We're two months in to the 2025 MLB season, and the Boston Red Sox are in freefall. It seemed like only a couple weeks ago the Sox were in second place, ahead of the homeless Rays and underachieving Jays. After their fifth straight loss Boston is in fourth place, nine games back of the Yankees, and well below .500.
They're done.
Almost. Maybe.
I dunno, I haven't actually watched the Sox this year. I'm really not enthusiastic about baseball anymore.
What is done, or nearly done, is my Boston Red Sox PC.
I counted all the spaces I had left in my Red Sox binders, jumped on Cardbarrel, and placed an order. Once it arrived, I would have no more room for Red Sox cards.
Except... three of the cards I ordered were out of stock and I was not informed ahead of the order's arrival. Also this Dustin Pedroia Finest single was supposed to be a base card. It's a refractor. Cool... right?
Nope! I have no room in my Boston box for any more inserts, parallels, or relics.
The box is literally bursting at the seams. I somehow shuffled some things around and squeezed the Pedroia in there.
These are the last two open slots of all the binders on my Red Sox shelf. Once they're filled, I won't have to buy any more baseball cards*
*except vintage and maybe a Hall of Famer autograph.
**I'll probably buy more anyway because the 2025 Topps Heritage set is really nice.
I'm not sure if Rob Manfred needed the Donvict to remind him that a "lifetime ban" ends when you're no longer alive... but Pete Rose, the Black Sox, and poor Benny Kauff have finally been removed from baseball's banned list.
Ok. I have no strong opinion either way, but I don't want to talk about Pete Rose. I want to talk about another abrasive jerk with a god complex that racked up a TON of hits.
That's right, Billy Corgan. Smashing Pumpkins frontman, wrestling promoter, and one of the last remaining lead singers from the 1990s alternative explosion.
I'm not going to try to convince you that the Smashing Pumpkins were the greatest band of their era. I wasn't even sure that the Pumpkins were worthy of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - and I say this as a longtime Pumpkinhead.
But... the recent announcement of the 2025 inductees got me thinking.
I can't properly judge the first four acts. To my admittedly limited knowledge, Bad Company's only hit was called "Bad Company", Chubby Checker had a massive hit with "The Twist" and had no ideas for a follow up except to.. umm... "Twist Again".
Joe Cocker needed a little help from his friends (and The Wonder Years). That said, I kinda thought he'd been elected a decade ago.
I loved Cyndi Lauper when I was six years old. Legit. But.. she has three songs, no? "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" -- certified classic. "Time After Time" -- can't even think about that song without crying. And um... "She Bop"? What am I missing?
Outkast, yeah. White Stripes, hell yeah.
Soundgarden....
I liked Soundgarden in the '90s. Everyone I know had Superunknown, though I didn't know anyone who wore their shirts and went to their shows. So what? I knew, like, 15 people. Personal anecdotes aside, they were a damn good band. Probably the most rock-adjacent alternative band of the era. I can't objectively say that they were better than Nirvana or Pearl Jam or whoever because it all depends on how you measure greatness ... but there's no doubt that Chris Cornell had one of the greatest rock star voices of all time.
And this is where my sports fandom perks up. Like... now I want to compare Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins side-by-side. That's hard to do because there aren't many stats you can use for artists (FWIW their album sales are about the same) and awards are super subjective (a Grammy is about as indicative of greatness as a Gold Glove).
But, let's go hit-for-hit and see if Smashing Pumpkins are at least on par with Soundgarden. If they are, well...
Billboard Top 100 singles: SP - 8 SG - 6
I knew the Pumpkins were more radio-friendly but damn. "Tarantula" and "Doomsday Clock" charted?!?!
“Black Hole Sun” is unsurprisingly Soundgarden’s highest charting single, topping out at #24. SP have two songs that charted higher: “1979” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” - two very sonically distinct tracks on the same (double) album.
Perhaps Chris Cornell’s crew benefited from being less radio-friendly than their Pumpkin peers? Or perhaps the Rock Hall committee preferred quantity over quality?
Let’s see how each band’s top 15 songs stack up, shall we?
Soundgarden
Smashing Pumpkins
Black Hole Sun
1979
Outshined
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Spoonman
Cherub Rock
Rusty Cage
Today
Blow Up The Outside World
Tonight, Tonight
Burden In My Hand
Disarm
Pretty Noose
Zero
Fell On Black Days
Thirty Three
Black Rain
I Am One
My Wave
Perfect
The Day I Tried To Live
Doomsday Clock
Jesus Christ Pose
Siva
Like Suicide
Ava Adore
Slaves & Bulldozers
Tarantula
I'd love to know what neutral music fans and/or critics would say about these lists. Call me biased but I don't think Soundgarden is significantly better than SP. One of them is in and the other isn't even nominated?
My initial reaction to the Class of 2025 was disappointment that Joy Division/New Order did not get in. That's a peculiar case: Joy Division were a ground-breaking post-punk band and their lead singer died young. New Order lasted longer and had more pop hits, but their lyrics are lacking and I can't say they're better than Depeche Mode or Duran Duran.
I know Billy Corgan can be a prick but if any Hall of Fame is going to forgive attitude and ego it should be the Rock and Roll Hall, right? The Pumpkins have been eligible for a decade - are they gonna wait till he's dead to honor him?
Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, elect 'em, don't elect 'em... but for God's sake, put the Pumpkins in the Hall!!
