Asia…helping those in need…
Folks, some of the following material is quite frivolous given the
disaster on the other side of the world but I have a job to do.
Contribute what you can to help the people impacted by the
catastrophe, just as I am. One suggestion…
American Red Cross
International Response Fund
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, DC 20013
800-HELP-NOW
www.redcross.org
—
St. Louis / L.A. Rams (1946-94…not including Cleveland
Rams) Quiz: 1) What five seasons did George Allen coach the
team? 2) Passing TDs, career? 3) TDs, career? 4) Rushing,
game? [Hint: 247 yards, 1971] 5) Last QB taken with 1st pick?
[Hint: 1960s] 6) 1st-round pick, RB, 1978, initials E.P.? Answers
below.
—
One Tale from Thailand
Adam Lisberg of the New York Daily News had one of many
survival accounts emerging from the tsunami disaster, that of
supermodel Petra Nemcova, Sports Illustrated’s 2003 swimsuit
issue cover girl. Nemcova and her boyfriend of two years,
Simon Atlee, were vacationing in a bungalow on the Thai resort
of Khao Lak.
“This huge wave just pulled us out of the house. It was so
powerful I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t get out of it.
“People were screaming and kids were screaming all over the
place, screaming, ‘Help, help.’ And after a few minutes, you
didn’t hear the kids anymore….
“I looked out the window and people were jumping out of the
way, jumping into the pool. I was screaming, ‘On the roof! On
the roof!’ I tried to go on the roof but I got sucked away.”
Atlee was swallowed up, but Nemcova somehow kept her head
above the floodwaters and grasped a palm tree. Petra held onto it
for eight hours, “watching bodies float past in a scene of
unimaginable devastation.” [Adam Lisberg]
Nemcova was finally discovered and eventually airlifted to an
inland hospital, suffering from serious internal injuries. Atlee’s
family, back in England, was one of thousands getting a grim
phone call from the region.
—
[The following was first told in this space two years ago.]
New Year’s Eve, 1952
Over fifty years ago Hank Williams died. Considered by many
to be the greatest songwriter ever and a member of both the
Country Music Hall of Fame as well as the Rock and Roll
edition, Williams was just 29 when he passed away, though
because of his hard living he really looked 50.
Hank Williams broke through in 1949 with a remake of
“Lovesick Blues” and his last recording session was just 3 years
later, but in between he had dozens of hits like “Hey, Good
Lookin’,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and
“Long Gone Lonesome Blues.”
But his drinking killed him. We like to joke about an occasional
beer around here, but goodness, gracious, the stories you read
about Hank and his imbibing are awful. When he was sober he
was the best performer ever, and a real sex symbol of his time,
pre-Elvis, but by 1952 those moments were increasingly few and
far between.
Of course he conveyed his raucous life through his music. Critic
Geoff Boucher, who penned a great piece in Smithsonian from
which this is adapted, writes:
“Hank Williams’ music was the sound of Saturday night
staggering into Sunday morning.”
The actual events of New Year’s Eve, 1952, however, remain
somewhat of a mystery to this day. What is known is that
Williams had been in the care of a quack physician who Hank
had hired to rid him of his alcoholism. This “doctor” had
prescribed chloral hydrate for his drinking problem and Hank
was undoubtedly on this that December 31. It is also suspected
he had been taking morphine shots for his chronic hiccups and all
the while he was drinking.
In the evening, a car picked him up before 11:00 PM to take him
from Knoxville to Oak Hill, West Virginia, for his next
performance. When he arrived the following morning, the driver
opened the door to the back seat and Hank was dead. Boucher
writes that on the floor of the Cadillac in which Williams was
riding was a piece of paper with lyrics to a cryptic new song he
was working on.
“Tonight we both are all alone
and here’s all that I can say
I love you still and always will
But that’s the price we have to pay.”
25,000 showed up at his funeral in Montgomery, Alabama.
Stuff
–This week’s great earthquake and resulting tsunamis reminded
many of one of the aftereffects of Krakatoa. When Krakatoa
exploded on August 27, 1883, it was heard some 2,200 miles
away, five cubic miles of ash was hurled 50 (yes, 50) miles high,
pressure waves were recorded around the globe, and 120-ft. tidal
waves reached Hawaii, killing 36,000.
–We note the passing of football great Reggie White. Aside
from the fact he was a Pro Bowl defensive lineman for 13
consecutive seasons, imagine that Reggie was Defensive Player
of the Year 11 years apart; 1987 and 1998. And when it comes
to consistency, White registered 10 or more sacks 9 seasons in a
row.
But this ordained minister was a far more complex person than
some of the obituaries are leading you to believe. White once
gave a disturbing speech to the Wisconsin state legislature
wherein he blasted homosexuality and uttered more than a few
racist thoughts.
And there is the situation resulting from a 1996 church fire, when
White raised $millions to have it rebuilt but it never was and an
accounting of the money wasn’t forthcoming. Finally, according
to ESPN’s Andrea Kremer, he stopped going to church himself
four years ago and began studying Hebrew.
–Congratulations to Peyton Manning for besting Dan Marino’s
single season touchdown pass mark of 48; Manning now has 49
with one game to go.
–Boy, do my Jets suck or what? But if they win Sunday,
ensuring a playoff berth, they’ll win the Super Bowl. No, I swear,
I guarantee it! [Parents: The Bar Chat Guarantee is basically
worthless. Make sure your children aren’t betting their lunch
money.]
–Atlanta’s Michael Vick signed a record 10-year, $130 million
contract, but since NFL contracts aren’t guaranteed the bonus
money is the key and, in this case, Vick receives $37 million
even if he were to suffer a career-ending injury the next contest.
–Call me naïve but until I read an article the other day in the
paper here in New Jersey, I didn’t realize Taylor Ham was
invented in Trenton back in 1856 by then state senator John
Taylor. I also never really gave it much thought that in many
parts of the country you folks may have no idea what Taylor
Ham is. Let’s just say I go through a package every two weeks
or so, serving it up on my George Foreman Grill. Taylor Ham is
a staple at every diner in the state and throughout the northeast.
Fascinating, isn’t it?
–Former major leaguer Jose Canseco is set to launch his book,
“Juiced,” this coming month and it could be a biggie. For
starters, Canseco is slated to appear in a Mike Wallace interview
for “60 Minutes” on the issue of steroid abuse in baseball and
Canseco will name names. A few years ago this guy had zero
credibility but now folks will listen intently.
–Chuck Shepherd does an annual piece for the Washington Post
on quirky news items of the year. Here are just two. [The full
column appeared in the 12/26 edition.]
The Lost Arrt of Proofreding:
“Though lawyer Brian Puricelli won his client’s civil rights case
against the city of Philadelphia, federal magistrate Jacob Hart cut
his fees by nearly $32,000 because Puricelli seemed unable to
heed Hart’s warnings about excessive typos in his filings (e.g.,
consistently referring to the court as in the ‘Easter District’ of
Pennsylvania) and ‘nearly unintelligible’ writing. Puricelli
complained vigorously about the pay reduction, but a crucial,
three-sentence paragraph in his plea to reinstate the fees had four
more typos and referred to the judge as Jacon Hart.” [The Legal
Intelligencer (Philadelphia), Feb. 24]
Dept. of Least Competent Criminals:
“The burglar of the Tutto Bene Café in Christiansted, Virgin
Islands, was still in the store as employees arrived a bit earlier
than usual. He took cover, squeezing underneath a large fan in
the cooling unit that, unfortunately for him, is the first appliance
the employees turn on every day. The man was arrested but
taken first to the hospital with numerous cuts and abrasions.”
[AP, May 2]
–From the pages of Runner’s World, the Detroit Pistons Richard
“Rip” Hamilton. [I’m trying to motivate myself for this coming
year with the goal of getting back in shape for a half-marathon;
full marathons being out of the question at my advanced age. I
still think the 2nd one I ran back in Dec. 1999 screwed me up.
Don’t you?]
“I run to exhaustion. If it’s my normal workout day with
basketball drills, I’ll wake up and run a mile. The days I don’t
do drills, I run two or three miles. But I don’t just jog. It’s an
all-out sprint. The faster I get my heart rate up, the more I get
out of it…
“I believe I’m the best-conditioned athlete in the NBA. Running
is 50 percent of the reason.”
And from Runner’s World comes this interesting discussion of
fat-free salad dressing with Liz Applegate, PH.D., who authors a
nutrition column.
“Strange, but true: When picking salad dressing, you shouldn’t
skimp on fats (the good kind, of course). In a recent study at
Iowa State University, subjects were given a spinach-romaine
salad with shredded carrots and cherry tomatoes – all of which
are loaded with the carotenoids beta-carotene, lycopene, and
lutein. The salad was dressed with either fat-free, reduced-fat, or
full-fat canola oil dressing. The researchers then tracked how
much of the carotenoids were absorbed after eating. Virtually no
carotenoids were absorbed by those eating the salad with fat-free
dressing. But absorption of carotenoids improved dramatically
with the reduced-fat dressing, and was best with the full-fat
version.
“The bottom line: The body can’t absorb and utilize carotenoids
without eating some fat at the same meal. To get the most out of
your salad, dress it with a tablespoon or two of olive or canola oil
and vinegar. Both of these oils are rich in heart-healthy
monounsaturated fats, and canola oil even has omega-3 fats
(similar to fish oils) known to ward off heart disease and fight
depression.”
Bar Chat….looking out for one’s health 365 days a year.
–Let’s pick through Sports Illustrated’s mailbag, shall we? The
following was submitted in light of SI selecting the Boston Red
Sox as “Sportsmen of the Year.”
“With everything Barry Bonds continues to do, including his
seventh MVP award this year, at the age of 40, it would have
been nice to see him recognized as the Sportsman. And I’m a
Dodgers fan!”
Ashvin Lad, Indianapolis
You’re also a moron.
–We note the passing of the great organist Eddie Layton.
Layton performed at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks and
Rangers for 18 years and was a fixture at Yankee Stadium for 37
before retiring in 2003.
Back in 1998, Layton told the Star-Ledger of N.J., “I was the
first one to do the rhythmic ‘bom-bom-bom-bom’ on the organ.
I didn’t think about what I was actually doing at the time. I just
started playing those four notes and the fans began to clap along.
Then I played ‘da-da-da-dum-tee-da’ and everybody yelled
‘Charge!’ and I was on my way.”
Layton, who started out doing background music for soap operas
such as “The Secret Storm,” “Love of Life,” and “Love is a
Many Splendored Thing,” never missed a day of work in all his
years doing Yankee games.
And get this, his album “Ya Gotta Have Heart,” a compilation of
his Yankee Stadium tunes, sold more than three million copies.
[Source: M.A. Mehta / Star-Ledger]
–Dr. John M. wrote in about my last chat and the topic of
Christmas tunes. I was remiss in not including Steve Earle’s
“Nothing But A Child” and The Pogues “Fairytale of New
York.” Actually, I’ll have to remember another selection he
noted as well for next year…The Louvin Brothers Christmas…
traditional stuff. [Thanks for the tip, Dr. John.]
–Nice win for Gonzaga over #3 Oklahoma State the other night.
What a great program.
–Dr. Bortrum pointed out a Newsweek interview with
“Jeopardy!” star Ken Jennings.
Q: You lost on a question about H&R Block. You guessed
FedEx. Have you heard from either of the companies?
Jennings: Yeah, I’ve gotten advertising from both sides of the
question. If you’re going to lose on ‘Jeopardy!’ make sure it’s
with some sponsor with deep pockets. If the last question is
like, ‘What is Paraguay?’ you’re not getting any endorsements.
Ain’t that the truth, having just returned from there myself.
And for pointing this out, Bortrum, you receive a copy of the
home version of “Bar Chat: The Game,” once we develop it.
–A Pennsylvania man burned down his parents home after he
didn”t receive any Christmas presents.
–I found this golf tidbit interesting. Brad Faxon had the longest
streak of holes on the PGA Tour this past year without a three-
putt, 362, or 20 rounds.
–Wake Forest won back-to-back NCAA golf titles (1974 / 75)
with the likes of Curtis Strange and Jay Haas. But these were
also the days when schools could stockpile teams and Wake was
so loaded that it fielded a B squad which won a major
tournament by 20 shots. [The A team was entered in that one,
too. By the way, I always thought Scott Hoch was on the 2nd
NCAA title winner in ’75 but he was actually on the B team, my
fellow Wake grads.]
A few weeks ago when I was out at Q-School, I had a discussion
with Jay Haas’s wife, Jan, on the state of the Wake Forest
program today and I wasn’t aware that college teams can only
offer four full scholarships at a time these days. Nothing like
in the past when there was no official limit.
–I reported on this story earlier in the year but since we’re
always getting new readers, and after perusing the latest Parade
magazine, I couldn’t pass up repeating it.
“In an unusual taste test, a bear chose Rainier beer over Busch.
The black bear was found passed out on the lawn of Baker Lake
Resort near Concrete, Wash., surrounded by 36 empty beer cans.
It had gotten into the coolers of some nearby campers, who had
stocked up on both brands of beer for their trip.
“Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear
did try one can of Busch, but ignored the rest. The beast then
consumed all the campers’ Rainier.
“Wildlife agents used a large, humane trap to capture the bear,
baiting the trap with the usual: doughnuts, honey and, in this
case, two open cans of Rainier.” [The Commercial Appeal /
Memphis, TN.]
Well, in picking through my extensive beer book collection here
in the world headquarters of Bar Chat, I found this from Brian
Glover’s “The Complete Guide to Beer.”
Rainier Ale
“The fruity Rainier Ale was a much sought-after beer in the years
before the micro-brewery revolution hit the northwest.
“The ale was known as ‘The Green Death’ owing to the color of
its label and high alcohol content.”
Of course I should also point out to our friend, Mr. Bear, that by
the third or fourth brew any health benefits obtained from
drinking in moderation begin to tip the other way.
–51 were poisoned in India after drinking bootleg liquor in
Mumbai (Bombay). Remember, friends; when buying bootleg liquor
always look for the BCA seal of approval. [Bar Chat Approved.]
–Best Quote of the Year: Ernie Els, on losing the Masters by a
stroke.
“After the seventh beer I felt a lot better.”
–According to the Census Bureau, Americans drink on average
22 gallons of beer a year. So, let’s see. There are four quarts to
the gallon and 2 pints in a quart. 2 Xs 4 Xs 22 = 176 pints a
year. Well, that’s why they call it an average. Some of us are
above it…and some below it.
–They said it:
From Sports Illustrated. After returning a kick for a touchdown
against North Carolina, Marquis Weeks of Virginia offered up
this explanation…
“That was just instinct. Kind of like running from the cops.”
—
And now…….the Bar Chat awards for 2004.
“Animal of the Year”: The dolphins that saved the swimmers off
the coast of New Zealand about two months ago. Unfortunately,
there was a story about a week later that the same mammals may
have been killed by some poachers.
[And regarding this week”s events, just what was the Animal
Kingdom saying to one another before the tsunamis hit? One AP
report said a helicopter pilot flew up and down the beaches of Sri
Lanka and didn”t see one animal carcass.]
“Good Guy Award”: The heroes of this week”s disaster whose
stories are just beginning to emerge.
“Idiot of the Year”: Former NBA ballplayer Rick Fox who
dumped the totally bodacious Vanessa Williams. Now that’s the
definition of an idiot.
[Honorable mention goes to Croc Hunter Steve Irwin for holding
a baby in one arm while feeding a 13-foot croc just a foot or two
away.]
But now……….the “Bar Chat Dirtball of the Year”
Oh, we had some great candidates this go ‘round. Like former
NBA player Vernon Maxwell who was held on a felony charge
for failing to pay about $160,000 in child support. Or NFL
running back Ricky Williams for not only walking out on the
Miami Dolphins but also insisting he could keep his $8.6 million
signing bonus.
Or NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who criticized Fox reporter
Pam Oliver for a sideline piece of her’s describing his
confrontation with an assistant coach during a game. Keyshawn
told his Sirius satellite radio audience:
“I almost wanted to get on a plane, find where she is at, and sit
her down and spank her with a ruler really, really hard, because it
makes no sense.”
Right, Keyshawn. You’re a dirtball.
Then we have Michael Jackson for his entire body of work. Or
Kobe Bryant, who in almost any other year would have won the
award hands down.
But the first runner-up goes to the NBA’s Latrell Sprewell; an
above average player, at best, in the last stages of his checkered
career who after receiving a 3-year contract extension offer at $9
million per told his employer, the Minnesota Timberwolves, to
shove it, saying “I’ve got a family to feed.” When reminded his
remark might be insensitive to someone out of work, Spree
replied “that could be me.”
Certainly, Spree and Kobe are quite worthy but before we
announce our winner of the “Dave Bliss” trophy, named after the
former Baylor University men’s basketball coach who did all he
could to cover up the death of player Patrick Dennehy a few
years back, let me remind you of 2003’s winner, former Oakland
Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski. I noted that he had been a
“pill-popping, steroid munching terror for years” who during
training camp in ’03 punched out a teammate, shattering his eye
socket during one of his ‘roid rage incidents. Over the past 12
months, Romanowski’s name has been part of every new
allegation in the BALCO investigation.
But I also noted last year that Barry Bonds “will be the winner in
2004” and so he is for continuing to desecrate the game of
baseball and the record book that so many of us cherish. This
spring and summer is going to be mighty depressing for many
fans of this sport as Bonds passes, first, Ruth and then possibly
Aaron on the all-time home run list. You are a despicable human
being, Barry Bonds. And, folks, we could be looking at our
“Dirtball of the Year” winner in 2005 as well.
Top 3 songs for the week of 12/25/71: #1 “Brand New Key”
(Melanie) #2 “Family Affair” (Sly & The Family Stone) #3
“American Pie” (Don McLean)
St. Louis / L.A. Rams Quiz Answers: 1) George Allen coached
from 1966-70, compiling a 49-17-4 record. 2) Roman Gabriel is
still the team leader in TD passes with 154, 1962-72. 3) TDs,
career: Marshall Faulk, 80, entering this season. 4) Willie
Ellison rushed for 247 yards in a game back on 12/5/71. 5) Gary
Beban was the last Ram to be taken with the 1st pick all the way
back in 1968. 6) Oklahoma running back Elvis Peacock was a
1st-round pick in 1978.
Next Bar Chat, January 4.
Happy New Year!
