Green Bay Packers Quiz: 1) Rushing yards, career?
2) Receptions, career? 3) Passing yards, season? 4) Rushing,
game? [Hint: No Packer has ever rushed for 200 yards.]
5) Touchdowns, game? Answers below.
Underrated / Overrated
Each year, American Heritage magazine takes a look at the
above. Here are a few of this year’s picks, as noted in the
October issue.
Dogs…by Roy Blount, Jr.
Overrated: The standard poodle. Blount can’t figure out where
to pet it. He prefers the Jack Russell terrier because it has an
“edge” to it. “But to live with one is like living with a movie star
who seems able to handle quite a lot of cocaine. You become
Jack’s sidekick, if, and this is a big if, you can keep up.”
Blount likes labs because they smile a lot…and that’s good.
But in his mind, the most underrated dog is the “hardy hybrid.”
Highways…by Phil Patton
Overrated: Route 66
Underrated: I-40. North Carolina to Barstow, California… about
2,560 miles without a stoplight. “I-40 is a Chuck Berry riff
across America, from Asheville to Nashville, crossing highway
61 in Memphis, and running on to Little Rock…”
[Unfortunately, the new Bill Clinton library is located right off of
the interstate. Smart move, Billy Boy.]
Indian leader…by Frederick Chiaventone
Overrated: Sitting Bull and Tecumseh. The latter joined forces
with the British in the War of 1812, thus helping to poison the
aftermath.
“White and Indian relations suffered for decades afterward, and
the resulting legacy of fear, mistrust, and betrayal can be laid
squarely at Tecumseh’s door.”
Underrated: Red Cloud (1822-1909). The chief united the Sioux,
Cheyenne, and Arapaho in opposition to the U.S. government
and his alliance made northeastern Wyoming the most dangerous
area on the continent for two years, forcing the government to
sue for peace, as well as abandon key forts…Reno, Phil Kearny
and C.F. Smith.
The treaty signed at Fort Laramie with Red Cloud “remains the
only one that ceded every point to the warring tribes while taking
nothing in return…Red Cloud’s accomplishments thus remain
unparalleled in American history.”
[I’m heading back to Indian territory myself in a few weeks, but
for long-time readers, don’t worry, I’m not going to see my
friend Larry at Wounded Knee.]
Novels…by Ralph Peters (the former military officer many of
you comment on).
Focusing on his ‘underrated’ pick, it’s “The Great Gatsby.” Yes,
Peters admits this might be a curious choice for underrated, but
in his opinion “There isn’t a gesture, not a single word, out of
place or less than perfectly true.”
Peters places ‘Gatsby’ among three “flawless” works of literature
in the last century, the others being Jean Rhys’s “Wide Sargasso
Sea” and Penelope Fitzgerald’s “The Blue Flower.”
Lastly, we have the category of ‘songwriter.’ Max Morath
selects Bob Dylan as most ‘overrated,’ but in the ‘underrated’
category, the winner is Ted Koehler, specifically for his lyrics to
“Stormy Weather.” [Koehler also wrote or co-wrote songs like
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” “Let’s Fall in
Love,” and “I’ve Got the World on a String.”]
Teaming with Harold Arlen, who wrote the music, “Stormy
Weather” was introduced by Ethel Waters in Harlem’s “Cotton
Club Parade” back in 1933.
Of course, what has made this tune so great is how it has held up
all these years, with every significant artist placing their name on
it at one point or another. But, personally, for my money the best
version is by the Spaniels.
The Spaniels? Back in 1952, 5 teenagers, led by James “Pookie”
Hudson, worked up songs on the street corners of Gary, Indiana,
literally for change, when a local disc jockey heard them and
decided to give them a chance. They would go on to become one
of the better doo-wop groups of the 1950s. While they never
cracked the Billboard Top 40 (as far as I can ascertain), they did
have a #5 R&B hit in 1954, “Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite.”
But WCBS-FM here in New York, the best oldies station in the
country, from time to time plays the Spaniels 1955(?) version of
“Stormy Weather,” and it’s a classic. So…for all you fans out
there, we present Ted Koehler’s lyrics.
Stormy Weather
Don’t know why, there’s no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather, since my man and I ain’t together
Keeps raining all the time
Life is bare, gloom and misery everywhere
Stormy weather, just can’t get my poor old self together
I’m weary all the time, the time, so weary all of the time
When he went away, the blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray, the lord above will let me walk in the sun once
more
Can’t go on, everything I had is gone
Stormy weather, since my man and I ain’t together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all of the time
I walk around heavy-hearted and sad
Night comes around and I’m still feeling bad
Rain pourin’ down, blinding every hope I had
This pitter ‘n patter ‘n beatin’ ‘n spatterin’ drivin’ me mad
Love, love, love, love, the misery will be the end of me
When he went away, the blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray, the lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more
Can’t go on, everything I had is gone
Stormy weather, since my man and I ain’t together
Keeps raining all the time, the time
Keeps raining all the time
Stuff
–Some college sports polls of note.
Division I-AA Football
1. Montana
2. McNeese St.
3. Maine
4. Appalachian St.
5. Furman
Preseason College Hockey
1. Minnesota
2. Denver
3. Michigan
4. New Hampshire
5. Boston University
*Also receiving some votes for what is a Top 15 poll, St.
Lawrence! [That’s for Trader George and his buddies out there.]
Soccer America
1. St. John’s
2. Wake Forest….Go Deacs!!!!!!!!
3. Indiana
4. Clemson
5. Stanford
–I normally wouldn’t bring something like this up, but one of
my passions (in an admittedly small way compared to other
interests) is the preservation of our Civil War battlefields. One
of the biggest is Chancellorsville (May 1863), scene of a great
victory for the South as Stonewall Jackson led the way.
Unfortunately, this was also the place where Jackson was
accidentally shot by his own forces, dying about a week later.
[“Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees”
were his famous last words.]
So I read with dismay that there are plans for a 2,350-house
development on key battlefield property. [The area is already
super developed.] Any help you can give to the Civil War
Preservation Trust in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
–Boy, looks like another great season for the New York Knicks.
Not! Center Kurt Thomas was just arrested for domestic
violence (hitting his wife), while Latrell Sprewell showed up at
training camp with a broken hand. Johnny Mac and I anticipate a
25-win season, max. Which means we are formally going to be
New Jersey Nets fans from Day One. The Nets’ off-season
addition of Wake Forest’s Rodney Rogers makes my choice all
the easier.
–The New York Mets…RIP
I was a Bobby Valentine supporter early in the season, but then
the skipper flipped out, as he was prone to do throughout his
tenure in New York. Valentine was fired on Tuesday, but all of
us Mets fans are distraught that general manager Steve Phillips
was allowed to stay on.
But for further commentary, I turn to long-time friend and
investment banker Ken P., who recently took his son to a
doubleheader against the Braves (I swear he likes Andrew). Ken
mailed in some thoughts afterwards.
“Mo Vaughn is a slowpitch softball player…He should be
released outright to save him the trouble of actually conditioning
himself for next year.
“Roberto Alomar’s fall from last year was so precipitous that he
was among the 3 or 4 least productive second basemen in the
N.L.
“Rey Ordonez – what Mets fan isn’t fed up with this guy?
“Edgardo Alfonzo – doubtless the worst .310 hitter in baseball.
Projects out to .265 next year. Falling with a bullet. See ya.
“Roger Cedeno – this man is not a major league baseball player.
“Jeremy Burnitz – get rid of him. Will hit .190 next year. Flailer
par excellence.
“Which brings me to Mike Piazza. I love the guy, but history
tells us that his .280, 33/98 was like catching a falling knife. A
terrible catcher, the problem with moving him to first is that he
would be a terrible first baseman. Left unsaid is, he can’t
contribute enough ‘offensively’ at first base anymore. [Ken
admits he’s a little biased because he saw Piazza whiff four times
in the twin-bill.] What’s left is the mediocre final years.
“Keeping Phillips would be preposterous.”
[K.P.’s thoughts were prior to the Valentine firing.]
Personally, I look for the Mets to win 63 next season.
–Read an obituary today on Mike Reasor, who passed away the
other day at age 60. Reasor played the PGA Tour from 1969 to
1978 and had 10 top-10 finishes. He made the AP wires because
back in 1974, Reasor separated his left shoulder and tore rib
cartilage and knee ligaments after taking a fall on a horse
between rounds of the Tallahassee Open. He needed to finish his
final two rounds to be eligible for the following week’s event, so
he swung a 5-iron with one hand, while the other was tucked
inside his belt. Reasor shot 123 and 114, among the highest
scores recorded on the Tour, though no official records are kept.
Hey, that’s better than me.
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/1/77: #1 “Star Wars Theme”
(Mecco…ughh) #2 “Keep It Comin’ Love” (K.C. & The
Sunshine Band) #3 “Don’t Stop” (Fleetwood Mac)
Green Bay Packers Quiz Answers: 1) Rushing yards, career: Jim
Taylor…8,207 (1958-66) 2) Receptions, career: Sterling Sharpe
…595 (1988-94) 3) Passing yards, season: Lynn Dickey…4,458
(1983). Dickey threw for 32 TDs and 29 INTs that year. Brett
Favre’s best season was 1995…4,413 yards. 4) Rushing, game:
Dorsey Levens…190 (11/97) 5) TDs, game: Paul Hornung, 5
(12/65).
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday…we’re going to start a special look at
the year 1957. Why? Stay tuned.
