New York Giants Quiz: 1) Most TDs, career? 2) Most pass
receptions, career? 3) Most rushing yards, season? 4) #40 is
retired, for whom? How about #42? Answers below.
Things To Like About Oklahoma…I”m currently out here.
–The people…incredibly friendly (and sincere).
–Heard on the radio: Concerning a cattle auction, run by Bill
and Don Skaggs out of Beaver City, where “A handshake is still
a contract.”
–Valet parking guys know my name.
–Westin Hotel has absolutely the best bacon I have ever eaten in
my life. But since I”m having 6 strips a morning, I have turned
into a walking cholesterol bomb. I”m liable to go at any minute.
–Having driven 450 miles yesterday, I can officially say that the
drivers in Oklahoma are the best in the country. Geezuz, these
guys are polite.
–Yukon: “Home of Garth Brooks.” [Actually, the DJs are
having a little fun with Garth”s marital problems; they keep
playing “The Dance.”]
–So I”m driving through the little town of Laverne (up near the
panhandle) and there is a big banner across the main street.
“Home of Jane Jayroe…Miss America 1967.” Has a street
named after her and every thing.
–Oklahomans get to vote for J.C. Watts. I wish I could.
–Coffee: You need lots of it, driving in these parts. One of
the minor problems is that the smaller highways tend to be totally
straight and your editor falls asleep easily. So for my first cup,
purchased at a service station, the steaming 12-ouncer cost 43
cents!! My next stop, I got $13 worth of gas, plus another cup of
coffee, and handed the cashier $20. He proceeded to give me $7
change.
“Sir, you forgot to take out for the coffee,” said I.
“No Sir, the coffee is free.” Gosh, I love these people.
–Nothing better than driving through the countryside, drinking
a delicious java, and listening to Bob Wills, “(Just Watching
The) Bubbles In My Beer.”
–Crime: In the rural areas, totally non-existent. I was
incredulous when my new friends, the Bakers, told me that they
left their farmhouse unlocked when they went away for a week.
There has never been a need to. You used to hear these stories,
30 years ago, but I didn”t think there were any places left like
this in America. [Now in the cities, it is a different matter and on
the radio you hear commercials warning of the crystal meth
epidemic…sad.]
–Bread pudding at “The County Line” restaurant here in OKC.
Man, two Shiner Bocks and this and you”re set. It just doesn”t
get any better.
Negatives About Oklahoma
–Skunks: In assessing the roadkill, I”d say there are ten skunks
for every other creature that didn”t quite get across the road. In
asking Gene Baker about this, he explained that they are rather
prolific and like to set up shop in his various barns. So Ol” Gene
goes out with a flashlight at night to get them to step
outside…where he proceeds to blast them.
I told him that the other day, when I was getting my morning
papers in the driveway, I bent down only to see a skunk about 5
feet from me. “You shot him, right?” said Gene. He seemed
surprised that I didn”t own a gun. [By the way, I never ran faster
in my life in getting away from the creature.]
National Cowboy Hall of Fame
This is another truly spectacular museum, rivaling the Baseball
Hall of Fame. Located in Oklahoma City, I really didn”t know
what to expect. I thought it would just be a bunch of saddles and
spurs. What I found is that it is perhaps the best art gallery I”ve
been to in this country.
Now you have to be a little interested in Western Art to
appreciate what I”m about to say but, anyway, if you”re a fan of
Frederic Remington or Charles Russell, you have to visit this
place. [In all my trips to Dallas, I haven”t been to the Carter
Museum, which I understand is also outstanding for this kind of
work.]
So here”s my rant. You know that artist Thomas Kincade, the
one who is the “master of light” and is hawking not only his
prints but also now advertising Christmas decorations in Parade
Magazine? When Kincade first burst on the scene, he passed
himself off as an Irish artist; at least he tried to leave that
impression. Of course, I think Kincade has been to Ireland
once. Sorry if you have any of his stuff. I know beauty is in the
eye of the beholder but I also don”t believe in false advertising.
Well, Remington and Russell were the real deal.
Remington was born in 1861 in the town of Canton, NY. But he
would travel for months at a time out West, and then return to
New York to draw and paint. And he frequently traveled with
the cavalry to get the full flavor of the country. Incidentally, he
didn”t turn to sculpting until 1895. Remington died in 1909,
suddenly, following an emergency appendectomy performed at
his Ridgefield, CT home. At least he was able to enjoy the fruits
of his labor…he was at the heights of his success.
Charles Russell was born in 1864 and grew up in St. Louis. He
then moved to Montana where he had stints working on a sheep
farm, spent years as a hunter and also lived with a trapper. Yes,
these guys were authentic.
Cowboy Tidbits
–Lizzie Johnson was the first woman to drive her own herd of
cattle up the Chisholm Trail (1879).
–Cowboys aren”t long on conversation, but they were good at
“Swappin” Lies” as they “exaggerated stories of events on the
range.” While reading this I immediately thought of Al Gore.
Now he would have been a great cowboy! Or has he already said
he was?
–The Hall of Fame has this great gallery of famous folks who
portrayed cowboys or were friends of the West. John Wayne got
his nickname from his days hanging out at a Glendale, CA
firehouse. His family dog, “Duke,” always hung out with him
and Wayne was thus labeled “Little Duke” by the firemen.
–“Gunsmoke” star James Arness”s brother is Peter Graves. And
look, there”s Walter Brennan. Anything he was in was great.
I also stopped at the “Firefighter”s Hall of Fame.” So I walk into
this place and I”m the only one there and the gentleman says, “Hi
Bud” and couldn”t be friendlier. You may wonder what”s in a
place like this. Well, it”s a bunch of old fire trucks, some of
them pretty neat, but then I saw a wall of photos concerning the
Oklahoma City bombing of five years ago. Then you”re jarred
into remembering just how heroic Oklahoma”s firefighters were
that day. It puts things back into perspective.
But as I was leaving, four other folks strolled in and I then
noticed that there was an admission fee for which I hadn”t been
charged. I asked the man why he hadn”t mentioned this (as I was
offering to pay). “I didn”t want to, Bud.” Have I mentioned how
I love this place! [He more than made it back with my donation.]
*I will discuss the Oklahoma City Memorial as part of my next
“Week in Review.”
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/21/67: #1 “To Sir With Love”
(Lulu) #2 “The Letter” (The Box Tops) #3 “Never My Love”
(The Association).
Grand Ole Opry
I saw where they celebrated their 75th anniversary the other day.
If you have never been to see it, go. I went about five years ago
and thought it was terrific. America at its best. And here”s to
WSM-AM radio in Nashville, which has been broadcasting from
the Opry every Saturday night since 1925.
Giants Quiz Answers: 1) Frank Gifford scored 78 TDs.
2) Joe Morrison leads with 395 career receptions. Surprised?
3) Joe Morris rushed for 1,516 yards in 1986.
4) #40 was Joe Morrison…who played from 1959-72. Aside
from his 395 pass receptions, he also ran for 2,474 yards (his best
was 568 in 1963). Pretty weak stuff for retiring a uniform #, if
you ask me. #42 was QB Charlie Conerly (1948-61), who threw
for 19,488 yards and 173 TDs.
But back to Frank Gifford…From 1952-64, Giff rushed for 3,609
yards (4.3 avg.) and caught 367 passes (14.8 avg.). He also
played defensive back at times and intercepted 6 passes.
However, it was in throwing the halfback option that I thought he
truly excelled. For his career, he was 29-63 for an incredible 823
yards (13.66 yards per attempt), with 14 TDs, but also 6 INTs.
**Attention college coaches…Some guy named Corey
Spotwood, playing for Crooked Oak High School here in
Oklahoma, has already rushed for 1,681 yards on just 153 carries
in 7 games.
Next Bar Chat, Friday.
