Kansas City Chiefs Quiz (1960-2003): 1) Rushing, career? 2)
Receptions, career? 3) Interceptions, career? [Hint: E.T.] 4)
Passing yards, season? [Hint: This is not an obvious choice.] 5)
Only back to run for 200 yards? [Hint: 1990] 6) Only player to
score 5 TDs in a game? [Hint: pre-1970] Answers below.
1912
James Chace recently wrote a book titled “1912: Wilson,
Roosevelt, Taft & Debs – The Election That Changed the
Country” and it received some favorable reviews. So I thought
I’d take my own brief look at the topic, utilizing some of my
resources.
To set the stage, recall the following.
Theodore Roosevelt was president from 1901-08. William
Howard Taft was the Republican incumbent in 1912, having
taken over for Roosevelt. Woodrow Wilson was the former
president of Princeton University (1902-1910) and current
Democratic governor of New Jersey, and Eugene Debs was the
Socialist.
Jumping to the conclusion, as noted last week…
Woodrow Wilson won with just 41.8% of the vote, but captured
435 electoral delegates.
Teddy Roosevelt garnered 27.4% and 88 electoral.
Taft had 23.2% and 8 electoral.
Debs received 6% of the popular vote and zero electoral
delegates.
Prior to taking office, Wilson had said “It would be an irony of
fate if my Administration had to deal chiefly with foreign
matters, for all preparation has been in domestic matters.”
[Shades of George W. Bush, eh?]
For his part, Taft had never wanted to be president in the first
place, but Teddy Roosevelt had vowed after winning election in
1904 that he would not seek re-election in 1908. T.R. then
handpicked Taft, whose wife also pushed him into the ’08
campaign, she being a most ambitious sort.
After leaving office in 1909, Roosevelt went on a Smithsonian-
sponsored hunting expedition to Africa and bagged more than
500 animals and birds. Then he toured Europe and lectured at
Oxford and other elite institutions. When he finally returned
after being away about two years he received a heroes welcome
and a ticker-tape parade, but he was soon thrown back into the
political arena because Taft was not following the script that
Roosevelt had spelled out for him. T.R. felt betrayed and
decided to run against him for the Republican nomination in
1912.
“My hat is in the ring, the fight is on, and I am stripped to the
buff,” Roosevelt said, adding, “We stand at Armageddon, and we
battle for the Lord.”
Taft, who once got stuck in the White House bathtub owing to
his rather prodigious girth, just never had his heart in the game
but he won the nomination nonetheless because he controlled the
Republican Party machinery and the ‘insider’ delegates at the
convention.
T.R. then bolted the party, pronouncing himself fit as a bull
moose, and accepted the nomination of the newly-formed
Progressive Party. This, of course, split the Republicans and
guaranteed a Wilson triumph. [Debs’s significance in this
election is that he received 6%, a not inconsiderable amount and
a further example of the divisions in the country at this time.]
But in running as a Progressive, Roosevelt provided some
memorable moments. At the party convention T.R. was anointed
amid heavy religious overtones, the singing of “Onward,
Christian Soldiers” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as well as
a score of female delegates. [Jules Witcover] Good for you,
T.R., as to that last bit. California Governor Hiram Johnson was
tabbed to be his running mate.
During the 1912 campaign, Teddy Roosevelt spelled out his
“New Nationalism” … “a program that called upon Americans to
put the national interest above their own special competitive
interests; to accept government supervision of business, of labor
relations, and of resource use and allocation; to take up
responsibility for aiding the poor, the disabled, and the aged with
federal unemployment, welfare, and retirement insurance plans;
to accept both consolidation of economic power and government
regulation of such power; and to make cooperation and control
rather than competition and cupidity the new model for an
American commonwealth.” [Richard Abrams / “The
Presidents.”]
But on October 14 in Milwaukee, a fanatic shot Roosevelt in the
right side of his chest and the bullet lodged in a rib. It was
deflected somewhat by both his glasses case and the speech he
was about to give at a municipal auditorium, the latter having
been rolled up in his coat pocket, covering his heart. Undaunted,
T.R. proceeded with the speech, in great pain and despite a loss
of blood.
“I shall have to ask you to be as quiet as possible…I have been
shot…the bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long
speech…[But] I can tell you with absolute truthfulness that I am
very much uninterested in whether I am shot or not.”
Roosevelt spoke for an hour before getting medical treatment.
While the wound was not very serious, he was out of action for
ten days. Woodrow Wilson suspended his own campaign for
that period of time awaiting T.R.’s recovery….a class act.
Roosevelt’s campaign was met with some criticism, aside from
the fact he was guaranteeing a Democratic victory by pursuing
his candidacy, and his legacy afterwards was tarnished some.
Richard Abrams writes:
“In office and campaigning for office, T.R. usually tempered his
moral enthusiasm with a strong sense of realism and
responsibility. Out of office, and especially on foreign policy
matters, Roosevelt often gave in to his less generous impulses.
The Great War, as contemporaries referred to it, would bring out
the worst in Roosevelt. Long committed to at least an informal
Anglo-American alliance, the ex-president railed intemperately
in public and in private for an early United States intervention on
Britain’s side against Germany. He denounced President Wilson
and others who strained to keep the country neutral as
mollycoddles, cowards, hybrid Americans, and even traitors.
When the United States did enter the war in 1917, he led the cry
for punishment of all dissenters whether they were pacifists who
opposed the war on religious or ethical principles or were critics
of the government’s particular domestic and foreign policies. As
always, suggestions about constitutionally protected individual
rights won no favor from Roosevelt. In a war, he believed,
loyalty to the nation, right or wrong, must be prompt, vigorous,
unquestioning, and complete.”
As for Woodrow Wilson, it had been Teddy Roosevelt’s
revivification of the presidency (1901-09) that had helped
Wilson arrive at his decision to seek the highest office despite
very limited political experience. In 1908 Wilson had penned
“Constitutional Government in the United States” and in what
has been described as the classic definition of the modern
president, Wilson wrote that the chief executive is the one single
spokesman of the nation:
“Let him once win the admiration and confidence of the country,
and no other single force can withstand him, no combination of
forces will easily overpower him. His position takes the
imagination of the country. He is the representative of no
constituency, but of the whole people. When he speaks in his
true character, he speaks for no special interest. If he rightly
interpret the national thought and boldly insist upon it, he is
irresistible; and the country never feels the zest of action so much
as when he is of such insight and caliber.”
And now some presidential trivia…T.R.’s Bull Moose candidacy
of 1912 is still the only time in American history where a 3rd-
party effort outpolled a major party nominee.
[Sources: Richard Dunham / Business Week; “American
Heritage: The Presidents,” edited by Michael Beschloss; “Party
of the People: A History of the Democrats,” Jules Witcover;
“The Presidents,” edited by Henry F. Graff.]
In Defense of Ichiro
The more we think about the criticism in some circles of Ichiro
Suzuki and his record-setting hit total, the more pissed off
Johnny Mac and I have become.
I told you last time of Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly and his
inane commentary, comparing Ichiro’s mark to the likes of
Bernie Williams and the post-season home run record. Reilly’s
opinion was totally absurd. Here are J. Mac’s thoughts.
“Instead of recognizing Ichiro as one of the best players of his
type in the history of the game – high average, great speed, no
power, the quintessential slap hitter…not to mention his
excellent defense – critics denigrate him for his only two
drawbacks, the aforementioned lack of power and his relatively
low walk totals. Well the job of any leadoff hitter is to get on
base and Ichiro did so over 300 times this year. His .414 on-base
percentage (OBP) was second in the league.
“By comparison, Pete Rose managed to better Ichiro’s obp just
twice in his entire career and nobody broke his balls for being a
‘singles hitter.’ Ichiro now has a career .384 obp. Check out
these comps. Carew, .393; Rose, .375; Gwynn, .388. Or how
about Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio? .311. Yup, .311.”
And regarding Rick Reilly’s complaint that Ichiro broke George
Sisler’s 84-year-old mark of 257 hits in a 162-game schedule, not
Sisler’s 154, J. Mac adds:
“We’ve had this 162-game schedule for over 40 years now. It
wasn’t put in place when Ichiro showed up. Nobody else
managed to break Sisler’s record; in fact, nobody got more than
240 hits in the post-162-game era other than Ichiro. [Two others,
Wade Boggs and Darin Erstad, had exactly 240.] Pete Rose
never had more than 230.”
Johnny and I have been musing, along with the rest of the
baseball world, whether Ichiro, still just 30 years of age, could
hit .400 some day. To do so he’d certainly have to get off to a
better start than his .255 April of this season, but there are those
who say he’d have to be more patient at the plate and walk more
as well. Or, as Johnny adds, Ichiro would have to hammer out
280 hits…18 more than this year.
Granted, only baseball junkies care about all this but for those of
you who discuss these things over an adult beverage at your
neighborhood tavern, here’s something I dug up when it comes
to being more patient.
In one 15-year stretch during his career, Pete Rose hit under .300
just once, 1974. Guess what? That was the only time in his
career he walked over 100 times in a season (106), yet he hit just
.284. So as Johnny understands, I guess you have to let Ichiro be
Ichiro. Last winter, the Seattle Mariners tried to convince him to
be more patient and the result was a lousy April. When he
started to be himself, he hit about .400 the rest of the season.
Now if someone would be so kind as to pass this on to the
Suzuki family, I’d be most appreciative.
Stuff
–Rodney Dangerfield, RIP. Aside from the fact this was one of
the funniest comics of all time, in all seriousness he is truly an
inspiration for those who may be struggling in their own career.
This is a guy, after all, who really didn’t get his first break until
he was 45 or 46 years of age when he was invited onto “The Ed
Sullivan Show.” After that he ended up appearing about 70
times on “The Tonight Show,” starred in “Caddyshack” and you
all know the rest.
“I could tell that my parents hated me. My bath toys were a
toaster and a radio.”
“The other night my wife met me at the front door wearing a see-
through negligee. The only trouble is she was coming home.”
“When I was born, the doctor came into the waiting room and
said to my father: ‘I’m sorry. We did everything we could, but
he pulled through.’”
–NASCAR fined Dale Earnhardt Jr. and, more importantly,
docked him points for swearing during a post-race interview that
was broadcast nationally. No other sport takes points away like
this and since it knocked Earnhardt from the number one to
number two slot in the 10-race chase for the Nextel Cup, it’s
rather controversial. But at the same time, NASCAR has its
image to protect and the drivers know the rules. Hopefully, the
points don’t enter into the final calculations for the
championship.
–More baseball tidbits. J. Mac came up with the following on
the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. The consistency is amazing.
Pujols has career averages of .340 at home, .326 away. .332 vs.
righties, .338 vs. lefties. .330 in day games, .335 at night. .345
indoors, .332 outdoors. The month of May is his lowest, .317;
August his highest, .361.
–2.25 home runs were hit per game in major league baseball this
season vs. 2.14 last year, while 9.63 runs per game was the norm,
compared to 9.46 in ’03. All-time records in both categories
were set in 2000, 2.34 and 10.58.
–Former National Football League referee Norman Schachter
died. He refereed the first Super Bowl and the first Monday
Night Football game as well as some 11 championship contests.
From an obituary in the Los Angeles Times by Dennis McLellan,
I learned a little more about this character who was also a
superintendent for the Los Angeles School District.
Back in 1981 he wrote a book titled “Close Calls: The
Confessions of a NFL Referee.” Among the top 10 things
officials must bear in mind, he opined:
“It’s comforting to know you have a mother and father when the
coaches tell you differently.”
In an interview with the Times in 1972, he recalled working the
Bears-Giants championship game from 1963.
“At halftime, he received a telegram from his eye doctor: ‘SAW
FIRST HALF. TIME FOR NEW PRESCRIPTION.’
“Then there was the time he was officiating a Rams-49ers game
in Los Angeles in the late 1950s and he made a call against the
home team. His oldest son, then about 9, was in the stands.
Afterward, Schachter had a talk with the boy.
“ ‘Tom,’ he said, ‘you’ve got to take it as an impersonal thing
when the crowd gets on your dad like that….I know you
probably heard a lot of talk in the stands and I hope you didn’t
take it personally.’
“ ‘I took it personally,’ his son replied. ‘You blew the call.’”
–Kind of ironic that I would pick out an Elton John story for last
Bar Chat in relation to Scott Muni’s death, then within 24 hours
learn that John was acting up again, this time blasting Madonna
for lip-synching.
“Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay 75
pounds to see them should be shot,” Elton said in reference to
Madonna’s latest tour and ticket prices.
“Madonna, best f—— live act? F— off,” he added. [Reuters]
So if you were thinking of hiring him to perform at your
wedding, I’d opt for someone else.
–And here I thought Janet Leigh had really died in the shower.
Why didn’t anyone tell me it was just a film?
Actually, the character of Marion Crane had embezzled $40,000
and was on the run. Now using the “Rule of 72s,” since this was
1960 we’re talking about roughly $140,000 in today’s dollars,
assuming an inflation rate of 3% or thereabouts.
–Since I’ve begun slamming the New Jersey Nets before the
season even starts, to be fair I need to make note of a nice
acquisition they made the other day in picking up point guard
Travis Best. Always liked this guy and good insurance in case
Jason Kidd throws a tantrum and ends up in a domestic dispute
or somethin’.
–Uh oh….the Washington Post had a story on the 1st baby
Northern Snakehead being found the other day in the Potomac
River. In other words, they’re breeding! Aaghhhhhh!
Snakeheads lay thousands of eggs, so there are probably legions
of juvenile delinquent snakeheads already in area waters.
This summer 19 adults had been caught as part of an intense
campaign to involve anglers, but now it’s probably too late.
These incredible predators will soon devour everything in sight,
and, you’ll recall, they can walk short distances out of water so
don’t be surprised if you see some at a Baltimore Ravens game
or at one of the rest stops along I-95.
–Speaking of Baltimore, Mark R. noted that the Ravens act like
a bunch of Bloods and Crips, witness their behavior during
Monday Night’s game against the Chiefs. Oh yeah, this is the
image we want America’s youth to see. Ray and Jamal Lewis
are despicable.
–The other day, former NFL receiver Mark Ingram was the
answer to one of my sports questions. Turns out Ingram was just
indicted in Fort Lauderdale, FL for allegedly cashing more than
$300,000 in phony checks and laundering another $200,000 in
drug money. He was also accused of committing countless
other crimes and could face up to 30 years in federal prison. But
at age 39, Ingram could still probably contribute to the prison
football squad!
–By all accounts it appears Tiger Woods is now married. There
is really nothing else to say, except the offer for Elin to be the
spokesmodel for Bar Chat still stands.
–The BBC reports that a limited black rhino hunt has been
approved for Namibia and South Africa. By the mid-1990s the
rhino population had plummeted to only 2,400. However, in
southern Africa the figure has risen 40% over the least decade.
For once, good news, though we’d like to see some stories of
black rhinos hooking up with elephants in a pincer movement on
Zimbabwe.
–How cool was that video of the dog that was caught on camera
breaking out of his kennel in London to free selected mates for
the purposes of raiding the kitchen? It was Red the Lurcher, a
breed not known for its intelligence. Then again, humans aren’t
known for their intelligence, either.
–Gordon Cooper, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts
died at the age of 77; ironically the same day SpaceShipOne
broke through Earth’s atmosphere for the 2nd time in 5 days, thus
enabling the backers to capture the $10 million prize for such a
feat.
Of the other six Mercury astronauts, 3 are still alive; John Glenn,
Scott Carpenter, and Wally Schirra. The other three were Gus
Grissom, Deke Slayton and Alan Shepherd. Grissom died in the
tragic Gemini fire.
–So I treated myself to some trash TV on Sunday and caught
“Desperate Housewives.” Goodness gracious. Talk about bad
behavior…I was aghast!
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/3/70: #1 “Ain’t No Mountain
High Enough” (Diana Ross…speaking of bad behavior) #2
“Lookin’ Out My Back Door” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
#3 “Candida” (Dawn)
Kansas City Chiefs Quiz Answers: 1) Rushing, career: Christian
Okoye, 4,897 (1987-92…man, time flies). 2) Receptions, career:
Tony Gonzalez is already the career leader with 468 entering this
season. 3) Emmitt Thomas is the career interception leader with
58 (1966-78). 4) Passing yards, season: If you said Bill Kenney
you know your Chiefs. He threw for 4,348 in 1983. 5) Barry
Word ran for exactly 200 yards in October 1990, the only K.C.
player to do so. [Word rushed for over 1,000 yards that season,
his best.] 6) Running back Abner Haynes scored 5 TDs back in
1961 (when they were still the Dallas Texans).
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
