NCAA Men’s Basketball Quiz: 1) Name the last 7 champs. [7
different schools] 2) What were the last 4 teams to enter the
NCAA tournament undefeated? 3) Who was the last Division I
player to average 40 points a game? 4) Who is the only Division
I player to score 70 or more points in a game against a Division I
opponent? Answers below.
The Beatles!!!!!
Key events…1964
Jan. 20: “Meet the Beatles!” is released by Capitol Records, the
first album available in the U.S. [Meanwhile, knowing the
Beatles were coming to America the Beach Boys were rattled so
they rushed out “Fun, Fun, Fun,” wanting the Beatles to hear it
while they were in the States. The Beach Boys were also on the
Capitol label, but Capitol’s thoughts were obviously elsewhere.
Nonetheless, “Fun, Fun, Fun” did manage to grab the #5 slot.]
February 7: Pan Am Flight 101 arrives at Idlewild Airport
(before it was renamed Kennedy). On board, four lads from
Liverpool. Crowd estimates at the airport range from 10,000-
25,000. The British Invasion has begun.
The Beatles stayed at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. As related
in Ronnie (of the Ronettes) Spector’s autobiography, “Be My
Baby,” Ronnie had previously met the Beatles in London and
was invited to come up to the hotel and party with them. She
describes a chaotic scene, with the Beatles occupying a whole
floor, while thousands of screaming fans were outside. DJ
Murray the K acted like a real jerk, using Spector to gain access
to the Beatles. They were well aware of his influence on the
radio airwaves those days, but they were particularly miffed
when he took out his tape recorder and started asking inane
questions, like about their hair. Soon, Murray was bragging that
he was the “Fifth Beatle,” which further irritated them, but they
put up with his crap to get the PR.
This was on February 8, and, as Spector describes it, later in the
day everyone was ushered out of the suites, except close friends.
Ronnie’s own friends were urging her to leave because
something weird seemed to be going on in one of the rooms.
Well, it turns out there was a nude couple in the bedroom
(members of the Beatles’ entourage), along with about 20 others,
but if you want to know anything more you’ll have to get
Spector’s book because if I list the details I’ll lose my
International Web Site Association license.
[Remember, when viewing the Net, always look for the IWSA
label.]
*Spector has some inaccuracies in her tome, one being that other
sources seem to point to DJ’s Scott Muni and Cousin Brucie of
WABC as being the first to interview the Beatles, not Murray the
Jerk, and a great deal of credit needs to go to program director
Rick Sklar. Sklar got his two to do the first live reports from
Idlewild, commandeering ABC News equipment, while later
Muni and Cousin Brucie used remote mics to capture the kids
singing along with WABC jingles outside the Plaza Hotel. [Dan
Ingram held forth on air…for those of you from the New York
area.]
February 9: The Beatles make their historic appearance on “The
Ed Sullivan Show.” Sullivan had been playing up the act for
weeks, having watched a Beatlemania mob at Heathrow Airport
a few months earlier. The Boys were paid $2,400 for the
appearance, playing five tunes – “All My Loving,” “Till There
Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and
“I Want To Hold Your Hand.” John Lennon was so nervous he
taped the lyrics onto his guitar. 73 million tuned into the
show, 60% of the television audience back then (and a better
percentage than most Super Bowls).
Rocker Alice Cooper once recalled, “I just sat there in my living
room in Phoenix with a huge smile on my face…My parents
looked like they were in the audience of ‘Springtime for Hitler.’”
And who else did Sullivan have on that show? Georgia Brown
and the children’s chorus from the Broadway show “Oliver”
(including future Monkee Davy Jones), Tessie O’Shea and Frank
Gorshin (I always like this comedian / impersonator… “Kirk
DOUG-las”).
February 11: Beatles play first concert at the Washington (D.C.)
Coliseum. Appearing with them were Tommy Roe, the Chiffons
and the Caravelles.
February 12: Beatles play Carnegie Hall. 250 reporters show up
for a press conference.
April 4: Beatles hold top 5 slots on the Billboard chart.
#1 Can’t Buy Me Love
#2 Twist And Shout
#3 She Loves You
#4 I Want To Hold Your Hand
#5 Please Please Me
June 1: The Rolling Stones arrive in America.
August 19: Beatles begin first American tour at San Francisco’s
Cow Palace. 30 shows in 24 cities.
September 4: The Animals debut in America at Brooklyn’s
Paramount Theater. “House Of The Rising Sun” quickly rises to
the top of the charts.
October 25: The Stones make their debut on Ed Sullivan’s show.
The audience is rowdy and Sullivan announces: “I promise you
they’ll never be back on our sheww. It took me 17 years to build
(it); I’m not going to have it destroyed in a matter of weeks.”
[May 1965, Sullivan relents, the Stones return.]
New York Times columnist Bob Herbert once described the
Beatles phenomenon thusly:
“They blew in like a sudden storm and permanently altered the
cultural landscape. One night they were singing to an audience
of shrieking teeny-boppers on that quintessential 1950s televised
program, ‘The Ed Sullivan Show,’ and in the next instant, it
seemed, the Sullivan era had been left behind and the ‘60s had
blossomed in brilliant, even blinding color.”
Grammy Winners in 1964
Song of the Year: “Hello, Dolly!”
Best Vocal Performance, Female: “People” Barbra Streisand
Best Vocal Performance, Male: “Hello, Dolly!” Louis Armstrong
Best Vocal Performance, Group: “A Hard Day’s Night” The
Beatles
Best Rock ‘n’ Roll Recording: “Downtown” Petula Clark [#1
January ‘65]
#1 tunes in 1964. [The following topped the Billboard rock chart
…in chronological order]
There! I’ve Said It Again – Bobby Vinton
I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles
She Loves You – The Beatles
Can’t Buy Me Love – The Beatles
Hello, Dolly! – Louis Armstrong (May 9)
My Guy – Mary Wells
Love Me Do – The Beatles
Chapel Of Love – The Dixie Cups
A World Without Love – Peter & Gordon
I Get Around – The Beach Boys
Rag Doll – The 4 Seasons
A Hard Day’s Night – The Beatles
Everybody Loves Somebody – Dean Martin
Where Did Our Love Go – The Supremes
The House Of The Rising Sun – The Animals
Oh, Pretty Woman – Roy Orbison
Do Wah Diddy Diddy – Manfred Mann
Baby Love – The Supremes
Leader Of The Pack – The Shangri-Las
Ringo – Lorne Greene
Mr. Lonely – Bobby Vinton
Come See About Me – The Supremes
I Feel Fine – The Beatles.
*Now print this out and head to the local watering hole for a little
Bar Chat. But drink responsibly, just as we do here in the home
office.
[Sources: “VH-1: Rock Stars Encyclopedia;” “The Nearest
Faraway Place,” Timothy White; “Be My Baby,” Ronnie
Spector; “FM,” Richard Neer; “Rock On Almanac,” Norm N.
Nite.]
USS Pueblo, Part I
U.S. Navy Commander Lloyd “Pete” Bucher died the other day
at age 76. He will be forever known as the captain of the USS
Pueblo. Following is a story filled with controversy, patriotism,
and courage.
The Pueblo was an intelligence-gathering vessel that set off from
Japan on January 11, 1968 for its first operational mission. The
idea was to gain information about North Korean activities, even
as the U.S. was heavily involved to the south in Vietnam, though
the risk assessment assigned to the Pueblo was “minimal,”
meaning there would be no tactical support.
As the ship headed into the Sea of Japan, the crew of 83 began to
perform its duties of monitoring North Korean naval activity,
recording of Korean coastal radars and surveillance of any Soviet
naval units operating in the Tsushima Straits. The Pueblo
maintained radio silence in its attempt to avoid detection. If it
had been discovered, North Korea would then do its best not to
provide any electronic intelligence.
On January 22, South Korean President Park survived an
assassination attempt (he wasn’t so lucky later on). Incredibly, a
31-man North Korean squad had infiltrated across the DMZ
between North and South Korea and moved to within one block
of the Presidential Palace before being detected and defeated.
Informing Pueblo of the raid was discussed by officers at the
“spook locker” in Yokosuna, Japan, but with one day left on her
mission off the North Korean coast, the decision was made not to
inform the crew.
Then on the morning of January 23, the Pueblo moved landward
from its overnight position 25 miles offshore to about 15 miles
off the island of Yo Do. [North Korea claimed its territorial
waters extended 12 miles from shore.] Around noon the bridge
called Bucher to say that a ship 8 miles out was headed towards
them. Three minutes later another call came saying the ship was
5 miles out and closing rapidly. It was a North Korean
subchaser.
Two civilian oceanographers went on deck to take observations
and the signal flags were hoisted to throw off the intruders as to
the boat’s true intentions. As the subchaser neared it became
obvious that its crew was at battle stations. At 1,000 yards it
asked Pueblo’s nationality and Captain Bucher responded by
raising the U.S. flag.
Three torpedo boats were then sighted closing in from the
northeastern coast. The subchaser moved to 500 yards and
signaled “Heave To Or I Will Fire.” Pueblo re-checked that the
distance from the nearest land was 15.8 miles. “I Am In
International Waters,” came its reply. There were now four North
Korean vessels of war menacing the Pueblo, the subchaser with
her 57mm and the three torpedo boats with their machine guns.
And to make matters more ominous, two North Korean MiGs did
a low flyover, while a fourth torpedo boat and second subchaser
were sited heading in Pueblo’s direction. Bucher ordered the
boat to get underway, seaward.
The subchaser’s communications were intercepted. “According
to present instructions we will close down the radio, tie up the
personnel, tow it and enter port at Wonson. At present, we are
on our way to boarding, we are coming in.”
One of the torpedo boats approached Pueblo so some North
Korean soldiers could board. Pueblo maneuvered to prevent this
and to depart the area. The first subchaser pulled alongside and
opened fire with her 57mm guns while the torpedo boats raked
the superstructure with machine gun bullets as Pueblo tried to
maneuver in order to present as small a target as possible and
still head further away from the coast. The 57mm explosive
rounds struck the radar mast and flying bridge, wounding Bucher
and two other men. It became obvious that this was not typical
harassment. Bucher immediately ordered destruction of all
classified materials and modified General Quarters (no hands
above deck). The MiGs roared overhead. More fire followed
from the boats. No attempt was made by Pueblo to man its own
guns.
The crew was frantically trying to destroy all documents; burning
and shredding as much as it could, dumping stuff overboard, as
well as smashing equipment with hammers and axes.
Pueblo then cut the engines and the firing stopped. The
subchaser signaled “Follow Me Have Pilot On Board.” Pueblo
soon proceeded at 1/3 speed toward North Korea, then 2/3 speed,
then stopped. The subchaser and two torpedo boats resumed
firing. The last salvo mortally wounded Duan Hodges and
injured several other men who had been jettisoning documents
over the side.
Pueblo again proceeded at 1/3 speed to halt the gunfire and to
permit the destruction of more materials. The Naval Security
Group in Japan was now monitoring the situation so they were
aware of Pueblo’s predicament.
Finally, the Pueblo was boarded. The crew was gathered on the
decks where they were forced to sit blindfolded, with their hands
tied. Any resistance was met with punches, kicks or bayonet
jabs.
When Pueblo was definitely inside North Korean territorial
waters she was stopped and a group of higher ranking officers
boarded from another torpedo boat.
After Pueblo docked in Wonson, her crew, bound and
blindfolded, was removed and led in front of a crowd of North
Korean civilians which was yelling and screaming insults at the
Americans. The Hispanic crew members were being attacked by
the soldiers because they were thought to be South Koreans.
Eventually, the crew was placed on buses with the windows
covered and taken to a train, also with windows covered, which
then took them to the capital of Pyongyang where the press was
waiting with klieg lights and cameras at the railroad station. Next
they were taken to prison.
Part II, Tuesday. [Source for some of this material: The USS
Pueblo Veterans Group]
Stuff
–As of February 1, Syracuse, New York had 137.8 inches of
snow, more than 3 feet more than any big city in New York. The
snowiest winter ever in Syracuse was 1992-93…192.1 inches.
Buffalo holds the all-time state record with 199.4 inches, 1977-
78. It’s said that there are some residents who are still digging
out from that one.
–Greg Norman on women in men’s golf. “I think the situation is
more of a marketing ploy than anything else. If the girls come
out and think they can play against the guys and fail every time,
that can’t be very positive.” Now discuss amongst yourselves.
–U.S. News reports that “Sports teams are hopping mad at
President Bush’s blast at steroids in his State of the Union
address. Insiders say that several team execs called to complain
that it has heightened fan scrutiny of bad-boy players.” Hey
owners, stick it up your………….
–New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur has 10 shutouts
this season. The modern-day record is Tony Esposito’s 15 for
the Blackhawks, 1969-70. Recently, Phoenix’s Brian Boucher
had a record 5 shutouts in a row.
–China is relaxing its restrictions on rock and roll acts. Having
invited the Rolling Stones last year, only to have them cancel due
to the SARS epidemic, this year Deep Purple is being given
permission to play a few sites. Deep Purple? Geezuz…these
guys are as old as the Stones. By the way, they only had 2 top
twenty Billboard tunes…#4 “Hush”, 8/68, and #4 “Smoke On
The Water”, 6/73.
–Intriguing Top Ten in Basketball this week. [AP]
1. Duke
2. Stanford
3. St. Joe’s
4. Pitt
5. UConn
6. Louisville
7. Mississippi State
8. Gonzaga
9. Kentucky
10. Cincinnati…but just lost to Xavier
*Stanford and St. Joe’s are still undefeated, but when it comes to
St. Joe’s fans, they better enjoy the ride now…look for the team
to flame out in the second round of the tourney.
–Bob Knight got into it with Texas Tech’s school chancellor at
the salad bar of a local eatery and here’s the untold story. The
chancellor sneezed into the food, at which point Knight correctly
went ballistic, smashing the bowl of chopped eggs against the
other’s face and then cramming the peas up the chancellor’s
nose. Knight, however, wasn’t suspended.
[Actually, I have no idea what happened, but this guess is as
good as any.]
–Ah yes, my fellow Wake Forest football fans. Welcome to the
‘new’ ACC. In case you missed it, here is our 2004 schedule.
at Clemson
at East Carolina
Air Force
Boston College
at NC State
Virginia Tech
Florida State
Duke
North Carolina
at Miami
at Maryland
If we go 5-6 it will be cause for a week long party.
–The Yankees 3rd base bust, Drew Henson, will forego the final
3 years of his contract, $12 million, to try the NFL. Henson
backed up Tom Brady at Michigan and at 6’5”, 220 lbs., is
deemed a surefire starter at QB, somewhere, by 2005. So, sports
fans, we have but another example that baseball isn’t as easy as
some would make it out to be…see also Michael Jordan.
–Comedian Chris Rock on his little girl: “My only job in life is
to keep my daughter off the pole. If your daughter is a stripper,
you (messed) up.” [New York Post Page Six]
–The New York Times’ George Vecsey on the Super Bowl
halftime fiasco.
“In its desire to produce something bigger than a football game,
the NFL lost control of its product. Lie down with dogs, you get
up with fleas. The NFL is scratching itself today.”
–Nets forward Eddie Griffin is back in jail. From Brad Park of
the Star-Ledger, here is the latest incident.
“A Houston man named Jerry Olliverre testified that Griffin and
a friend accosted him in a Mobil station, chasing him around the
store in an incident that grew more bizarre as it continued.
“Olliverre’s sandals fell off his feet at one point, and Griffin
picked them up and threw them at him. Next, Griffin started
throwing candy.
“When Olliverre grabbed two beer bottles as weapons to defend
himself, he testified Griffin and his friend also grabbed beer
bottles and chased Olliverre out of the store. Griffin’s friend
then jumped in Olliverre’s car, and when Olliverre attempted to
chase after it, Griffin tried to run Olliverre down (with his own
car).”
NBA FEVER…IT’S FANNNN-TASTIC!
Top 3 songs for the week of 2/2/74: #1 “The Way We Were”
(Barbra Streisand) #2 “You’re Sixteen” (Ringo Starr) #3
“Love’s Theme” (Love Unlimited Orchestra)
NCAA Basketball Quiz: 1) Last 7 champs: 2003 – Syracuse
(over Kansas) 2002 – Maryland (Indiana) 2001 – Duke (Arizona)
2000 – Michigan State (Florida) 1999 – UConn (Duke) 1998 –
Kentucky (Utah) 1997 – Arizona (Kentucky). 2) Last 4 to head
into tourney undefeated: 1991 – UNLV, 30-0, lost in Final 4
(semis); 1979 – Indiana State, 29-0, lost in championship game;
1976 – Rutgers, 28-0, lost in Final 4 (semis); 1976 – Indiana,
27-0, NCAA champ. 3) Johnny Neumann, Ole Miss, was the last
to average 40 a game (40.1), 1971…Pistol Pete did it 1968-70
(43.8, 44.2, 44.5). 4) Kevin Bradshaw is the only D-I player to
score 70 in a game (72 points on 1/5/91 for U.S. International
vs. Loyola Marymount). *Yes, Frank Selvy once scored 100
while at Furman, but they were playing some junior high school,
if I recall correctly.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
