Baseball Quiz: 1) From 1955-59, each of the five different N.L.
season leaders in home runs went on to be elected to the Hall of
Fame. Name ”em. 2) Actually, every N.L. leader from 1955-76
went on to the Hall. Who broke the streak in 1977? Answers
below.
Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins, the country legend, died a few days ago. And, man,
he had one full life. Record World once wrote, “No one person
can honestly receive total credit for the phenomenal explosion of
Nashville”s music business. However, no individual has been
more responsible for this growth than Chet Atkins.”
Born into poverty in Luttrell, Tennessee (20 miles from
Knoxville) on June 20, 1924, Chester Burton Atkins was
influenced by his evangelical-singer father and by age 9 had
picked up the guitar. Of those early years he once commented,
“We were so poor and everybody around us was so poor that it
was the 40s before any of us knew there had been a Depression.”
By the late 1940s, Atkins was performing his guitar magic at the
Grand Ole Opry, quickly becoming a regular. And then in the
mid-1950s, he was made a part-time producer, then manager, at
RCA Records. While to non-country music fans he is still best
known for his incredible guitar work, just look at the list of
performers in which Atkins, as producer / manager, played a
major role in the development of their careers.
Eddy Arnold, Perry Como, Roger Miller, Floyd Cramer, Connie
Smith, Dottie West, Jim Reeves, Elvis, and Roy Orbison.
In addition he later helped introduce Nashville”s first black
country artist, Charlie Pride, as well as producing the “outlaw”
movement led by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
Atkins once commented on his ability to pick hits, “What I do is
listen during a commercial session and try to pick up some little
something.that might make the record more commercial.” And
he sure was good at it.
Chet also helped save country music in the late 1950s. The
advent of rock and roll was killing country sales, so as producer
Atkins established the “Nashville Sound,” one in which the
songs were string-laden with pop-style backup choruses.
Traditionalists hated it, but the music helped bring country into
the pop mainstream, and, as he himself put it, Atkins goal was
simply “to keep my job.”
Of course you can”t talk about “The Country Gentleman”
without discussing his guitar work. Atkins became known for
his extraordinary “finger-style” of playing, where the artist
doesn”t just pick, but instead touches the strings. And Chet
would show off by playing two melodies simultaneously on
different strings. Now if that doesn”t make your brain hurt just
thinking about it, well, you”re a better man than me.
Every artist wanted Atkins to perform on their albums and he
played on such singles as Elvis” “Heartbreak Hotel,” Hank
Williams Sr.”s “Your Cheatin” Heart,” and the Everly Brothers”
“Wake Up Little Susie.”
Atkins also influenced rock and roll musicians like George
Harrison as well as jazz artists. And he toured the world, playing
classical and jazz concerts. His first engagement with the Boston
Pops is generally acknowledged to be the one that spearheaded
that orchestra”s use of special guests in its concerts.
Chet received numerous Grammies for his work and he was the
Country Music Association”s “Instrumentalist of the Year” 11
times from 1967-88. Life magazine placed him in the Top Ten
for its list of “The 100 Most Important People in the History of
Country.” Atkins was also the youngest member inducted into
the Country Hall of Fame back in 1973 and in 1993 he received a
Grammy for “Lifetime Achievement.”
Chet Atkins.a giant who left an incredible legacy.
Stuff
–Appearance Fees: Ever wondered what some ex-athletes
receive for showing up at a gig?
Ali – $100,000
Magic – $75,000
Howie Long – $60,000! Howie Long?! To do what?
Gale Sayers – $15,000…deserves $50,000
Ron Santo – $4,000…should be in the Hall. Hike fee to $10K.
[Source: Sports Illustrated]
But then you have rock stars. To have them perform at your
corporate outing would set you back.
The Rolling Stones – $3 million
Aerosmith – $1 million
Jennifer Lopez – $750,000 per hour…I”m assuming this is to
sing.
Elton John – $30,000 per song. I”m thinkin” maybe $45K for an
extended version of “Bennie and the Jets.”
[Source: Business Week / New York Post]
–There is a new highway being built in Sweden, which will
include tunnels to allow “wild boars, moose, and other animals to
cross the road safely.” There will be 8 tunnels under the 18-mile
highway, each one being 33-feet wide and 15-feet high. Bushes
and fences will be placed at the entrances to shield them from
light and noise from the highway. Said a spokesman for the
National Road Administration, “Naturally, people will also be
allowed to use the tunnels.”
Now think about this folks. Would you even consider entering
one for a second? These tunnels will be nothing more than
animal drug dens; filthy and crime-ridden. And the wild boars,
in particular, are always armed to the teeth. [Source: Reuters]
–Wild elephants killed two in a Bangladeshi village, bringing the
total in this particular area to 17 in the last 6 months. Illegal
loggers drove a herd into the village this time.
–The local papers were filled with “stuff” the past week. From
the Star-Ledger we get these tidbits.
“Symphony of Stupidity”
Josh Margolin reports that an escapee and 3 ex-cons (including
two convicted of murder) were looking for a car to steal the other
night, so they settled on the employee parking lot at East Jersey
State Prison. Prison guards immediately stopped them. “I”m
lost,” claimed one of the idiots. But this guy had done 15 years
at this very facility and was recognized by one of the guards.
Nonetheless, two of the others also said they were lost. Then the
4th admitted “We were gonna take a car.” [Actually, they were
involved in a strong-arm robbery near my home earlier this same
day, a fact which came to light when the woman”s wallet was
found in their vehicle.]
Man Struck by Lightning
Last weekend, 22-year-old Stephen McCarthy was tossing a
football at Island Beach State Park when he was struck and killed
by lightning. On average, 73 are killed by lightning each year in
the U.S., but what made this one so awful was the fact that there
wasn”t a cloud in the sky.
Jonathan Casiano reports that a thunderstorm was sitting miles
off shore when it apparently sent a single bolt to the beach.
McCarthy was killed instantly (burn marks showed the bolt
entering the top of his head). A metereologist said, “It was so
hazy at that time that the storm itself wasn”t visible and the rain
stayed off of the coast.”
A park superintendent, just 30-feet away at the time, was
incredulous. “All of a sudden an unbelievable noise sounded. It
was like a bomb went off.”
What can you say? Some things you just can”t explain.
8th-Grade Phenom
And then there is the case of Derrick Caracter (sic). Steve Politi
wrote of this 13-year-old local basketball phenom from Scotch
Plains, New Jersey, all 6”8″ 240 pounds of him! Size 18 shoe!
And he”s just 13! And he”s good! And he”s just entering 8th-
grade!
To get an idea of how big he is, consider the fact that Shaquille
O”Neal was 5”10″ at this age. Caracter was 11 lbs. 4 oz. at birth
(and 25 inches long).
And pity the poor varsity coach at Scotch Plains – Fanwood High
School who won”t get the chance to wrap up a state title with
Derrick on the squad. New Jersey has 4 real powerhouse private
school programs that are vying for him big time, including St.
Anthony, where legendary coach Bob Hurley (Bobby”s dad)
holds sway.
Caracter is already rated the #1 prospect in the nation for the
class of 2006, which begs the question, as asked by the Scotch
Plains coach, “Who is ranking these kids and why?” It really is
sick.
Luckily, it seems that Caracter has a decent supporting cast, with
a mother who has her head on straight. And he appears to be a
good kid. But, he”s just a baby! We wish him well.
–Baseball Bits
Runs and home runs are down thanks to the new strike zone.
2001 9.71 runs per game, 2.30 HRs, 13.42 Ks
2000 10.52.2.56.13.05
1999 10.29.2.28.12.61
[Source: New York Times]
Personally, I want it down to 8.4578 and 1.4326. I yearn for a
day when hitting 20 homers in a season is meaningful once
again.not 20 by the All-Star break. [I also yearn for world
peace and an NCAA basketball title for Wake Forest.]
–And then there is the “Hall of Fakes.” Not only does author
Joseph Ellis get in, but there is perhaps the less well known case
of Christopher Camp, who last year addressed a Florida
elementary school assembly as Marlins pitcher Bill Jones.
Teachers were puzzled when Jones couldn”t answer basic
questions about the team and they discovered the next day that
there was no such pitcher. Said principal Joel Armstrong, “He
seemed a little dense, but that”s not unusual with some
ballplayers.” [Source: SI]
Top 3 songs for the week of 7/8/67: #1 “Windy” (The
Association) #2 “Little Bit O” Soul” (The Music Explosion) #3
“Can”t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) 1955-59 HR leaders – Mays (”55),
Snider (”56), Aaron (”57), Banks (”58), Mathews (”59).
2) Post-”59, the other future Hall of Famers who led the N.L. in
homers were Cepeda, McCovey, Bench, Stargell, and Schmidt.
George Foster broke the streak in 1977.
Sports Illustrated has a great “Where Are They Now?” piece on
past stars in the current issue. [It”s worth picking up.] But when
it comes to Bar Chat, I realize we have another candidate for the
Bar Chat Hall of Fame, to be selected by the Bar Chat Veterans
Committee.Joe Charboneau.
Charboneau was the 1980 A.L. Rookie of the Year for the
Cleveland Indians when he burst on the scene with 23 HR and 87
ribbies, only to hit just 6 more dingers before he had to call it
quits due to injuries two years later. But, geezuz, as SI
reports, “Super Joe” “could do more with a beer bottle than Augie
Busch: Charboneau could remove the cap with his left eye socket or
with the muscles in his forearm and quaff the brew through his nose,
making him, in some eyes, the toast of baseball.” Hell, we toast
him here as well! But remember, kids, get your parents
permission before attempting any of these stunts.plus the
drinking age is 21.what are you doing with a beer anyway?!
*And congratulations to one and all for heeding the call to keep
Seattle”s David Bell from starting in this year”s All-Star game.
With a late surge, Cal Ripken was selected at third. Now
ordinarily I don”t condone old-timers receiving this honor unless
they statistically deserve it, but in Ripken”s case, it makes perfect
sense.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
