Baseball Quiz: 1) Name the AL player who led the league in hits
3 consecutive seasons, 1964-66. 2) Name the AL pitcher who
had 5 hits in a single game in 1964 and finished his career with a
164-139 mark. 3) Who holds the record for most career home
runs by a NL pitcher? 4) Who holds the AL season record for
most home runs at home? [Hint: It”s not a Yankee.] Answers
below.
MacArthur Gets Sacked
Regulars are probably saying right now, finally, he writes
something! You”re right, I dragged this out and this isn”t even
normal Bar Chat fare, but I”m awaiting the next elephant stampede
story and, historically, this is significant because it is the 50th
anniversary of one of America”s most important political events.
At the end of World War II, Korea had been partitioned into two
countries with an arbitrary boundary established halfway
between them. The Soviets controlled the communist North,
while the U.S. supported the quasi-democratic South. With the
world still recovering from the ravages of the Big One, and with
military budgets slashed to the bone, the last thing everyone
needed was a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. But with the
leaders of North and South both desiring to take over the other,
North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. The UN
Security Council immediately authorized a joint “police action,”
but the U.S. was the only nation in a position to put together any
kind of sizable force. President Truman then simultaneously
committed U.S. forces without asking Congress for an official
declaration of war.
Meanwhile, Douglas MacArthur, a hero of World War II and the
ranking officer in the Far East as well as military governor of
Japan, was placed in charge of the Korean operation. After a
staggering initial setback at the hands of the commies,
MacArthur successfully led an invasion (at Inchon) and quickly
turned the war around for the UN forces. He then pushed on to
the Chinese border, reaching the Yalu River by November 20.
The general always contended that the Far East was far more
important a theater of Russian concern and possible aggression
than Western Europe. [It”s kind of interesting that 50 years later
we all realize that Asia is the chief concern going forward,
looking at the Big Picture.] But MacArthur also had a penchant
for sharing his ideas and strategy with the press. Clearly, he had
his own thoughts on what to do in Korea. Communism needed
to be crushed.
But while MacArthur wanted to push on, the UN (and Truman)
said ”no way.” Then the Chinese launched a counterattack (one
which MacArthur hadn”t anticipated), swarming across in huge
numbers and pushing the UN forces back below the 38th parallel.
MacArthur blasted Truman for not allowing him to invade
China. And he told reporters that he wanted to use nuclear
weapons against the Chinese mainland, an item that quickly
became public. Imagine Norman Schwarzkopf doing something
like that during the Gulf War. But Truman”s whole point was
that our action in Korea was designed to prevent another world
war, not start one. [It also came out after the war that
MacArthur had a plan to sow a radioactive belt across the 38th
parallel, which it was later discovered would have had a half-life
of 62 years.]
Truman was trying to be patient but with the talk of nuclear
weapons, he was at wit”s end. So he issued a directive that all
statements were to be cleared by him first. But MacArthur just
couldn”t keep his mouth shut. And obviously our allies began to
doubt Truman had him under control.
Also, picture that when someone like MacArthur, the supreme
commander, is publicly rebuking his own superiors, he”s also
telling the enemy what wasn”t going to be done.a huge
advantage. On March 20, 1951, he was sent a proposed UN
statement of renegotiation with the North but MacArthur said he
would do no such thing.
Then on April 5, Congressman Joe Martin went to the House
floor to read a letter from the general. “If we lose the war to
Communism in Asia, the fall of Europe is inevitable.There is
no substitute for victory.” Truman had had enough. With the
unanimous consent of the Joint Chiefs, he ordered MacArthur
home on April 10 and fired him the next day. [He was replaced
by Matthew Ridgway.] Douglas MacArthur had challenged the
constitutional premise that in the United States, the military is
subject to civilian rule.
Of course, MacArthur still had his supporters, and some of the
newspapers around the country, as well as a few congressmen,
actually called for Truman”s impeachment. So Truman took to
the airwaves and explained his position. Then on April 19,
MacArthur had his last hurrah.and the last word…returning to
Washington to deliver an emotional speech before a joint session
of Congress.
Issuing a vigorous defense of his policies, MacArthur said, “I
have been severely criticized in lay circles, principally abroad,
despite my understanding that from a military standpoint the
above views have been fully shared in the past by practically
every military leader concerned with the Korean campaign,
including our own Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
Yeah, but you aren”t president! Then he concluded:
“I am closing my fifty-two years of military service. When I
joined the army, even before the turn of the century, it was the
fulfillment of all my boyish hopes and dreams.
“The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on
the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long
since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most
popular barracks ballads of that day which proclaimed most
proudly that old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military
career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty
as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good-by.”
MacArthur saw himself as Napoleon. In the end, he was a
danger to our form of government.
[Sources: “We Interrupt This Broadcast,” Joe Garner; “The
Presidents,” Henry Graff; “American Heritage: The Presidents,”
Michael Beschloss.]
Steve Earle
So I received a note from Dr. JM the other day and he said I
ought to explore the life of musician Steve Earle. Now I must
say I have never purchased one of his albums but I may have to
now.
Earle was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia back in 1955. As a
child his family moved to Schertz, Texas, about 17 miles from
San Antonio. Earle was a real juvenile delinquent, often
frequenting the danger spots in San Antonio. “You either
graduated and went to college or you joined the bandidos,” he
once said of that time. “Then you died in a drug overdose or got
cut or shot.” In his case, he was a longhaired Vietnam War
opponent who had some musical ability. After dropping out of
high school in ”73, he began to work the coffeehouse circuit.
Then in 1975, he went to Nashville seeking fame and fortune like
thousands of other artists. He eked out a meager earning as a
songwriter and performer, doing some construction work on the
side. Singers Johnny Lee and Patty Loveless did record a song
or two of Earle”s and Elvis, himself, was slated to but, as is often
the case, it never happened.
Earle finally signed a contract with EPIC, who recorded four
singles (none of which met with success), but not a full album.
At the time, he had a rockabilly style that tended to fall in the
cracks of the radio programmers, either too country or too rock ”n”
roll.
Then in 1986, Steve Earle hit it big with the album “Guitar
Town” and he was hailed as a member of the “new country”
gang, along with folks like Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam.
The critics loved the album and it rose to #1 on the Billboard
country charts. Rolling Stone voted him their top country artist
for the year. But the mainstream publications were also
comparing Earle to Springsteen and Mellancamp and this created
a backlash among the country set.
Around this time, Earle was quoted in Time magazine. “I”m a
country singer and I”m comfortable with that. But why does a
country singer have to play on country radio or a rock singer
only on a rock station? I still don”t understand why it”s that big a
deal.”
Clearly, Mr. Earle is missing a few screws. Geezuz! Who the
hell would listen to a station like that, boy! You have a choice.
Become an artist for the sake of being an artist, or come up with
something commercially viable. Eat steak…or gruel.
Anyway, Earle”s personal life wasn”t exactly a bed of roses at
this time, either. Drugs, drugs, and more drugs, (plus five
marriages), and his music took on a more metallic air. [I imagine
him saying, “I don”t understand why that country station won”t
play Metallica?!”] His record label for “Guitar Town,” MCA,
allowed him to put out “The Hard Way” and “Shut Up and Die
Like an Aviator,” which both met very limited success, and then
they dropped him.
Finally, after numerous arrests in Nashville for cocaine and
heroin possession, he was thrown in the slammer for a few
months in 1994. Emerging clean and sober, Nashville seems to
have rediscovered him. Earle also remains active in one of his
old causes, Farm Aid, and his popularity in Europe remains high.
There is one rather disturbing story that I read, however, that
being the execution in Huntsville, TX of one Jonathan Nobles.
Earle witnessed it at Nobles” request. [Sources: “The
Encyclopedia of Country Music,” “Country Music: The
Encyclopedia” (nice play on words, eh?), “VH-1 Rock Stars
Encyclopedia.”]
Baseball Tidbits
–Most times with 5 or more hits in one game, career. Wouldn”t
you know it! Ty Cobb, 14; Pete Rose, 10.just as you would
expect it to be. In 1922, Cobb had 5 hits, 4 different times on his
way to hitting .401.
–In 1979, Buddy Bell had 200 hits without batting .300 (.299),
the only player in big league history to do so. [Courtesy: Johnny
Mac.]
–Willie Keeler”s 44-game hitting streak, back in 1897, was from
the start of the season. He hit .432 that year. [Rose matched the
streak in 1978.]
Top 3 songs for the week of 4/16/66: “(You”re My) Soul And
Inspiration” (The Righteous Brothers) #2 “Daydream” (The
Lovin” Spoonful) #3 “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”
(Cher).
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Tony Oliva led the AL in hits each
season, 1964-66. 2) Mel Stottlemyre had 4 singles and a double
in a game back in 1964. 3) Warren Spahn hit 35 home runs
while pitching from 1942-65. 4) Hank Greenberg hit 39 homers
at home in 1938, the year in which he finished with 58. [I figured
you could win a beer or two at your favorite tavern on this last
one.]
Next Bar Chat, Friday. The editor has no clue what he”s going to
do. Perhaps a history of the Peloponnesian Wars…just kidding…
