Baseball Quiz: 1977 trivia. 1) Following are the initials of the top ten in the ’77 NL MVP voting. Name ‘em. [In order of finish…relatively easy except maybe for one] G.F., G.L., D.P., R.S., S.C., S.G., B.S., R.C., T.S., M.S. 2) Who am I? In 1977 I went 15-7 and finished 8th in the AL Cy Young voting and 4th in the Rookie of the Year vote, easily the best year of my career, initials D.R. Answers below.
Ball Bits…and Remembering Robin Roberts
Oakland pitcher Dallas Braden, who has a running feud with A-Rod because A-Rod disrespected him, pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history with a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay. Braden’s grandmother, by the way, after her son’s effort, told Alex to “stick it.” Braden has a career mark of just 18-23.
ESPN The Magazine did a poll of 100 MLB players in the spring on a variety of topics and just released the results. For example…
Who is the best player? 58% said Albert Pujols. No one else broke 5%.
Most overrated? Joba Chamberlain, edging A-Rod, 17% to 9%.
Which city has the best groupies? Chicago. Worst? Oakland.
On a typical 25-man roster, how many players do you think are taking performance-enhancing drugs? 14 declined to answer, but of the 86 who did, the poll put the average at 1.2 guys per dugout, which would mean about 5% are still doing something. One AL starter replied, “I’d say not a single player is taking steroids. But there are guys who use HGH, because there’s no blood test.”
Which pitcher has the nastiest stuff? Roy Halladay (40%). Tim Lincecum is next.
What is the best franchise? 52% said the Yankees. The Red Sox were second at 16%. Worst? The Pirates (23%).
In your opinion, what percentage of married players cheat on their wives? 36%. Two of the players said 70%.
Should Barry Bonds be in the Hall of Fame? 67% said yes. One AL slugger, though, said, “He’s juiced out of his mind.”
Most overrated stat? Batting average, just ahead of ERA. Most underrated? On-base percentage [which is the one I value the most….though growing up, circa 1960s/early 70s, hardly ever gave it a thought, nor did anyone else.]
Best manager? Bobby Cox. Worst? Either Lou Piniella or Ozzie Guillen.
44% own firearms.
Fill in the blank: I spend at least ___ minutes a game staring at women in the crowd. The average response was 18 minutes, or roughly 10% of each game. How is that even possible? One All-Star AL slugger explains: “Our games are three hours long, but you play only 10 seconds of every minute. What are you supposed to do for the other 50?”
[Your editor in Lebanon: “I spent 95% of my time staring at women…the other 5% looking for car bombers.]
Meanwhile…
Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg had his first AAA start on Friday and allowed just one hit and no runs in six innings, striking out six and walking one. In five starts in Double-A, Strasburg had an ERA of 1.64. One or two more starts could be it before he hits the big time.
Mets catcher Rod Barajas is rapidly becoming a folk hero and the team hasn’t even reached the quarter-mark in the season. Aside from the fact he has been amazingly clutch in hitting nine home runs, he also just seems like a great guy…and so I ordered a Rod Barajas shirt, as I’m sure countless fans are doing the past few days. [Except then on Sunday he had a horrible passed ball that allowed a run in a one-run loss.]
Anyway, Barajas had an interview in the Sunday New York Post with Steve Serby and was asked for three dinner guests. “Yogi Berra; Johnny Bench; my grandfather.”
Which leads me to a little story I heard on Berra just this week. A friend attended a dinner for the New Jersey Hall of Fame induction and because of connections sat next to Berra, Joe Pesci, and Jack Nicholson. Mike said Berra is totally out of it, as in it’s not funny. We all knew this day would come, but the key for Yogi is how to handle it. I’ll leave out some further obvious comments that could be made. [Mike also said that our mutual hero, Frankie Valli, was stylin’.]
Speaking of Halls of Fame, should Mike Piazza enter the baseball version, as seems certain when he becomes eligible in 2013 (unless another shoe or two drops in baseball’s steroids past), he wants to go in as a Met, though his first seven seasons were with the Dodgers. It’s Major League Baseball, however, that decides which team’s cap would be on his plaque.
There was a blurb in Sports Illustrated concerning Tigers centerfielder Austin Jackson, who struck out at least once in 19 consecutive games at the start of his career, breaking the record of 17 held by two pitchers, Bob Johnson (1970…career, parts of 7 seasons, 1969-77) and Tom Parsons (1963-65). So while Jackson is nonetheless hitting a stupendous .371 through Sunday’s play, I had to look at the career batting averages of Johnson and Parsons. Johnson hit .096 in 157 at bats, fanning 93 times, while Parsons, who had a career 2-13 W/L record, had just one hit in 27 ABs, striking out 20 times.
Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher in baseball history to throw a shutout. Moyer is 47. I can’t stand the guy.
Surprises in baseball through Sunday…
Seattle…12-19…did I pick these guys to win it all? What was I thinking?
San Diego…19-12…remarkable
Baltimore…9-23…perhaps not a surprise, but good seats available rest of the season
Washington…17-14…with Strasburg on the horizon, who the hell knows?
And Robin Roberts died. The Hall of Famer won 286 games, including six consecutive 20-win seasons, had 45 shutouts and pitched 305 complete games. During his great run, 1950-55, he also threw 300+ innings each of the 20-win campaigns, which, it must be added, did take a toll on him as, save a few exceptions, he was nowhere near the same pitcher afterwards as he was early on. The other downside was he gave up more home runs than any other major league pitcher, including three straight seasons of 40+. That aside, Roberts was the very definition of a “workhorse.”
Philadelphia Phillies fans will best remember Roberts for leading the 1950 Whiz Kids to the World Series against the Yankees (who then swept Philly). In the regular season, the Phils almost blew a 7 ½-game lead with 11 to play before Roberts bailed them out, starting three of the last five games.
Roberts spent 14 of his 19 seasons in Philadelphia before moving on to Baltimore for three and then finishing up with Houston and the Cubs.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick had this comment:
“Thursday’s death of Robin Roberts brought to mind the final years of an eight-team National League, when even the worst teams had very good pitchers. For the 1954 Phillies, a 75-79 team – 154-games, then – Roberts was 23-15, 29 complete games, 2.97 ERA. Unreal.
“A year later, with the 55-99 Pirates, Bob Friend was 14-9 and led the NL with a 2.83 ERA. In 1957, Friend, for the 62-92 Bucs, was 14-18, leading in innings pitched (277) and games started (38), a 3.38 ERA. Among the very best of his era, Friend finished an unfair 197-230.”
Ain’t that the truth. Mr. Mushnick could have easily mentioned 1956 in the case of Friend, when the Bucs went 66-88, but Friend was 17-17 and led the league in starts (42) and innings (314).
Tyler Kepner / New York Times
“A reader named Patrick Thompson sent an e-mail message comparing the statistics of Robin Roberts and Bert Blyleven. The numbers are strikingly similar.
“Roberts, who died Thursday at 83, was 286-245 with a 3.41 ERA in 609 starts. Blyleven was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA in 685 starts. Both threw a lot of complete games and allowed a lot of home runs. Blyleven had many more strikeouts (3,701 to Roberts’ 2,357), though Roberts led his league in the category twice, and Blyleven just once.
“The difference in the perception of their careers was the stretch by Roberts from 1950 through 1955. He earned at least 20 victories in each of those seasons, always with an ERA below 3.30. It was a stretch of dominance that Blyleven did not match, or so it would seem.
“Roberts’ six standout seasons came from age 23 through 28. At a similar range in his career, age 20 through 25, Blyleven never had an ERA above 3.00, and always made at least 35 starts. Yet only once did he win more than 17 games.
“Roberts was a worthy Hall of Famer who made it on his fourth try in 1976. Blyleven is still waiting for the call, with his 13th appearance on the ballot coming this winter.”
It’s kind of funny, but aside from Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, Blyleven and Friend are at the top of my list (Friend more as a fan of history as I didn’t see him pitch before he retired).
But in looking at Total Baseball’s “Biographical Encyclopedia” and the entry for Roberts, I have to note this bit on how he got his start.
“At an early age (Roberts) became interested in sports and distinguished himself in basketball. Michigan State offered him a scholarship [Roberts grew up in Springfield, Ill.], but World War II intervened, and he spent 1944 and part of 1945 as an Army Air Force cadet. After being discharged he enrolled at Michigan State, where he eventually earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education.
“At East Lansing, Michigan, Roberts began to show his ability as a pitcher, tossing a pair of no-hitters. One of them was against archrival Michigan, then coached by former major league pitcher Ray Fisher….Roberts joined Fisher’s (summer league club in Vermont) and within two years found himself pursued by six major league teams.
“The choice came down to either the Boston Braves or the Philadelphia Phillies. Roberts agreed to work out for both at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Phillies came first and after watching him pitch offered him a $25,000 signing bonus. At the time, the sum was more than most major leaguers made in a season, but the young pitcher hesitated. The Braves had previously offered to treat his parents to an all-expenses-paid week’s vacation in Chicago. Roberts called his father in Springfield and pointed out that he could easily pay for their trip out of his bonus money. The elder Roberts gave his blessing and Robin Roberts became a Phillie.”
Oh, how times were different. The other week, Sporting News had a bit titled “Where was Scott Boras when you needed him?” For example, Ernie Banks commented on his first contract, 1953, the Cubs.
“I came out to Chicago with Buck O’Neil and Bill Dickey Jr. Bill and I signed at the same time. We went into the general manager’s office – Wid Matthews. He sent Bill Dickey to the minor leagues and told me I was going to join the Cubs. He pulled out a contract – we didn’t know anything about any contracts. We signed it – I think it was for about $2,000 for the remainder of the year. That was it. I walked out of the office smiling and called my daddy. ‘We’re rich, Daddy, we’re rich!’ He laughed and said, ‘What?’ I told him, ‘Bill and I signed with the Cubs today. We’re rich. You can retire.’ He said, ‘Boy, have you lost your mind?’”
Denny McLain had this tale on his first contract, 1962, White Sox.
“The Yankees guy came in, and he had the check for all the money. When he crossed his legs, he had a hole in the bottom of his shoe. My mother told him, ‘We will call you.’ The White Sox guy comes in. When he crossed his legs, he had no hole in his shoes. My mother being a Polish Jew from the old country – what is the most important thing to someone who came out of Europe at that time of their life? Shoes. My mother said, ‘You’re not signing with the Yankees. If their cheap scout can’t afford a pair of shoes, what do you think will happen to you?’ I was 18. I was dying to go to the Yankees. My idol was Mickey Mantle.”
And if you’re talking contracts, you can’t help but mention Ralph Kiner’s situation. [Apologies to my fellow Mets fans who have heard this one a couple times a season, with Ralph being in our broadcasting booth since 1962.]
“The only problems I ever had were with Branch Rickey, who was very stingy with money to ballplayers. I had seven years that I led the National League in home runs in succession. My seventh year, we had a terrible year with the Pirates. We finished dead last with 112 losses. Rickey said to me, ‘I’m gonna have to cut your salary 25 percent,’ which was the maximum cut. I argued for many weeks with him through the mail and telegrams. He said to me, ‘Son, where did we finish?’ I said, ‘We finished last.’ He said, ‘We can finish last without you,’ which meant I had to take the 25 percent cut or not play baseball.”
Lastly, we had a cool story in neighboring Chatham, N.J. A fifth grader, Kate Drury, was at a local hockey rink when she found a ring. The ring belonged to Merrill Hess, now 82, who in 1960 was assistant scouting director for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yes, it was Hess’ World Series ring and it seems he had gone to watch a high school hockey game at the rink back in February when he lost it.
Hess’ name is inscribed on the side but had worn down a bit in 49 years, which is why Kate Drury couldn’t determine the owner right away when she found it the same month.
“I was watching my brother play hockey and I saw a ring under a table (at the snack bar).”
Kate and her parents reported the find to the rink owners and waited to hear back from someone looking for it, but Hess didn’t realize the ring was missing until two days later. “I was heartbroken,” he said.
So picture Hess and his wife retracing their steps, calling a few restaurants and scouring the house. But the couple had recently been in Florida and they felt it could be anywhere. It turns out he totally forgot about the hockey rink.
A few weeks later, Hess’ daughter tried searching for the ring on Google. One result returned a posting on Yahoo Answers from someone who had found a 1960 World Series ring belonging to “Merrill Mess.”
So Arlan Hess immediately responded, but in checking the user’s profile realized she was communicating with a child. Arlan posted again, suggesting Kate’s parents contact her. The next day, Kate’s father called, and the Drury family made the six-mile trip to Merrill Hess’ home in Morristown.
Merrill Hess was most generous with Kate. He gave her a check for $500, a gift certificate, and an autographed photo from the 1960 Series of none other than Roberto Clemente. I’m sure Kate’s father loved this last one.
Arlan Hess noted, “That ring could have paid for her freshmen year in college. This was a little girl doing the right thing, that says a lot about her parents, and the world they want her to live in.” [Sarah Schillaci / Star-Ledger]
Stuff
Golf Balls
–Well, The Players Championship lacked a lot of drama without Mickelson at the top, let alone Tiger. Tim Clark finally broke through after 8 second-place finishes in besting Robert Allenby, who hasn’t won himself now since 2001. It’s also unreal how Lee Westwood hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 1998, despite his success everywhere else in the world.
–Did you see the picture of the drunk golf fan who was Tasered after heckling Tiger Woods at the TPC? Talk about a poster-boy for being zapped…it was this jerk. It seems security guards told him several times to shut up before they called in the sheriff, who dispatched a bunch of deputies to the scene. When 36-year-old Travis Parmelee refused to be taken into custody, “BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!”
[And of course we heartily concur with the treatment of the Philadelphia Phillies fan who was tasered the other day. Great photo of that one, though this weekend I was listening to a New York sports radio station and there were people calling in actually saying excessive force was used on the kid in Philly. Oh, spare me.]
Meanwhile, Tiger quit six holes into Sunday’s final round with a reported bulging disk, details to follow.
But when the Golf Channel’s Win McMurry reported on the matter, he got his sore neck confused with something else.
“(Woods) says he’s been playing with a bad neck for about a month and thinks it could be a bulging d—k,” said McMurry. The blond broadcaster quickly corrected herself. [I haven’t had a chance to look it up but it’s on Deadspin and other sites, supposedly.]
–This will be fun…the R&A is setting up a record 21,500-plus seat grandstand for the British Open at St. Andrews. Start dreaming, golf fans, that the last twosome is tied for the lead, approaching the 72nd green. Player A (Lee Westwood) is ten feet from the hole with his second shot. Player B (Phil Mickelson) is 20 feet. Player B drains it from 20. Player A lips his out. Player B, having already won at the Masters and U.S. Open, thus picks up the third leg in the Grand Slam and the crowd, despite the hometown favorite going down, is just going bonkers.
[Of course it would be more so if we reversed the two, but you see, your editor is not only a Mickelson fan, he’s a homer.]
–New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plays 54 holes during his weekend visits to his vacation home at Bermuda’s Mid Ocean Club. I once saw his house there. Nice spread, befitting a billionaire.
–So what did you think of this story…Grant Whybark, a sophomore at St. Francis University in Joliet, Ill., was on the first playoff hole of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship against Seth Doran of Olivet Nazarene.
Whybark knew that he and his team had already advanced to the NAIA national championship to be held May 18-21 as St. Francis had captured the team title, so Whybark and his four teammates had their tickets.
But on the first playoff hole, Whybark was informed the winner would get the conference’s individual spot for the nationals and he already knew he was going.
So Whybark, who’s known Seth for the past couple of years, talked with his team about it and decided to hit his tee shot out of bounds on the way to a double-bogey, thus allowing Seth Doran to qualify for the NAIA championship as an individual.
The decision has attracted a fair amount of controversy. Was it an act of sportsmanship, or was the way Doran got in bogus? Most seem to believe that it is another sign the gentlemen’s game is alive and well. I’m kind of torn myself.
–I am barely following the NBA playoffs (ditto the NHL when the Rangers aren’t involved, which has been the rule the past decade or so), but one of the true jerks on the planet is undoubtedly the Lakers’ Ron Artest who Tweeted some idiotic things on coach Phil Jackson, such as this unedited ditty. “Ever since Phil mention things about me in media before coming to me first I was weird. So every pray he can somehow close his yapper.” Artest’s brother said Ron’s account was hacked. I’m saying, if you’re Phil Jackson, a Mensa member, why would you want to continue in this profession and have to deal with these idiots? You’ve got your rings, tons of money…just walk off the court during a timeout for full effect…like in a Game 7…telling the sideline reporter, “The NBA sucks. I’m going home.”
–I was sorry to see Butler’s Gordon Hayward announce he was formally going out early, having until May 8 to pull his name back from the NBA draft. No doubt he’s going to be an outstanding pro, but from a selfish standpoint, and as a fan, I wanted to see Butler have another magical run in the NCAA tourney and with Hayward, they were virtually a lock Final Four again. Without him, they’re pretty ordinary (unless there’s a recruit I’m not aware of).
–Great story by Howard Beck in the New York Times on Bill Walton and his struggles to overcome debilitating back pain. In an interview with Beck on Thursday, Walton said, “I had a life that was not worth living. I was on the floor and unable to move. The closest that I can come to describe it is, visualize yourself being submerged in a vat of scalding acid, with an electrifying current running through it. And there’s no way to ever get out. I had nothing.”
It was in February 2008 that an old injury from college finally did him in and he hasn’t called a game since. When he was a center at UCLA he broke his back, “low-bridged” by an opponent, “a despicable act of intentional violence and a dirty play,” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. When he returned two weeks later he had to wear a corset with steel rods. It was at this time that UCLA had its 88-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Notre Dame.
“By his count, Walton has undergone 36 orthopedic operations, starting when he was 13.
“ ‘I had two fused ankles, my knees, hands and wrists don’t work; and now I have a fused spine. But I’m doing great. And I am back in the game of life. I’m climbing up one more time.”
This is from a guy who admits he considered suicide, the pain was so bad. But after an 8 ½-hour surgery, four incisions, four four-inch bolts, two titanium rods and “a big Erector-set cage to hold it all together,’ he’s pain free. Instead of returning to the broadcasting booth, though, he’s on a mission to promote the surgeon and his radical methods.
–I told you Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner was an NFL quarterback. At least the Giants have opted to sign him after seeing enough in a minicamp. Skinner will battle with Jim Sorgi and Rhett Bomar in the competition for backup to Eli Manning.
[Skinner, by the way, has some embarrassing photos on the Net…self-inflicted wounds, you might say. A lot of us Wake fans weren’t aware of this until now. I only learned when I was looking up articles on Skinner’s status last week. And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.]
–Last winter I mentioned University of Washington QB Jake Locker, who has scouts drooling, for both football and baseball. Sporting News notes that while it’s 11 months away, most NFL scouts already have him as the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, assuming there is pro football in 2011.
–The Daily News’ Filip Bondy on the New Meadowlands Stadium, home to the Giants and Jets. “For $1.6 billion, this is really nothing spectacular. The place is very un-colorful, by design. ‘We wanted a very neutral palate,’ said the CEO of the stadium project, ‘so we can customize it for different events.’
“You won’t be overwhelmed by the sights or sounds, just the price of the PSLs. This is not a statement building, not like the one that Jerry Jones built in Dallas. It is a very functional place – comfortable, but too big to be cozy. And because there is no roof, you’ll still freeze half to death during Giants games in December.
“Still, it is a good viewing venue, and ideal to host the final of the 2022 World Cup – which likely will be its eventual role.”
Goodness gracious. 2022? I can’t plan that far ahead, know what I’m sayin’?
–Here’s a good fish story. As reported by Fergus Black of the Irish Independent:
“Heard the one about how a volcano helped a fisherman land the biggest trout caught in Ireland for more than a century?
“Visiting Czech angler Karel Sourek should have been back home in Prague regaling his friends with tall tales of the ones that got away on his first trip to Ireland.
“Instead, thanks to the volcanic ash, he was forced to wait for a week for his return flight and was back on Lough Corrib when he landed a whopper – and the fish lived to tell the tale.
“His catch, which measured 90cm in length and weighed in at 11.4kg (25.1 lb), is the biggest trout caught in Ireland in more than 100 years, the Central Fisheries Board confirmed yesterday.”
[Ed. I’ve gotta believe there are a lot of pints consumed at the Central Fisheries Board. Not a lot of concerns about meeting column deadlines, for example.]
“They were fishing in eight meters of water when Mr. Sourek snagged the bottom – but when the ‘bottom’ started pulling back they realized they had hooked a monster.
“After weighing and proudly photographing his catch, the fish was sportingly returned alive to the lake.”
Explaining why he returned the fish, Sourek said that maybe it was the oldest fish in the lake and “the beautiful warrior” deserved to be freed. “It is much better than to kill it and stick it into the display case.”
–The following has to be reported, but it’s even worse than the original incident. 25-year-old Lauren Failla, from a town near where I live in New Jersey, was snorkeling off the coast of India, in the Andaman islands, when she was killed by a saltwater crocodile. She was with her boyfriend on vacation, having just received a master’s degree from Southeby’s Art Institute in London. Her body was discovered two days later.
From Ethan Sacks / New York Daily News
“While attacks by saltwater crocodiles, which can grow to lengths of 20 feet, are relatively rare, four people have been killed by the reptiles in the islands over the past 25 years, according to Indian government statistics. There is a crocodile sanctuary 45 miles down the coastline from the site of the attack.”
But what’s doubly sad is the same family suffered a different tragedy in 2006, when Lauren’s older sister plunged 400 feet to her death in a rock-climbing accident in Washington State.
–Update: In the interest of full disclosure, regarding the Virginia lacrosse murder, when I posted my bit on the case the last time it hadn’t been released that school officials did not know of George Huguely’s prior guilty plea to resisting arrest, public swearing and public intoxication in November 2008 after he threatened to kill a police officer. University President John Casteen III said, “Students are required to self-report arrests. There is a regulation in the student code requiring that kind of report.” But Huguely didn’t. The rules will be changed.
–NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor admitted to police he paid $300 for sex, but that he didn’t know the girl he’s charged with raping is just 16. Taylor’s lawyer said his client was “set up.” Hardly. Otherwise, it’s not worth saying anything more about this one.
–Just an awful portrayal of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the current SI by Jack McCallum. There may not be a bigger jerk on the planet these days (including Taylor). His sense of entitlement is unreal…the constant “Do you know who I am?” when he wanted something. His refusal to even pay $5 cover charges.
But at the same time, when McCallum addresses the Milledgeville, Georgia, incident, the girls who were part of the victim’s party, “were wearing name tags of a sexual nature – the accuser’s read DTF, short for Down to F—.” I really am old. What goes on these days is startling.
–Vincent Chase is going to be messing around with porn star Sasha Grey in the next season of “Entourage.” As the New York Post’s Page Six noted, “The plot was inspired by Charlie Sheen’s affair with Ginger Lynn in the late ‘90s.” Sasha has gone mainstream as well.
–By the way, did you know how “Entourage” producer Mark Wahlberg, a k a Marky Mark, came up with the idea for the show? It seems that Wahlberg, a big golfer, was invited by Fordham golf coach, Paul Dillon, to play at Winged Foot in 2003. Dillon, the father of actors Kevin and Matt, remarked that Kevin lived part time in California and how the two should tee it up.
As noted in Golfweek, “A few holes later, Wahlberg conceded he never had met Kevin Dillon, but he might be a perfect fit for his new project. After all, Kevin had lived the part of Johnny Drama in real life, having been overshadowed by his own younger brother, in this case, Matt.”
So they played golf, made a pilot, sold it to HBO, and the rest is history.
—Betty White, appearing on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” before her SNL gig, was asked if she’d appear in a sketch with musical guest Jay-Z. White responded, “Jay-Z has 99 problems…but this bitch ain’t one of them.” I thought her SNL performance was pretty good. I laughed at a few of the skits. [The reviews, though, were mixed at best.] Heck, I think some of the MacGruber schtick is actually funny…or maybe it’s because I had a few beers. But I also liked Jay-Z. The difference with rap these days compared to its pioneer period is there’s some actual musicality in the tunes.
–No wonder why I like Taylor Swift (she’s a cool kid…what’s not to like?). She donated $500,000 for flood relief in Nashville. “Nashville is my home, and the reason why I get to do what I love,” she told the AP. “I have always been proud to be a Nashvilian, but especially now, seeing the love that runs through this city when there are people in crisis.” You rock, Taylor!
[Her name also gets thrown in the December file for yearend consideration.]
–I learned of Lena Horne’s passing too late to comment extensively. Perhaps more next time. Horne was 92.
–In talking about the entertainment lineup at the Mt. Airy Casino Resort in the Pocono Mountains, I mentioned how disappointed I was that Roy Clark was performing there. Local resident Johnny Mac, already concerned over stories of how the Poconos have become the territory of choice for terrorists to train in anonymity, notes that also appearing at Mt. Airy will be Mark Lindsay and Mickey Dolenz. Lindsay, of Paul Revere and the Raiders fame, is now 68, which I said makes him the same age as Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Ortiz’ representatives have yet to dispute my claim.
–This coming Wednesday, PBS’ “American Masters” series has a documentary on The Doors that contains previously unseen footage. It could be good. 9:00 PM ET.
–I was just informed David Ortiz is not 68…he’s 63.
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/11/85: #1 “Crazy For You” (Madonna…one of her better ones) #2 “We Are The World” (USA For Africa) #3 “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (Simple Minds)…and…#4 “Rhythm Of The Night” (DeBarge) #5 “One Night In Bangkok” (Murray Head) #6 “Some Like It Hot” (The Power Station) #7 “Smooth Operator” (Sade) #8 “Everything She Wants” (Wham!) #9 “Obsession” (Animotion) #10 “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Tears For Fears…these guys did some great music)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) 1977 NL MVP voting. George Foster (won), Greg Luzinski, Dave Parker, Reggie Smith (I thought this one might be tough…just because people forget what a solid career he had), Steve Carlton, Steve Garvey, Bruce Sutter, Ron Cey, Ted Simmons, Mike Schmidt. 2) Tigers pitcher Dave Rozema, 15-7 in rookie year…didn’t win 10 in a season rest of his career, finishing 60-53.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
