St. Louis Cardinals Quiz (1892-1999): 1) Most RBI, season?
2) Most HR, season, before Mark McGwire”s 70 and 65?
3) Most strikeouts, season? 4) Most wins, career?
Answers below.
Canada and World War II / Final Thoughts
First to my friend HK in Toronto. I know I haven”t totally
covered all of the accomplishments, but hopefully some of my
readers have an understanding of the sacrifices made by our good
neighbors.
The Royal Canadian Navy, a pitifully small operation before the
war, performed yeomans work when it came to signals
intelligence warfare (along with the Canadian intelligence
forces). The interception work made a substantial contribution in
the monitoring of German U-boat communications and by 1942
the RCN was given the responsibility to provide the escort
service for merchant marine convoys in the North Atlantic, a
mission they performed admirably. By the end of the war, the
RCN was the 3rd largest among the Allies.
Overall, Canada lost 42,042 soldiers with over 54,000 wounded
during World War II. The question is often asked, “Was it worth
it?” [You”ll recall that before the war the country was divided on
the issue of military participation in the affairs of other states.]
Few Canadians would argue that it was not.
At a conference in the spring of 1945, a Soviet delegate told a
Canadian counterpart, “There were only four countries that had
really fought this war and they were the U.S.S.R., the U.S., the
U.K. and Canada.” [I would add the Aussies and Kiwis.]
In 1943, Winston Churchill spoke to the Canadian people while
attending the Quebec Conference.
“The contribution which Canada has made to the combined effort
of the British Commonwealth and Empire in these tremendous
times has deeply touched the heart of the Mother Country and of
all the other members of our widespread family of States and
races.
“From the darkest days the Canadian Army, growing stronger
year by year, has played an indispensable part in guarding our
British homeland from invasion.
[Churchill went on to praise the awesome work performed by
Canada on the munitions front, then he concluded.]
“All this of course was dictated by no law. It came from no
treaty or formal obligation. It sprang in perfect freedom from
sentiment and tradition and a generous resolve to serve the future
of mankind.”
Underrated / Overrated, Continued
According to author Jan Morris, the most overrated city is
Washington, D.C. “I detest planned capitals…with its pompous
boulevards, its complacent plethora of monuments…its awful climate,
and its conceited young men.” Ouch! Actually, I can”t say I”ve
used the phrase “complacent plethora” before.
Underrated City: Chicago, “especially among foreigners. Its
setting by the lake is extraordinary – like a seaside city in the
middle of the continent – its architecture is spectacular, and its
people, one and all, are delightful.”
Most Overrated Enemy: According to author T.A.
Heppenheimer, it”s the Soviet Union. “During the mid-1950s we
spent much effort working to counter a ”bomber gap” that
stemmed from nothing more than the fact that the Russians flew
the same ten planes twice during an air show, fooling Americans
into believing the U.S.S.R. was amassing a huge fleet. Then
came the ”missile gap,” which also proved illusory. President
Johnson later admitted that ”we were building things we didn”t
need to build. We were harboring fears we didn”t need to
harbor.”” [I can”t say I agree with this.]
Most Underrated Enemy: Canada! “During both the War of
Independence and the War of 1812, American forces tried to
annex this land. They failed, as British arms pushed them back.
Had they succeeded, our flag would fly today from the Yukon to
the Rio Grande. By rebuffing the American attempts, Britain
drew the map of this continent as it appears to this day.”
[Source: American Heritage magazine, May/June issue]
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/8/61: #1 “Runaway” (Del
Shannon) #2 “Mother-In-Law” (Ernie K-Doe)
#3 “A Hundred Pounds Of Clay” (Gene McDaniel).
Bob Sheppard
Sheppard was honored last week for his 50 years as public-
address announcer for the New York Yankees. To think that he
has introduced players from DiMaggio, Rizzuto, Berra, Mantle,
Reggie to Jeter is pretty amazing. Speaking of Reggie, he said
that as a visiting player, being announced by Sheppard was like
having the voice of God introduce you.
Said Sheppard, “A public-address announcer should be clear,
concise, correct. He should not be colorful, cute or comic.” [He
should be expert in alliterations!] Sheppard added, “I don”t
change my pattern. I speak at Yankee Stadium the same way I
do in a classroom, a saloon, or reading the Gospel at Mass.”
Gambling
Congress is close to voting on legislation that would ban
gambling on collegiate sports. According to a new study, 1 in 20
male college athletes said they had provided inside information
for gambling purposes. As church leader James Dobson says,
that means that 4 or 5 players on every major college football
team could be influenced by gambling pressures. While it would
seem that passage of the bill should be a lay-up, the gambling
interests in Las Vegas are major contributors to both political
parties. Ergo, which congressmen have a conscience?
Edwin Edwards
Speaking of gambling, over the past few months I have detailed
extensively in this space the extortion / bribery trial of Edwards,
the former governor of Louisiana. On Tuesday, he was found
guilty on 17 counts, each carrying a sentence of up to 20 years.
Cardinals Quiz Answers: 1) Joe Medwick, 154 in 1937, a year in
which Medwick won the Triple Crown as he shared the HR title
at 31 with Mel Ott and led the league in hitting with a .374 avg.
Medwick also accumulated 237 hits, 56 doubles, 10 triples and
scored 111 runs. Pretty awesome, to say the least. 2) Johnny
Mize, 43, 1940. 3) Bob Gibson, 274 in 1970. Gibson holds the
top 5 season ”K” marks. 4) Bob Gibson, 251.
*Cardinals tidbit: Pitcher Rich Ankiel is not only an outstanding
prospect on the mound but he is already being touted as a
candidate to break the single-season mark for HRs hit by a
pitcher, 9, held by Wes Ferrell of the 1931 Cleveland Indians.
That year, Ferrell not only went 22-12 on the mound but he also
hit .319 with 9 HR and 30 RBI in just 115 at bats.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
