Some clarification is in order.

Babe Ruth League: I'm an assistant coach -- Jim Naughton, who pitched, is the official one, and mainly responsible for the great fielding (no, the other great Fielding) of the Takoma Voice squad (a nickname the kids rejected, so few of them being folkies, sad to say). In particular, he's responsible for the little guy, Ben, his son, who made most of the good plays you saw. In our last game, Ben made an unassisted double play that would have been a triple play if there hadn't already been an out.

Oldies in Boston: I'm in favor of 'em, but don't have the job of playing 'em.

Banjo books: I've, I hope, responded to all the 'Catters who have either left posts here or have e-mailed me, and I'm ready to mail the first one today. If you've either posted here or e-mailed me, and haven't heard from me, write directly to me at

rjclayton@aol.com

and I'll get back to you post-haste (several thoughts occur to me concerning this phrase, by the way -- see below).

Master's Thesis: I'll see how many copies I have, Sandy, and send you one as soon as I ascertain that I'm not accidentally sending you my last one (it was produced in hard copy only, and doesn't exist in electronic form, though I may turn part -- the tabs of traditional players' styles -- of it into either scans or electronic tabs, if I can find the time).

Concerning "post-haste:" It occurs to me that now, in the era of e-mail, post-haste may finally be returning to its original meaning, which is "fast as the post(al service)," from the days of twice-a-day mail deliveries, etc.

In newsgroup parlance, it could also be a short way of saying "post in haste, get flamed in liesure."

Well, gotta go!

Bob Clayton