Milwaukee Brewers Quiz (Seattle Pilots, 1969; Brewers, 1970-
2003) [This is pretty hard, I must say.] 1) Who was the first
manager for the Pilots in 1969? 2) What was the name of the
park in Seattle? 3) Who is the Brewers’ only rookie of the year?
4) Who is the franchise leader in career wins? 5) Who are the
only three with 200 career home runs in a Milwaukee uniform?
6) Name the last 20-game winner? 7) Who threw the only no-
hitter? [Hint: 1987…answers to 4, 6 and 7 are different.] 8)
Name one player in Seattle’s Opening Day lineup in April 1969.
Answers below.
Music…Sweet Music…
So I’m looking at the Top 100 Country Love Songs, as selected
by Country Music Television, and I have a few problems. Here
is the Top 20.
1. I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton)
2. You Were Always On My Mind (Willie Nelson…weak…)
3. Sweet Dreams (Of You) (Patsy Cline)
4. Forever And Ever, Amen (Randy Travis…good pick, but not
#4…)
5. Hello Darlin’ (Conway Twitty…perfect…)
6. Unanswered Prayers (Garth Brooks)
7. Amazed (Lonestar)
8. She Believes In Me (Kenny Rogers…c’mon, maybe #98…)
9. I Cross My Heart (George Strait…anything by him is good…)
10. Golden Ring (George Jones & Tammy Wynette)
11. That’s The Way Love Goes (Merle Haggard…super pick…)
12. When You Say Nothing At All (Keith Whitley, Alison
Krauss & Union Station)
13. He Stopped Loving Her Today (George Jones…should be
#1…)
14. How Do I Live (LeAnn Rimes / Trisha Yearwood)
15. It’s Your Love (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
16. Stand By Your Man (Tammy Wynette…okay…)
17. Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’ (Charley Pride…hey, I saw
him last year in Branson, MO….Good song, but Top 20?!…no…)
18. I Fall To Pieces (Patsy Cline)
19. Feels So Right (Alabama…eh…)
20. Behind Closed Doors (Charlie Rich…I used to do a good
imitation of this guy…before my voice changed…)
Now to tell you the truth, I haven’t been listening to much
country lately and I can’t place some of these songs. But here
are a few, with CMT’s ranking, that I’d put in my personal Top
20.
22. When I Call Your Name (Vince Gill)
24. Ring Of Fire (Johnny Cash)
27. I Can’t Stop Loving You (Ray Charles)
35. Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell…sometimes makes my
all-time top ten…all genres…)
40. For The Good Times (Ray Price…this guy was awesome…)
52. El Paso (Marty Robbins…simply one of the top five country
tunes of all time…)
75. What’s Forever For (Michael Martin Murphey…don’t
laugh…I also like ‘Wildfire’…but this doesn’t make me a bad
person…or a sentimental sap…)
83. I Believe In You (Don Williams…perhaps the most
underrated country artist of all time…)
92. Amanda (Waylon Jennings…digressing, every time I think
of Waylon Jennings I recall ‘Luckenbach, Texas’…oh, did I have
some beers listening to that tune, over and over again…sitting in
this bar in Maud, OK in the summer of 1978…one of the more
interesting days of my life…I was supposed to be selling books
door to door and got a wee bit sidetracked…)
Top 100 Movie Songs
As compiled by the American Film Institute, here is the Top 20
to get you started. [You can find the rest on their web site.]
1. Over The Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz…top five…)
2. As Time Goes By (Casablanca…probably should be #1…)
3. Singin’ In The Rain (Singing’ in the Rain…good pick…)
4. Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany’s…overrated…)
5. White Christmas (Holiday Inn…#1 Christmas…not #5
movies…)
6. Mrs. Robinson (The Graduate…she drank too much…)
7. When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio…dumb pick…)
8. The Way We Were (The Way We Were…gag me…)
9. Stayin’ Alive (Saturday Night Fever…oh, c’mon…you can’t
be serious!…)
10. The Sound Of Music (The Sound of Music…thahhhhhhhhhh
hills are aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive….with the sound of
muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-siiiiiiiiiiiiiiic……who was the hot
chick?…The older one………………….before I get in trouble…)
11. The Man That Got Away (A Star is Born, 1954)
12. Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes…especially her…)
13. People (Funny Girl…can’t stand Barbra…but this was her
best moment…)
14. My Heart Will Go On (Titanic…ya know, I still haven’t
seen this flick……………..seriously………….hey, I’m busy!….
I had to watch Reagan videos the other week….…..)
15. Cheek To Cheek (Top Hat….eh….)
16. Evergreen (Love Theme From ‘A Star is Born’…see earlier
comment on Barbra…gag me…..)
17. I Could Have Danced All Night (My Fair Lady…good pick
for this slot…)
18. Cabaret (Cabaret…never got into this one…)
19. Some Day My Prince Will Come (Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs…geezuz…can’t place it….I’ve led a deprived
life…really quite depressing, actually….)
20. Somewhere (West Side Story…should be top 3…)
Others that should be in Top 20.
23. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head (Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid…this is top 5…who were these people pickin’ this
stuff?…)
24. Ol’ Man River (Show Boat…should be top 10…)
25. High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’) (High
Noon…I watched this about two years ago and forgot just what
an awesome movie it was…tune ain’t bad either…)
30. Stormy Weather (Stormy Weather…best version of the
song? The Spaniels…)
39. Days Of Wine And Roses (Days of Wine and Roses…
should be top ten…)
53. Goldfinger (Goldfinger…#53? C’mon…it’s #8…..)
Now I see that “Theme From ‘New York, New York’” is #31.
I’m one of the few people from the New York area who actually
can’t stand this tune. Probably because it’s associated with the
Yankees and I hate them…………………..Let’s Go Mets!!!!!!!
Golf
–U.S. Open review: Maybe I was a bit too harsh on Phil
Mickelson for his display on #17 last Sunday. After all, as
Johnny Mac told me, “If it hadn’t been for Phil, this would have
been an excrutiatingly boring Open. And after all, Mickelson
also gave us a great Masters.”
And from the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro.
“Here’s a parting pleasantry to the world’s greatest golfers, who
graced us with their presence in the Hamptons this week, who
couldn’t say enough nice things about Shinnecock Hills while it
was yielding more birdies than a Wednesday Pro-Am but who
suddenly sounded like the golf course was trying to steal their
wallets on Sunday.
“Shut. The. Hell. Up.
“Please. Please shut up. Here is a question for you: At what
point do you become so proficient at this game – which tortures
so many millions of people who actually have to pay for the
privilege of playing it – that you think it is perfectly acceptable
behavior to publicly whine about how hard a golf course is, how
unfair it is, how embarrassed you are for having played it?
“When, exactly, does the gall meter allow you to tee off on one
of the nation’s most beloved golf courses, all because you find
yourself putting one crooked number after another onto your
scorecard? At what point do you believe that anyone – and I
mean, anyone – gives a damn why you finished 47th in the U.S.
Open?”
Vaccaro was referring to Jerry Kelly, a fellow I wrote of a few
weeks ago for being one of the rising jerks on tour. Kelly bashed
the Open officials for the course set-up. Vaccaro continued:
“Isn’t it funny that the ones who complained the loudest were the
ones who were the farthest off the leader board? And that the
man who wound up winning the Open, Retief Goosen, wound up
winning precisely because he was tough enough, skilled enough
and professional enough to one-putt 12 of those greens that these
egomaniacal losers swore would be haunting their nightmares for
the rest of their lives.”
Right on, bro. Goooooooose……Gooooooooose….
–Top Ten / World Rankings…it’s tightening up…
1. Tiger Woods…12.39
2. Ernie Els…10.96
3. Vijay Singh…10.61
4. Phil Mickelson…8.62
5. Davis Love III…7.89
6. Mike Weir…6.86
7. Retief Goosen…6.70
8. Padraig Harrington…6.21
9. Jim Furyk…5.65
10. Sergio Garcia…5.17
Now compare this to 12/03
1. Tiger…15.09
2. Vijay…9.98
3. Ernie…8.54
And 12/02
1. Tiger…15.72
2. Phil…7.72
3. Ernie…6.84
So by the end of the PGA, Vijay or Ernie could have passed
Tiger.
–Ryder Cup
So I’m thinking, good, Jay Haas finished tied for 9th at the Open
so he gets some Ryder Cup points and maybe moved up from
10th to 9th in the standings. Points are accumulated from Jan. ’02
through the PGA (Aug. 15), with the top ten automatically
qualifying for the American squad, at which point the captain
picks two others.
But what’s this? Haas actually dropped to 12th! Geezuz, I’m
bummed. Here are the current standings, through the Open, and
you’ll readily see it’s a weak squad.
1. Tiger
2. Phil Mickelson
3. Davis Love XIX
4. Jim Furyk
5. Kenny Perry
6. David Toms
7. Chad Campbell
8. Steve Flesch
9. Fred Funk
10. Jeff Maggert
11. Jerry Kelly
12. Jay Haas
13. Chris Riley
14. Jonathan Kaye
15. Chris DiMarco
Maggert moved up to 10 from 19 in one week because he
finished 3rd in the Open and points from majors are twice the
value of regular tour events this year. Funk moved from 15 to 9
because of his 6th place showing, so Haas’s 9th wasn’t good
enough.
[Paid for by ‘Jay Haas Better Be Selected For the Ryder Cup
…Or Else, Inc.’ All Rights Reserved.]
Stuff
–What’s this? The Lollapalooza Tour was canceled? Why
that’s awful. [All concert business is way off.]
–So I call my brother (Mr. Lamb) the other day and complain
that there hasn’t been any local bear activity. In fact there has
been little of note across the state. But it turns out that there had
been a big incident just that morning in his town which is next to
mine. Unfortunately, the bear was killed by police who did all
they could to get the bruin to hit the woods but the bear insisted
on feasting downtown. This does mean, however, that your
editor has been right in taking proper precautions while
retrieving the morning papers. And there are mountain lions
about, too. Seriously, New Jersey has them.
–Speaking of mountain lions, we congratulate Martina
Navratilova, 47, for winning her first round singles match at
Wimbledon, her first singles appearance here in 10 years. She
also became the oldest broad to win at Wimbledon since some
54-year-old babe won in 1922. I totally agree with Martina that
those complaining about her presence in the tournament, saying
it prevents younger hotties from getting a shot, should stick it.
–Noooooooooo. Say it ain’t true. Antoine Walker to the
Knicks? Geezuz, if this rumor came to fruition I’d watch 30
minutes of the Knicks all next season, as opposed to the 45
I watched last year.
–100-meter dash world-recordholder, Tim Montgomery, would
appear to be toast in the steroid investigation. Documents
supposedly show him using 5 banned substances. A final
decision has to be made in the next few days.
–We note the passing of Al Lapin, Jr., co-founder along with
brother Jerry of International House of Pancakes back in 1958.
The 1st location was in Toluca Lake, California, as the Lapins
sought to catch the overflow from a Bob’s Big Boy restaurant
nearby. Al Lapin was the driving force behind IHOP’s
expansion, but the business collapsed in the recession of the early
70s so Lapin lost control of the company. He then tried other
ventures and failed miserably, going bankrupt in 1989. But I
liked Lapin’s emphasis on presentation, both for food and
personally.
“You have to look like a dollar to borrow a dime,” and “People
eat with their eyes before they eat with their hands.”
–According to researchers at the University of Alcala in Spain,
Neanderthal man may have understood a rudimentary language,
which means that all that grunting you heard in the film “One
Million Years B.C.” was probably not an accurate depiction of
the way things really were. More than likely the guys would
have been commenting on Raquel Welch’s outfit.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/26/71: #1 “It’s Too Late” (Carole
King) #2 “Rainy Days And Mondays” (Carpenters) #3 “Want
Ads” (The Honey Cone…stupid tune…)
Milwaukee Brewers Quiz Answers: 1) First manager: Joe
Schultz piloted the Pilots, ahem, for just one year, going 64-98.
2) Sick’s Stadium was the first ballpark, capacity only 25,420.
3) Pat Listach, SS, 1992, is the lone rookie of the year winner. 4)
Jim Slaton is the career leader in wins with 117 (117-121). 5)
Home runs: Robin Yount, 251; Gorman Thomas, 208; Cecil
Cooper, 201. 6) Last 20-game winner: Teddy Higuera, 20-4,
1986. [Only two other’s: Jim Colburn, 20-12, 1973; Mike
Caldwell, 22-9, 1978.] 7) Only no-hitter: Juan Nieves, 1987. 8)
Seattle’s Opening Day lineup, April 8, 1969, a 4-3 win over
California.
Tommy Harper, 2B
Steve Whitaker, RF
Tommy Davis, LF
Don Mincher, 1B
Rich Rollins, 3B
Jim Gosger, CF
Jerry McNertney, C
Ray Oyler, SS
Marty Pattin, P
Ah yes…Jim Gosger. Poor Jim went 6 for 55, .109, before
moving on to the Mets, where he was 2 for 15 and didn’t make
the World Series roster in ’69. But then he went to Les Expos in
1970 and hit .263 with 5 HR and 37 RBI! However, in 1971 he
hit .157 in 102 ABs for Montreal and finished up his career with
the Mets in 1974, hitting .091, 3 for 33. He had a good baseball
card, though.
But then there’s Ray Oyler. When a major leaguer’s batting
average hovers around .200, they say he’s having trouble
breaking the “Mendoza line,” named after former shortstop
Mario Mendoza who hit .215 in 1,337 career at bats. But in
1,265 at bats, shortstop Oyler hit .175. So why don’t they talk
about an “Oyler line”? Because if you get down there, you’re
probably out of the sport in short order.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
