New York Mets Quiz (1962-2001): 1) Name the 4 rookies of the
year? 2) Name the 13 managers who have been at the helm at
least 100 games. 3) Single season leader, HR? 4) What two
pitchers lost 24 games in one year? 5) Who is the only Met to
lead the N.L. in RBI? 6) Who is the all-time club leader in
doubles? Answers below.
**There are few things worse in life than being overseas and
finding out about the death of a loved one. My father just e-
mailed me about the passing of my Aunt Annie. You have to
understand that on my mother’s side of the family, Aunt Annie
was the strength. You will also have to forgive me when I grant
my formal eulogy in my “Week in Review,” but I need to leave
you all, again, with one thought.
Last November I told you of my trip “home” to see my elderly
relatives. Home is the Greensburg, PA area, where my mother
grew up a coal miner’s daughter. These folks are the salt of the
earth. I love them dearly and, I guess, God directed me to see
some of them one last time. If you have a similar circumstance,
go see them now!
My Aunt Agnes then died last January and now Aunt Annie.
Both of them seemed fine in November, but God works in
strange ways.
Well, I had planned on a more serious Bar Chat, what with it
being June 6th and all, and frankly, I’m tearing up writing this.
Luckily, I pre-wrote what follows below last night.
June 6, 1984
On the 40th anniversary of D-Day, President Ronald Reagan gave
the following remarks at Pointe du Hoc.
—
We’re here to mark that day in history when the Allied peoples
joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long
years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free
nations had fallen. Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried
out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed
for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the
Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking
unparalleled in human history.
We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of
France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air
was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled
with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on
the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the
British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their
mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion:
to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy
guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of
these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to
stop the Allied advance.
The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers – at the edge
of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine-guns and
throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb.
They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to
pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take
his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another
and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held
their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves
over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs,
they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred
and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting only
ninety could still bear arms.
Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers
that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are
the men who put them there.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who
took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a
continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.
Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen
Spender’s poem. You are men who in your ‘lives fought for
life…and left the vivid air signed with your honor.’
Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here.
You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were
hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you.
Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What
impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and
risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of
the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we
know the answer. It was faith, and belief; it was loyalty and
love.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was
right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God
would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was
the deep knowledge – and pray God we have not lost it – that
there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for
liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to
liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not
doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.
You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s
country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for,
because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever
devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were
willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your
countries were behind you.
—
*By chance, Mike H. (and I appreciate your past support, Mike)
wrote to remind me of the Pat Tillman story. Pat, a 4-year safety
with the Arizona Cardinals, spurned his new 3-year, $3.6 million
contract to enlist in the U.S. Army for four years…a tremendous
example of what it is to be a great American. I meant to write
about Pat a few days ago and simply forgot. Well, it’s more
appropriate today, since Pat has specifically requested that he
train to be…a Ranger. God bless you, Mr. Tillman…and God
bless America.
—
From Senator Trent Lott’s Tribute to President and Mrs. Reagan,
May 16, 2002:
We all wish President Reagan could be with us today. But what
you should know, Nancy, and what I wish with all my heart he
could know, is that, in many ways, he IS with us. Not just in our
memory and affection, but more important, in example and
counsel, in the living inspiration we still call the Reagan
Revolution.
Many years ago, when he was first running for the presidency,
unsuccessfully, I might add, Ronald Reagan spoke about the
prisoners of war whom the two of you had entertained in your
home in California. He was awed by their courage and deeply
moved by what they had suffered. After those heroes had left, he
turned to you, Nancy, and asked, “Where did we find them?
Where did we find such men?”
Well, we have had occasion to ask a similar question. When so
much of the world was heading in the wrong direction, when the
future seemed to hold nothing but problems and peril – Where
did we find the two of you? Where did we find such a President
and First Lady, to restore our old faith – in ourselves and in the
cause of freedom.
The answer, I think, is that Heaven blessed America with those
eight years.
And that’s why, these many years later, we ask the good Lord to
bless you and Ron – and to keep you both – as Scripture
promises, safe in the shelter of His wings.
—
Billboard Top Ten Song Quiz Answers
[From Tuesday]
The first Top Ten for each of the following with peak position:
The 5th Dimension – Up Up And Away, 6/67 #7
Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way, 1/77 #10 (Rhiannon
peaked at #11)
Foreigner – Feels Like The First Time, 4/77 #4
The 4 Seasons – Sherry, 9/62 #1
The Four Tops – I Can’t Help Myself, 5/65 #1
Marvin Gaye – Pride And Joy, 6/63 #10 (tough one)
Al Green – Let’s Stay Together, 12/71, #1
The Guess Who – These Eyes, 4/69 #6
Hall & Oates – Sara Smile, 4/76 #4
George Harrison – My Sweet Lord, 12/70 #1
Heart – Magic Man, 9/76 #9
Herman’s Hermits – Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat, 2/65 #2
The Hollies – Bus Stop, 5/66 #5
Jackson 5 – I Want You Back, 12/69 #1
Michael Jackson – Got To Be There, 11/71 #4
Tommy James & The Shondells – Hanky Panky, 6/66 #1
Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are, 12/77 #3
Elton John – Your Song, 12/7
*To Glyn And Patricia Williams of England, I greatly appreciate
the opportunity to meet you the other day. I think you’ll
understand why I can’t share our very funny story today. Just
know that I watched the Jubilee and enjoyed every minute of
it…and was moved.
**But there is one tale I think my Aunt Annie would enjoy.
After going to St. Stephan’s to light a candle, I went to
Figlmuller’s (I forgot to mention I”m in Vienna) for dinner.
Now Figlmuller’s is known for the best wiener schnitzel in the
world and two years ago I found that out firsthand. Well, I
had predetermined that I was going back but, embarrassingly, I
forgot they don’t have beer, only wine.
Understand that Mr. Figlmuller is a most particular sort and he
gave me the evil eye when I asked for beer. [Gosh, I felt so
stupid.] So, duly chastised, I received my wine and cordon bleu.
If I ever have the opportunity to chat with Aunt Annie again,
she’ll appreciate that I had about 15 wiener schnitzels on this
trip, because, you see, Aunt Annie made sure she had it when I
came to town, no matter how old I was. And, oh, she made the
best. [Figlmuller’s is #3…my mother”s is #2.]
In fact, there was one time that Aunt Annie made a huge,
gigantic plate of veal cutlet. I mean to tell you, it was piled 3-
inches high. Only one problem. I found it first, not realizing it
was for six people! It was all gone when the others came and a
very sheepish 16-year-old had a lot of explaining to do.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/5/65: #1 “Help Me, Rhonda” (The
Beach Boys) #2 “Wooly Bully” (Sam The Sham & The
Pharaohs) #3 “Back In My Arms Again” (The Supremes)
New York Mets Quiz Answers: 1) Rookies of the Year: Tom
Seaver, 1967; Jon Matlack, 1972; Darryl Strawberry, 1983;
Dwight Gooden, 1984. 2) Managers of at least 100 games:
Casey Stengel, 1962-65…175-404
Wes Westrum, 1965-67…142-237…RIP, Wes…died last week.
Gil Hodges, 1968-71…339-309
Yogi Berra, 1972-75…292-296
Joe Frazier, 1976-77…101-106
Joe Torre, 1977-81…286-420
George Bamberger, 1982-83…81-127
Frank Howard, 1983…52-64
Davey Johnson, 1984-90…595-417
Bud Harrelson, 1990-91…145-129
Jeff Torborg, 1992-93…85-115
Dallas Green, 1993-96…229-283
Bobby Valentine, 1996 – …461-381 (entering 2002)
3) Season, HR: Todd Hundley, 41 (1996)
4) 24-game losers: Roger Craig, 1962…10-24; Jack Fisher, 1965
…8-24, but with a 3.93 ERA.
5) Leading NL in RBI: Howard Johnson is the only Met to do so,
1991 with 117 ribbies.
6) And the all-time leader in doubles is….#7…Ed…Kraaane-
poooool. Aargh…aargh! 225. [Brought to you by the Ed
Kranepool Fan Club. All Rights Reserved.]
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
I love you, Aunt Annie. God be good to you.
