as told by a couple Ringer features.



Said Ringer features:

Bryan Curtis, "Rocky Mountain Low"

Michael MacCambridge, "'Who Can Explain the Athletic Heart?'"

Aaron's Album of the Week: Stevie Wonder, Innervisions

We are Maroon and Gold Episode 013

A roundup of sports news, including the NBA and NHL playoffs; a preview of the NFL Draft; and Aaron's album of the week.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 012

Chandler provides what analysis he can about the Gophers' spring football game, he and Aaron sift through various sports topics, and the two spend a little time on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Perkins Reinvents Himself, Finds Unexpected Success

Chandler originally submitted the following piece for a journalism class. He shamefully recycles it here, with minimal modification, as content for his blog. The format and style may be a little different from that of the usual content published in this forum, but hopefully it is no less enjoyable to read.

In September 2006, Glen Perkins made his major league debut at Fenway Park. He got out all four batters he faced, striking out the first of them, Carlos Peña, on three pitches. The Twins lost the game 6-0, making the chase for the AL Central title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs a little tougher, but for Perkins, it was an easier "L" to take.

From the day he was drafted by his boyhood team, the Stillwater native and University of Minnesota alumnus took just 836 days to rocket through the minor leagues. When the team got back to Minnesota four days later, he marveled at using the same locker room as Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek, and he remembered asking Tom Brunansky for baseballs in right field.

"There’s all these moments where it's a whirlwind," Perkins, who retired in January, said. "And then you get to take a second and think about, 'Man, I got to do this.'"

After an impressive cup of coffee and a postseason cameo, Perkins was included in both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus' preseason prospect rankings lists. He thought the experience wouldn’t end.

"When I got up, I… thought, like, I was just going to be there forever," Perkins said. "'Okay, I made it, and now here I am.'"

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 011

In their 10th episode together, Aaron and Chandler compare sports bucket lists.

2018 Southwest Basketball Tournament

Seven Texas schools made the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Four of them didn't make it out of the Round of 64. Texas Tech was the most successful, but the Red Raiders fell to No. 1 seed (and eventual champions) Villanova 71-59.

The only Texas school to win the Tournament was, famously, Texas Western (now UTEP) in 1966, and the only other school to finish even runner-up was Houston in 1983 and 1984.

Texas produces plenty of talent despite its reputation as a football state, but it hasn't translated that into Tournament success.

What if they had another prize to win?

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 010

Aaron and Chandler sift through some sports notes and then ponder what makes a good stadium experience.

2018 Baseball Preview: Predictions

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series.

Having given his analysis of every club in the majors, Chandler now predicts the eventual standings, major award winners, and postseason. Included are links to each division preview.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 009

Aaron and Chandler touch on NFL free agency (mostly as it relates to the Vikings) and the NCAA Tournament before sharing the stories of their favorite upsets.



A clarification: Chandler speculates that the 2007-08 Patriots beat the Steelers and Colts en route to their AFC Championship. In fact, they beat the Jaguars (who beat the Steelers in the previous round) and Chargers (who beat the Colts in the previous round).

2018 Baseball Preview: American League West

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series. Rather than one massive post for each league, there will be a post per division.

Today are the final five team previews, featuring the imposing Astros and the muddled rest of the American League West.

2018 Baseball Preview: American League Central

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series. Rather than one massive post for each league, there will be a post per division.

Today's post is on the AL Central, which means we finally can talk about the most important team in baseball, the Twins.

2018 Baseball Preview: American League East

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series. Rather than one massive post for each league, there will be a post per division.

With the Senior Circuit out of the way, we turn our attention to the American League, beginning with the East.

2018 Baseball Preview: National League West

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series. Rather than one massive post for each league, there will be a post per division.

Today, we close the book on the National League with a look at the West.

2018 Baseball Preview: National League Central

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series. Rather than one massive post for each league, there will be a post per division.

We continue with the NL Central, featuring three teams with realistic playoff aspirations.

2018 Baseball Preview: National League East

With baseball peeking above the horizon, Ski-U-Blog gives its second annual season preview series. Rather than one massive post for each league, there will be a post per division.

Today, we begin with the National League East.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 008

Aaron and Chandler discuss the Gophers' new football uniforms, the developing college basketball scandal, and the Sports Illustrated piece on the Mavericks.


A few hours after we recorded, we got something concrete between a player and a coach. Things are therefore much more interesting, although a wise reader might view that report with some skepticism.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 007

Chandler and Aaron rummage through various sports notes, including potential causes of poor football attendance numbers, and the doom coming for college basketball. Afterward, they reminisce about sports video games.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 006

Chandler and Aaron recap the Super Bowl, Aaron runs through the NBA trade deadline, and consider the issues we overlook when we watch sports.

As mentioned, you can donate to the University of Minnesota Marching Band's fundraiser at crowdfund.umn.edu/PrideofMN.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 005

Chandler and Aaron talk about the Super Bowl festivities around Minneapolis, sift through the sports news pile, and draft our favorite ancillary athletes. We had a lot of fun recording this one.

Who Is Today's Otto Vélez?

Otto Vélez's major league career began in 1973 with the New York Yankees. The Yankees signed Vélez as a 19-year-old out of Puerto Rico in 1969, advancing through the system resembling what we call today a three-true-outcomes hitter, striking out more than most other batters but making up for it with above-average power and exceptional plate discipline. In his last full year at AAA, Vélez averaged almost a walk per game as part of a .269/.450/.562 season. The corner outfielder never fully clicked in the Bronx, however, and he never consistently saw the field until he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays late in the 1976 expansion draft.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 004

Chandler talks with his friend Aaron about various notes from the sporting world (mainly dealing with the Gophers), and then they digest the end of the Vikings' season and what it means to them.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 003

Chandler once again welcomes his friend Aaron into the studio, but this time, there is no sports talk. Instead, they discuss the 52 albums Chandler listened to in 2017, which of course have already been posted to Ski-U-Blog and can be found here, here, and here.



As said before, I am figuring out when I would like to record the podcast now that the new semester has started. The posting schedule, therefore, might be inconsistent for the next few weeks.

The 52 Albums I Listened to in 2017, Part III: 10-1

Below are the best 10 albums I listened to in 2017. If you want the other 42, they can be found here (with proper context) and here. Let's get right to it.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 002

Chandler comes back from winter break to talk football with his friend Aaron. In this episode, they go over their favorite games from bowl season, take a detour to discuss the quarterback draft class, and then discuss what we want in a college football playoff system.

A few notes:

At around 24 minutes, I say that Baker Mayfield "drunkenly punched a police officer last summer, or something like that." The story was in fact far closer to "something like that." Mayfield was drunk in Fayetteville, Arkansas and ran away from some officers, who then tackled him. Mayfield was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and fleeing and resisting arrest; and he pleaded guilty to all three charges. However, Mayfield did not punch any officers. I must have mixed up his story with another person's.

After we mentioned that the men's hockey team was still on track to make the NCAA Tournament, they promptly got swept by Michigan. At home. The Gophers are now 13th in the USCHO poll and tied with Michigan for 15th in PairWise, which means they are on the bubble unless they turn things around. I don't have a ton of confidence that they will.

At the end, we say we are going to talk about my rankings of albums I listened to in 2017. Instead, things end abruptly, as the studio in which we were recording would not allow us to go more than 90 minutes. (We started recording a little before we started talking, and I always edit the podcast for concision.) That conversation did occur, but it will be released next week.



The next episode should be released next Tuesday, but as the semester begins, I want to figure out my schedule and what time works best for me to record the podcast, so do not count on Tuesday as being the regular day.

The 52 Albums I Listened to in 2017, Part II: 31-11

I listened to 52 albums in 2017's 52 weeks. In my previous post, I explained everything and began my rankings and reviews of them. Here are numbers 31 through 11. From here on out, I include my two favorite songs from each album.

The 52 Albums I Listened to in 2017, Part I: 52-32

In April, two of my friends constructed, with much assistance from the internet, a list of 365 albums they were going to listen to in as many days. Many, but not all, were considered classics. Some were just albums they wanted to cross off their personal lists. With a few exceptions though, neither of them had heard any albums on the list before, so the whole thing was meant to be an exercise in music self-education. For each album they listened to, they provided ratings, their favorite songs, and brief reviews, which were contained in a lengthy Google spreadsheet.

They asked if I wanted in on this. I told them I had no intention of doing the whole 365, but I agreed to pick those on the list that interested me or that I heard were essentials.

The idea worked longer than you might expect, with one friend filling almost all his cells in the spreadsheet into early August and the other giving his ratings and reviews here and there, but when school started, it became harder to keep up with the list, and the thing just kind of faded away.

However, I kept selectively participating, and on my own, I started listening to other albums I'd heard or read about, or which otherwise got my attention.

I don't pretend to know exactly how many albums I tend to average in a year, but by late November, I started to think that I had to have listened to more than whatever that average was. I created my own spreadsheet where I listed and ranked all the albums I had listened to since the beginning of 2017, and, noticing I was not far away from 50, decided to make that my new goal. When, with a couple weeks left, I reached 50, I got the idea to add on a couple more.

So, I can say that in 2017, I listened to 52 albums in 52 weeks. (Hardly 365 in 365 days, but it's something.) Beginning below, I ranked and reviewed each of those 52 albums. Some I actively sought out, and some I happened to be in the room and heard.

I've divided them into three groups: the top 10; and then the top and bottom halves of the rest. Here is the bottom half, numbers 52 through 32.