ABA Quiz: 1) In the nine years of the American Basketball
Association, 1967-76, seven different players were named MVP,
including 1974-75 when there were co-winners. Name them. 2)
Name the player who is the all-time leader in both total points
and assists. 3) Who is the all-time leader in rebounds? Answers
below.
March 31-April 4, 1968
For some of us, it’s hard to believe the chaotic events of 1968
were forty years ago, including two in a short stretch that rocked
the nation.
But first, on March 12, 1968, a little known U.S. senator, Eugene
McCarthy, scored a political “upset” when he finished a strong
second in the New Hampshire Democratic primary to President
Lyndon Johnson, garnering 42% of the vote to Johnson’s 48%.
The times were such that this was considered a crushing defeat
for LBJ. It didn”t help that Johnson personally scorned McCarthy.
While McCarthy was known as a peacenik on the Vietnam War,
polls in New Hampshire showed that 60% of those voting for
“Clean Gene” described themselves as hawks and were voting
more against an inept administration policy on the conduct of the
war. The next primary was due to be held in Wisconsin and polls
there showed that McCarthy would crush LBJ. Said one Johnson
adviser, “We sent a man (to campaign for Johnson) and all we’ve
heard from him since is a few faint beeps, like the last radio
signals from the Bay of Pigs.”
With an already reeling Johnson, the situation became worse
when just 4 days after New Hampshire, Bobby Kennedy entered
the race.
At the White House, antiwar protesters held a daily vigil,
chanting, “Hey, hey, LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?”
Johnson told an aide, “I’ve asked Congress for too much for too
long, and they’re tired of me.”
So it was against this backdrop that on March 31, LBJ handed his
loyal vice president, Hubert Humphrey, a piece of paper from his
breast pocket and asked Hubert to read aloud a few lines he had
put down as a way of ending a presidential address on Vietnam
that evening. His first ending was simply an appeal for national
unity. This second ending that Humphrey was reading was much
more. Humphrey burst into tears.
At 9:35 p.m., broadcasting to 85 million Americans, LBJ raised
his right arm in a pre-arranged signal and the TelePrompter
scrolled up the second ending.
Johnson started the speech by discussing the mounting racial
tensions and growing public denouncement of the country”s
involvement in the war. LBJ announced a partial halt to the
bombing of North Vietnam as well as the opening of peace
negotiations. He then expressed concern for the “division in the
American house,” stating that he could not allow such divisions
to permeate the presidency.
“I have concluded that I should not permit the presidency to
become involved in the partisan divisions that are developing in
this political year.” LBJ then paused to stare into the camera, as
if to make sure everyone was paying close attention. And
everyone was caught completely off guard by the next line.
“Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the
nomination of my party for another term as your president.”
[In his memoirs, LBJ reported that even as he took the oath in
January 1965, he would never take it again. His health (bad
heart), he had decided, would not take the punishment of another
term.]
Johnson’s popularity skyrocketed after his announcement, as a
Harris poll afterwards showed an approval rating of 57%,
compared to the same 57% that had disapproved before the
address.
But just four days later, Johnson had to address the American
people again. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
King was in Memphis, April 3, to rally striking sanitation
workers, where he also learned that a federal injunction against a
planned demonstration slated for April 4 had been obtained.
Frank Gianotti, the Memphis city attorney, said the injunction
was motivated by a fear “that in the turmoil of the moment
someone may even harm Dr. King’s life, and with all the force of
language we can use we want to emphasize that we don’t want
that to happen.” King then delayed the demonstration until the
following Monday, in part to allow time for supporting groups to
make their way to Memphis.
The evening of the 3rd, though, King preached to a capacity
crowd at Mason Temple about the climate of racial hatred he
encountered. Jules Witcover writes in “1968: The Year the
Dream Died”:
“It was a cold and miserable night and he had not wanted to go to
the hall, friends said later, suspecting that the turnout would be
poor. He had in fact asked his chief lieutenant, Ralph Abrenathy,
to fill in for him, but Abernathy phoned from the hall to say it
was jammed and that the crowd was expecting him. So he went,
in what these friends recalled was a reluctant and somber mood
that his words readily conveyed.
“He told of the pilot on his plane from Atlanta that day telling his
passengers over the public address system: ‘We’re sorry for the
delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane, and to
be sure that nothing would be wrong, we had to check out
everything carefully. And we’ve guarded the plane all night.’
“King had talked of the rumors, the death threats that always
swirled around him. ‘Well, I don’t know what will happen now,’
he said. ‘But it really doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve
been to the mountaintop. I won’t mind.’ The audience
responded with ‘Amen’ and other participatory calls as he went
on: ‘Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has
its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to
do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain.
And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land.’
“In words that would soon seem to have been prophetic, King
continued: ‘I may not get there with you, but I want you to know
tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I’m
happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing
any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the
Lord!’
“That same day, a man registering as Eric S. Galt checked into
the New Rebel Hotel in Memphis. He was the same man who,
under the name Harvey Lowmyer, had bought (a) rifle in (a)
Birmingham gun supply shop the previous weekend. He
checked out of the New Rebel the next day, April 4, and went to
the York Arms Company, where he bought a pair of Bushnell
binoculars costing $41.50 from Cordra York Sr. Then he moved
to a rooming house at 424 ½ South Main Street, signing in as
John Willard, and was given Room 5B, next to one occupied by
a disabled veteran named Charles Stevens. The man reported
later that ‘Willard’ had made repeated trips to the bathroom,
which overlooked Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel at 420 South
Main, where King was staying.”
King had stayed inside the motel room all day, working on plans
for his demonstration and march five days later, which would
mark the first time he had ever actually defied an injunction.
That evening, he was scheduled to go to dinner with Abernathy
at the home of a local minister and a chauffeured car arrived
outside the Lorraine to pick them up. Abernathy wasn’t ready to
leave so King pulled open the sliding glass door to the second-
floor balcony and stepped out.
Just below in the courtyard, a King aide, Jesse Jackson, was with
a local musician, Ben Branch, as they prepared to go to a church
service. Jackson called up to King: “Do you know Ben?” King
replied: “Yes. Ben, be sure and sing ‘Precious Lord, Take My
Hand.’ Sing it real pretty.” Solomon Jones, the chauffeur,
advised King to wear a topcoat as it was chilly and King said he
would.
“Across the way… ‘Willard’ stood in the bathtub at the small
window overlooking the Lorraine Motel, his arm braced against
it, his eye sighting the telescopic lens on the rifle and his finger
on the trigger. He squeezed it just once. The shot exploded the
street’s quiet and King fell to the floor of the balcony, one foot
caught in the railing and blood gushing from a three-inch tear in
his face. The time later was fixed as one minute after six
o’clock, Central Standard Time.”
King was rushed to nearby St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead at five minutes past seven.
[Sources: “The American Century,” Harold Evans; “CBS
Reports: Moments in Broadcasting”; “1968: The Year the Dream
Died,” Jules Witcover; Smithsonian / Clay Risen]
Stuff
–In Jose Canseco’s new book, “Vindicated: Big Names, Big
Liars and the Battle to Save Baseball,” he says he introduced
Alex Rodriguez to a known steroids supplier, whom Canseco
didn’t identify, but nothing stronger. He does say he injected
Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers, but then he writes he’s not sure
Roger Clemens used steroids, though Clemens had made
references to them.
Canseco claims A-Rod worked out in his home in Florida in the
late 1990s, and Rodriguez asked him about steroids, whereupon
Canseco claims he was told by the supplier, “Max,” that A-Rod
had “signed on.”
Jose also says A-Rod, then single, was hitting on his wife and he
“began calling Jessica on her cellphone. I’m not a jealous man,
but I could see that A-Rod was jonesing for my wife.” And, boy,
does Canseco loath Rodriguez, ending one chapter of the book
thusly:
“So A-Rod, if you’re reading this book, and if I’m not getting
through to you, let’s get clear on one thing: I hate your ——
guts.” Huh.
On the issue of his good friend, Clemens, Jack Curry in the New
York Times reports that after the Mitchell report hit, “Clemens
called Canseco to complain. Clemens later flew Canseco to
Houston, and his lawyers asked Canseco to sign an affidavit that
said Canseco has ‘no reason to believe’ that Clemens had used
any steroids, human growth hormone or performance enhancers.”
Meanwhile, Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform issued a 109-page report that supports
aspects of Roger Clemens’ testimony last month, including ‘new
information’ that appeared to show Clemens was not at Jose
Canseco’s disputed party in 1998.
Republican Tom Davis said in a release accompanying the
report, “Did Roger Clemens lie to us? Some of the evidence
seems to say he did; other information suggests he told the
truth.”
Gag me. At least Davis goes on to say “the Justice Department
is best equipped to investigate that central question.”
I wouldn’t vote for any congressman who believed Clemens,
regardless of party.
–This just in……. “Sharks ‘may predict the severity of storms’”
According to researcher Lauren Smith, who is completing her
PhD studies into the pressure-sensing abilities of sharks at
Plymouth University, sharks have an ability to predict the
severity in weather. At least her work confirms observations
made in Florida in 2001 as Hurricane Gabrielle arrived. Juvenile
blacktip sharks moved into deeper water in association with the
approaching storm. So Ms. Smith’s study, conducted in an
altitude (hyperbaric) chamber, could lead to sharks appearing on
nightly newscasts, or, perhaps, replacing Dr. Greg Forbes, severe
weather expert on the Weather Channel.
–Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who caught
102 passes last season, becomes an “Idiot of the Year” candidate
for putting his arm through a television as a result of horsing
around with relatives, or so he says. Marshall cut an artery, vein,
nerve, two tendons and three muscles in his forearm, but should
be available for next season. One thing is for sure, he wasn’t
watching “John Adams.”
–The Lady Vols of Tennessee are 42-0 all-time in first- and
second-round games in the NCAA basketball tournament.
–The Mets and Yankees are playing their final seasons in their
stadiums with each opening a spanking new facility next spring.
So the teams are negotiating with the city to buy the old
ballparks so they can profit from selling the memorabilia.
One expert on stadium garage sales says a Yankee Stadium seat
could go for $1,000, with Shea seats going for up to $500. I
know I’d pay a decent price for one. Bags of infield dirt from
Yankee Stadium are expected to fetch $25, minimum.
When Busch Stadium went under the wrecking ball in 2005,
Albert Pujols’ locker sold for $20,000, so how much would
Derek Jeter’s go for? Home plate and the pitching rubber from
the Busch bullpen sold for $14,000, so what would a Mets or
Yankees fan pay?
My how times have changed. Back in 1960, Harry Avirom was
in charge of the demolition of Ebbets Field and he invited fans to
take a seat for free. Today, a brick from there sells for $1,000
and a seat for as much as $5,000. When the New York Giants
lost their final game at the Polo Grounds, the fans looted it
immediately. [Jeremy Olshan / New York Post]
–Mike Toth, executive editor of Field & Stream, writes in the
Star-Ledger:
“It used to be the sight of a delicate purple crocus bloom peeking
through the frosty ground. Now, the sign of springtime in New
Jersey is planting your foot into a fresh greasy pile of glistening
Canada goose droppings.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are
95,000 resident Canada geese in New Jersey (I’ve seen 95,000
on a single field…or so it seems) and we have more per square
mile than any other state; which also means “One pound of feces,
per goose, per day,” according to the USDA, much of which of
course fouls our waterways.
At least the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service allows landowners,
municipalities and homeowner associations to destroy Canada
goose nests and eggs.
–Merle Brandell and his dog were walking on the beach along
the Bering Sea when he saw a plastic bottle, which stood out
because he normally saw Japanese glass floats. Inside the bottle
was an envelope containing a message from an elementary
school student outside Seattle.
The letter had traveled over 1,700 miles, which wasn’t that
unusual, but it had been 21 years since Emily Hwaung put it in
the bottle.
“This letter is part of our science project to study oceans and
learn about people in distant lands. Please send the date and
location of the bottle with your address. I will send you my
picture and tell you when and where the bottle was placed in the
ocean. Your friend, Emily Hwaung.”
As reported by Donna Gordon Blankinship of the AP, Brandell,
34, a bear hunting guide, and his neighbors were intrigued by his
find, beachcombing being a popular activity along the sea, and
he was able to track down Emily’s school. But no one answered
the phone when he called in December so he sent a letter to the
school district, where a spokesman, Craig Degginger handled it.
Degginger discovered Emily Hwaung is now a 30-year-old
accountant named Emily Shih who lives in Seattle.
Bet you were hoping the two then hooked up….but this doesn’t
appear likely. I was hoping he’d take her on a bear hunt.
–Speaking of Alaska, Mount Alyeska has now had over 750
inches of snow this season. Normally, Mount Baker in
Washington State gets the award for the most, but it’s had under
200 inches thus far.
–The ‘Shu’ wrote in to say that most women wouldn’t appreciate
my comment that Mariah Carey is the sexiest woman on the
planet these days. His own wife, for example, shouts one of two
words every time Mariah appears in a blurb on TV. I can’t print
either one.
–Attention college hockey fans. It’s NCAA Division I ice
hockey tourney time, first round 3/28-3/29.
East…Michigan v. Niagara; St. Cloud St. v. Clarkson
West…Colorado College v. Michigan State; Notre Dame v. New
Hampshire
Midwest…North Dakota v. Princeton; Denver v. Wisconsin
New England…Boston College v. Minnesota; Air Force v.
Miami (Ohio)
I’ll go with St. Cloud State……….of course I have no freakin’
clue but I’d kind of like a St. Cloud State t-shirt, know what I’m
sayin’?
–Neil Aspinall died. The longtime friend of the Beatles who
managed their business ventures was visited by Paul McCartney
in the hospital shortly before his death from cancer at age 66.
Aspinall was a childhood friend of McCartney’s and George
Harrison, growing up in Liverpool, and while he didn’t
contribute musically, he ran Apple Corps, which oversaw all the
commercial concerns, including licensing and the Cirque du
Soleil “Love” production in Las Vegas. Aspinall was also the
band’s first road manager.
–Alan Jackson has the best selling album in America these days,
his fifteenth, “Good Time,” the first where he wrote all the tunes
by himself.
Top 3 songs for week of 3/23/68: #1 “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of
The Bay” (Otis Redding) #2 “Love Is Blue” (Paul Mauriat) #3
“(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls” (Dionne Warwick)…and
…#4 “Simon Says” (1910 Fruitgum Co.) #5 “Just Dropped In
(To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” (The First
Edition) #6 “La-La-Means I Love You” (The Delfonics) #7
“Valleri” (The Monkees) #8 “Since You’ve Been Gone” (Aretha
Franklin) #9 “I Thank You” (Sam & Dave) #10 “The Ballad Of
Bonnie And Clyde” (Georgie Fame)
ABA Quiz: 1) Seven who won the MVP award: 1967-68,
Connie Hawkins, Pittsburgh; 1968-69, Mel Daniels, Indiana;
1969-70, Spencer Haywood, Denver; Mel Daniels, 1970-71,
Indiana; Artis Gilmore, 1971-72, Kentucky; Billy Cunningham,
1972-73, Carolina; Julius Erving, 1973-74, New York; Julius
Erving and George McGinnis (Indiana), 1974-75; Julius Erving,
1975-76, New York. 2) Louie Dampier (Kentucky) is the all-
time leader in scoring and assists. 3) Mel Daniels is the all-time
leader in rebounds.
Next Bar Chat, Monday…from New Orleans, if I survive
Saturday night there.
