[Warning: The following contains violence and some downright
disgusting stuff. Children and squeamish adults should probably
try eBay.]
College Football Quiz: Name the top five winningest programs
in NCAA history entering the 2001 season? Answer below.
A Giant from Montana
I”m posting this piece early because I”m not sure I will have
Internet access where I”m going to be staying in Montana
tonight. But it also gives me an excuse to honor Mike Mansfield,
the political giant from the state who was laid to rest at Arlington
National cemetery the other day.
Born in 1903 in New York, Mansfield was the son of Irish
immigrants. After his mother died when he was just 3, he was
sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Great Falls, Montana.
Mansfield had an unhappy childhood and got in a bit of trouble
so when the U.S. became involved in World War I, he lied about
his age and enlisted in the Navy before he had turned 15. After
the war, he worked in the mines in Montana before heading to
college. He didn”t receive his degree until he was 34, but then
went on to do graduate work in Far Eastern studies.
Convinced to run for political office, Mansfield was elected to
the House of Representatives in 1942 and the Senate in 1952.
Because of his expertise in the Far East, President Truman had
sought his advice on the terms of surrender that ended World
War II. From that point on the painfully shy Mansfield
confounded all stereotypes of what a U.S. Senator / Congressman
should be and went on to become one of the most powerful
figures in the history of U.S. politics.
Democrat Mansfield served for 16 years as Senate Majority
Leader. Never known for his eloquence, his most frequent
answers to questions were “yep,” “nope,” “maybe” and “don”t
know.” But while he was never a good guest for the Sunday talk
shows, he was a man of towering integrity.
Originally a supporter of the war effort in Vietnam, Mansfield
became a key figure in the opposition and battled Presidents
Johnson and Nixon all the way. But his relationship with every
president, whether he agreed or disagreed with them, was always
cordial, even with Nixon, who would have Mansfield over to the
White House for breakfast once a month.
After retiring from the Senate in 1977, Mansfield was named by
President Carter to be U.S. ambassador to Japan. But in another
sign of the tremendous respect that Mansfield commanded from
both sides of the political aisle, after President Reagan was
inaugurated in 1981, Reagan convinced Mansfield to forego
retirement, again, and stay on as ambassador. Actually, the
president basically ordered him to unpack his bags.
In Japan Mansfield was venerated because of his age. By the
time he left in 1988 he was 85. And then after ”88, Mansfield
served as an investment banking and political consultant right up
to the end. So we bid adieu to the quiet, thoughtful giant from
Montana. The Senate could use more like him today.
[Source: Bart Barnes / Washington Post]
Snakes!!!
Now I”ve been to a ton of zoos throughout my traveling career
and normally my least favorite part is the reptile display, and so
it was with more than a bit of skepticism that I decided to check
out the world famous Reptile Farm of Rapid City. I mean to tell
you, when they say this is the biggest display in the world, they
aren”t kidding. It is an absolutely fascinating place.
It turns out that the farm / zoo has the greatest selection of
venomous snakes anywhere in the world, including 35 Asian
cobras. Now I”ve seen a cobra or two in my life but not like this.
They had a snake show where the handlers brought one out, in a
cage, and these killers are vicious. Anyway, what I learned is
there is a difference when you talk about what is the most
dangerous snake in the world and which species kills the most
humans, so here for your own edification are some snake facts.
–Asian cobras contain venom that is 40 times more toxic than
cyanide and they kill anywhere between 20-25,000 a year. By
comparison, just 15-20 die in the U.S. from all snakebites (in a
good year…or is it “in a bad year?”).
–The most poisonous snake in the world, however, is the Iterra
Brown Snake of Australia and New Guinea. Just .00007th of an
ounce of venom is enough to kill a human.
–A single bite from the Papuan Taipan (New Guinea) has
enough venom to kill 300 people.
–The Boomslang, a tiny thing, is one of the top five most deadly
snakes, having killed the famous herpetologist Karl Schmidt in
tropical Africa. What, you didn”t know about Karl Schmidt?
–Remember that story I told you about in this space recently
concerning the San Francisco expert who was killed by a “krait”
in Burma? Well, I saw a krait and they aren”t very big, but I can
see how the guy confused the colors. They kind of look like
those old San Diego Padres uniforms.
–And then you have the mambas, which hold sway in Central
and Southern Africa. If untreated 100% of black mamba bites
are fatal. And if you see a green mamba, head the other way.
There are normally at least five in a single tree.
–Lastly, they had a few komodo dragons at the Reptile Farm.
You”ll recall how Sharon Stone”s husband had a bout with one a
few months ago. The exhibit had a big picture of Stone and her
hubby on display, while it told the tale of two tourists who met
their deadly end at the hands of komodos in the 1980s in
Indonesia. One French tourist was found with nothing but his
shoes, while komodos left only the eyeglasses of a German
tourist. Yes, sir, a veritable feeding frenzy!
Well, now that I”ve grossed you out, I leave with the following
conclusion. I”m not traveling to the Australian outback or New
Guinea anytime soon. And I have now crossed off Africa for a
spell until I can collect all the proper antidotes. Also, if I see a
komodo when I go out to pick up my morning papers, I”ll
probably have a heart attack.
Deadwood Tale
So I spent Wednesday night in Deadwood, SD, the place where
Wild Bill Hickok met his demise at the hands of Jack McCall.
You can read the full story by going through the Bar Chat
archives, or using the search function.
The Deadwood of today is a casino town (with $1 blackjack
tables, for those of you frustrated by the prevalence of “$20
minimum” tables in Atlantic City or Las Vegas). Let”s say the
clientele here is a little different than what you”d see elsewhere,
and it”s downright refreshing.
Deadwood was a classic Old West town, which boomed due to
the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in the 1870s. The town
of Lead next door was the origin of the first Homestake gold
mine in 1876, a tale that I will leave for “Wall Street History” in
a week or two.
Anyway, there is a terrific museum in Deadwood, and I thought
I”d relate a classic story of life in the town around the time of
Wild Bill.
Violence was common among those who lived in the area. And,
in the words of this one exhibit I was reading, this violence is
perhaps best reflected in the tragic story of Kitty LeRoy and Sam
Curley. Kitty was a tall, graceful dancer who often received
standing ovations after her performances. [Kit-ty.Kit-ty!] She
had worked as a saloon performer and prostitute in Texas and
California (oh, now I know why she received standing ovations)
before settling in Deadwood. Sam was a well-liked casino
operator.
Sam and Kitty were married in 1877. But Sam then took off to
do some business in Denver and while he was gone, Kitty
decided to reconcile with a former lover. Well, you can imagine
that ol” Sam was mighty pissed when he learned of Miss Kitty”s
infidelity, so he went to her room in a fit of rage and shot her.
He then turned the gun on himself. Their funeral was held the
next day at the Lone Star Saloon and they were buried beside
each other in separate caskets. And the moral of the story?
Never marry a prostitute who gets standing ovations at the local
dance hall.
Ed Sullivan
September 28 would have been the 100th birthday for Sullivan,
but, alas, he died on October 14, 1974 at the age of 73. Born in
Harlem in 1901, Sullivan was a late bloomer, gaining some
publicity for his work organizing benefits during World War II
for the Red Cross. Then in 1948 he got his big break as the host
of “Toast of the Town,” which evolved into “The Ed Sullivan
Show.” At its peak, 45-50 million a week watched him. [It sure
was required viewing for the Trumbore family.that and
Lawrence Welk. Actually, at least I was also allowed to watch
“Time Tunnel.”]
The Ed Sullivan Show cost $8 million a year to produce and
Sullivan received $164,000 a year (but that was just the
beginning of his compensation.he made a fortune as a
spokesman and in giving speeches). As one critic put it back
then, Ed “wasn”t witty, painfully shy, clumsy, self-conscious,
tongue-tied.” And a phenomenal success.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared on the first show in ”48
and Sullivan was responsible for the television debuts of the likes
of Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Elvis and, of course, the Beatles.
During the show”s peak advertisers had to pay $62,000 a minute.
[Source: New York Times]
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/4/75: #1 “Fame” (David Bowie)
#2 “I”m Sorry” (John Denver) #3 “Rhinestone Cowboy” (Glen
Campbell)
College Football Quiz Answer: Top 5 schools – Notre Dame
.753, Michigan .746, Alabama .718, Nebraska .708, Ohio State
.705. Oklahoma is #6, Texas #7.
College Football Tidbits
–Most TDs in a game is 8, Howard Griffiths for Illinois in 1990
against Southern Illinois. All TDs were rushing.
–In 1966, Wyoming”s Jerry DePoyster set the still existing
record for FG attempts in a season, 38. But he made only 13.
–Most field goals made in a game is 7 – Mike Prindle for
Western Michigan in 1984 and Dale Klein / Nebraska 1985.
–Most field goals made, career, Jeff Jaeger / Washington, who
hit 80 in 99 attempts (1983-86).
–Longest field goal is 67 yards. Russell Erxleben (Texas –
1977), Steve Little (Arkansas – 1977) and Joe Williams (Wichita
State – 1978). All used a tee, the norm back then. The longest
without a tee is 65 yards, Martin Gramatica, Kansas State in ”98.
–Longest first FG attempt of his career, Michigan State”s Ralf
Mojsiejenko, who hit a 62-yarder.
Next Bar Chat, Monday. Thanks for your understanding this
week.
