Pittsburgh Steelers Quiz (1933-2003): 1) Receptions, career? 2)
Interceptions, career? 3) TDs, career? 4) Rushing, season? 5)
Rushing, game? [Hint: 218 yards…the answers to 4 and 5 are
different.] 6) Passing, game? [Hint: 473 yards] 7) Only Steeler
whose uniform is retired? [Hint: This isn’t an obvious one.]
Answers below.
Slander!
You’ll recall that in the presidential election of 1824, General
Andrew Jackson captured the most electoral votes as well as the
highest percentage of the popular vote, the first year the latter
was tabulated as most states turned to this method of divvying up
the electoral delegates instead of the old way of just having the
legislators decide. But when the election was thrown into the
House of Representatives, Jackson was still well short of a
majority in the electoral college and John Quincy Adams was
chosen in what was called the “corrupt bargain.”
So the stage was set for 1828, the dirtiest election in the history
of the nation.
But before then, back in 1790, Andrew Jackson had moved into
the blockhouse of the Widow Donelson, whose daughter, Rachel
Robards, was separated from her husband, Lewis. Historian Sal
Braun writes:
“Rachel’s beauty attracted the attentions of many men, and
Lewis Robards was jealous. He left her, but later returned to
attempt a reconciliation and was openly suspicious of Andrew
Jackson. Jackson reacted by challenging Robards to a duel; [a la
Zell Miller] the husband refused, and Jackson moved out of the
blockhouse. Robards and Rachel eventually returned together to
Kentucky, but (that same year) Mrs. Donelson informed Jackson
that her daughter again wished to leave her husband. Jackson
rode to Kentucky to pick up Rachel and escort her back to the
Cumberland Valley. Alleging misconduct between his wife and
Jackson, Robards petitioned for a bill of divorce. Although this
was only the first step in a long legal process, Robards
encouraged circulation of a rumor that the divorce was final. In
August 1791 Jackson and Rachel Robards were married.”
But, the divorce wasn’t finalized for two years…though Jackson
didn’t know this until 1793. Eventually, he remarried Rachel in
January 1794 to make it official, official. [For her part, a
Kentucky court did find Rachel guilty of desertion and adultery.]
Well, you can imagine folks never forgot this story and as the
campaign of 1828 heated up, the dirt began to fly. You also have
to picture that by this time the transportation revolution made it
possible to organize politics on a national basis. “Monster”
rallies were held and newspapers proliferated, fanning the
flames.
Colonel Charles Hammond, editor of the Cincinnati Gazette and
a crony of Henry Clay (an enemy of Jackson’s and a loser in the
1824 election), asked in a pamphlet, “Ought a convicted
adulteress and her paramour husband to be placed in the highest
offices of this free and Christian land?”
Jackson couldn’t demand a duel, as much as he wanted to, now
that he was running for president, but he vowed “a day of
retribution” for Clay and Hammond.
Paul Johnson writes of Jackson in his “A History of the
American People.” “His ignorance was terrifying. His grammar
and spelling were shaky. The ‘Memorandoms’ he addressed to
himself are a curious mixture of naivety, shrewdness, insight,
and prejudice. His tone of voice, in speech and writing, was sub-
Biblical. ‘I weep for my country,’ he asserted, often.”
Jackson, anti-Washington and the first real leader of the common
man in America, called his enemies “The Great Whore of
Babylon.”
The anti-Jackson forces fought back. Former Treasury Secretary
Albert Gallatin told voters:
“General Jackson has expressed a greater and bolder disregard
for the first principles of liberty than I have ever known to be
entertained by any American.”
Charles Hammond lobbed another round. “General Jackson’s
mother was a COMMON PROSTITUTE, brought to this country
by the British soldiers! She afterward married a MULATTO,
with whom she had several children, of which number General
JACKSON IS ONE!!!”
Jackson critic John Binns of the Philadelphia Democratic Press
had circulars printed that bore drawings of six coffins
representing militiamen Jackson allegedly had put to death for
seeking to return home after their enlistments had been
completed. Historian Jules Witcover:
“This ‘Coffin Hand Bill’ also had a sketch purporting to show
Jackson running a sword cane through the back of a man picking
up a stone with which to defend himself, in an incident in which
Jackson successfully pleaded self-defense. The handbill
observed: ‘Gentle reader, it is for you to say whether this man,
who carried a sword cane, and is willing to run it through the
body of any one who may presume to stand in his way, is a fit
person to be our President.’”
The Adams folks hurled all manner of charges that Jackson was a
heavy drinker, gambler and slave trader, and the Election of 1828
was also famous for the first appearance of the “leak” and the
campaign poster. From Paul Johnson:
“Anti-slavery New England (base of John Quincy Adams) was
regaled by a pamphlet entitled ‘General Jackson’s Negro
Speculations, and his Traffic in Human Flesh, Examined and
Established by Positive Proof.’”
Jackson’s people returned fire, “telling Dutch voters in the
Middle States that the Adams forces used such expressions as
‘the Black Dutch’ and ‘the Stupid Dutch,’ unlike Jackson who
‘revered’ the Dutch; they informed Bostonians that Jackson was
an Irishman; and they warned Westerners that Adams chatted in
Latin with nuns and priests.” [“The Growth of the American
Republic”]
Jackson ended up winning handily, 56-44 percent and 178-83 in
the electoral college, thanks in no small part to the first political
bureaucrat, Martin Van Buren of New York, briefly governor
there and then Secretary of State in the first Jackson
administration and vice president in the second. His motto was
“Get the details right.” Back in 1827, it was Van Buren who
traveled the country tirelessly to build up the new Jacksonian
Democratic Party. Ten years later he was rewarded for his
efforts, succeeding the two-term Jackson in 1837.
Sadly, Jackson’s beloved Rachel died three months before he
was inaugurated in March 1829. And if you remember your
history, it was at this inauguration that Jackson rode to the White
House on horseback, whereupon he opened up the place to the
common folk and they promptly rioted, breaking all the china while
getting rather drunk.
But as a last anecdote, I had forgotten the details of a duel
Jackson had with Nashville resident Charles Dickinson after
Dickinson slandered Rachel in 1806. As written by Saul Braun:
“Jackson took his enemy’s shot in the chest, then straightened
and aimed. Dickinson, confident of his own aim, staggered back
in horror, thinking he had missed; and under the rules (Jackson
had not yet fired) he had to return to the mark. Standing with his
arms crossed, Dickinson took Jackson’s .70-caliber ball in the
groin and died a slow, agonizing death. So close was
Dickinson’s bullet to Jackson’s heart that it could not be
removed, and Jackson carried it, frequently in pain, for the rest of
his life. Recalling the incident, Jackson said, ‘I should have hit
him, if he had shot me through the brain.’”
But wait…one more…Jackson once brawled with a future ally,
Thomas Hart Benton. This was in 1813 and Jackson, armed with
a horsewhip, went after Benton following the latter’s criticism of
Jackson’s role as second for a friend in another duel. But during
the fight that followed, Jackson was hit in the shoulder by
gunfire, though he refused to have his arm amputated. It took
years to heal, but it was saved. [He rose from this particular
wound, during the War of 1812, to fight the Creek Indians.]
And now you know………..the rest of the story.
[Sources: “A History of the American People,” Paul Johnson;
“The Growth of the American Republic,” Morison, Commager,
Leuchtenburg; “American Heritage: The Presidents,” edited by
Michael Beschloss; “Party of the People,” Jules Witcover.]
College Football
I was going through some old stuff and came across Sports
Illustrated’s All-Century Team, first published in 1999.
Offense
WR – Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84
T – Bill Fralic, Pittsburgh, 1981-84
G – Jim Parker, Ohio State, 1954-56
C – Dave Rimington, Nebraska, 1979-82
G – John Hannah, Alabama, 1970-72
T – Orlando Pace, Ohio State, 1994-96
WR – Don Hutson, Alabama, 1932-34
QB – Sammy Baugh, TCU, 1934-36
RB – Red Grange, Illinois, 1923-25
RB – O.J. Simpson, USC, 1967-68
RB – Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh, 1973-76
[Some Honorable Mentions: Mike Ditka, Johnny Rodgers, Tim
Brown, Ron Yary, Dwight Stephenson, Howard Twilley, Ted
Kwalick, Keith Jackson, Desmond Howard, John Lujack, Roger
Staubach, Doug Flutie, Tommie Frazier, Ernie Nevers, Doc
Blanchard, Doak Walker, Jim Brown, Archie Griffin, Glenn
Davis, Herschel Walker, Ricky Williams]
Defense
E – Bubba Smith, Michigan State, 1964-66
T – Bronko Nagurski, Minnesota, 1927-29
T – Rich Glover, Nebraska, 1970-72
E – Hugh Green, Pittsburgh, 1977-80
LB – Tommy Nobis, Texas, 1963-65
LB – Dick Butkus, Illinois, 1962-64
LB – Lee Roy Jordan, Alabama, 1960-62
CB – Deion Sanders, Florida State, 1985-88
S – George Webster, Michigan State, 1964-66
S – Jack Tatum, Ohio State, 1968-70
CB – Nile Kinnick, Iowa, 1937-39
P – Ray Guy, Southern Mississippi, 1970-72
PK – Kevin Butler, Georgia, 1981-84
Coach – Paul Bryant, Alabama
[Honorable Mentions: Leon Hart, Buck Buchanan, Mike Reid,
Lee Roy Selmon, Randy White, Jack Youngblood, Ross
Browner, Lawrence Taylor, Brian Bosworth, Mike Singletary,
Chuck Bednarik, Chris Spielman, Rod Woodson, Charles
Woodson, Tommy Casanova, Ronnie Lott, Bennie Blades, Ernie
Davis, Kenny Easley, Terry Kinard, Jim Thorpe, Reggie Roby,
Jason Elam.]
Sex
So I see this headline in the New York Post: “French Horny: No.
1 in Sex” and I had to read the article. Turns out the good folks
at Durex condom company just released their annual global sex
survey. Well, this required going onto the corporate web site to
double-check the Post’s story, not that I don’t trust them, and I
learned among other things that it’s Durex’s 75th anniversary.
Happy Birthday!
Anyway, according to this poll of 350,000 people in 41 countries
(don’t know what the margin of error is), the French have sex an
average of 137 times a year. Oui Oui! But then you have the
Japanese, only 46 times, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore.
[The U.S. is at 111.]
But to digress, on the site I learned that the history of condoms
goes all the way back to 1220 BC and Ancient Greece, with the
earliest hard evidence being some cave paintings at Combarelles
in France. Actually, there is a picture of one of the paintings and
frankly it looks more like a cork screw to me.
Anyway, back to this groundbreaking survey. The “sexiest
features” are a toned body (14%), butt (15%), and breasts / chest
(14%). Men supposedly focus on breasts while women think
eyes are the most sexy. 10% believe attitude is the sexiest factor
while age, wealth and hair color (1% each) are the least
important things.
Swedes believe attitude (34%) is paramount. Slovakia (28%)
and Poland (24%) believe the butt is. Now being part Slovak
myself………………I better leave out my own opinions here.
Indians (32%) focus on the chest.
Icelanders are having sex younger than those in any other
country (15.7 average age). Goodness gracious. Then again,
having been there you have to understand there isn’t a whole lot
to do in Iceland. Did I ever tell you how I was snuck onto the
NATO base in Keflavik? ……….Better not go there either.
Finally, when questioned who is the world’s sexiest female
celebrity, Angelina Jolie kicked butt with 18%, followed by
Jennifer Lopez, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Britney Spears.
Beyonce was only at 6%. This is a travesty, I tell ya! [Except
Beyonce was #2 in Iceland behind Tres Jolie.] An incredible
43% of Israelis had Jolie #1, tops in the world, while J-Lo’s
popularity is highest in Hong Kong (26%). As for Britney, she
pulls down 35% of the vote in Vietnam.
[Yeah, yeah…Brad Pitt is #1 in the male category, girls.
Incredibly, the overrated David Beckham is #3 behind George
Clooney.]
Now discuss amongst yourselves.
Stuff
–Payrolls…Yankees / Red Sox
1988
Yankees…$18.9 million…Red Sox…$15.5 million
2004
Yankees…$184 million…Red Sox…$127 million
Employing the “Rule of 72s,” let’s just say that inflation was 4%
since 1988 (it’s less). That’s means by 2006 payroll should have
doubled from 1988 levels. In other words……holy cow!
–Glen Z. passed along an ESPN story by Jeff Merron on special
moments in League Championship Series history. I forgot about
Ozzie Smith, Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS between the Cardinals
and Dodgers. Switch-hitting Smith hadn’t hit a home run batting
left-handed in 2,967 at bats yet proceeded to clout one off the
Dodgers’ Tom Niedenfuer for a walkoff, 3-2 Cards victory.
Of course you have the instance of 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier,
sitting in the Yankee Stadium bleachers when Derek Jeter hits an
8th inning fly ball in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS between the
Yanks and Orioles. Maier reached out into fair territory and
caught a ball that was definitely not going to clear the fence, but
umpire Rich Garcia awarded Jeter the home run anyway.
But my favorite is from the same 1985 NLCS referenced above,
only this time it was two hours before Game 4…when it started
raining. The grounds crew at Busch Stadium started the
automatic tarp and outfielder Vince Coleman didn’t see what was
coming. The tarp caught his foot and swallowed him up.
Now there are those who are happy that Coleman was rescued,
injured leg and all. I, for one, was not happy, seeing as how
Coleman was later acquired by the Mets, where he was truly
pitiful.
–Phil W. pointed out that the Atlanta Braves have a habit of
losing playoff series on their home turf, then he supplied a piece
by the Atlanta Journal’s Lenox Rawlings backing this up.
“After 42 years of futility, the Astros won their first playoff
series and celebrated where so many National League teams
party, on the Braves’ lush hunting grounds. Since Turner Field
opened in 1997, every Atlanta season has ended right here with
one exception, New York’s 1999 World Series sweep that
concluded in Yankee Stadium.
“The lineup of happy playoff guests: Florida, San Diego, St.
Louis, Arizona, San Francisco, Chicago and, now, Houston. The
Braves kept another statistical quirk in play, the 13 consecutive
division titles adorned with just one World Series
championship.”
You know, I really can’t blame Braves fans for failing to sell out
some of their playoff games. After a while, no matter what the
regular season success is you have to produce more than one
title.
–Doesn’t seem like anyone misses the NHL, does it?
–Consensus top seven in college football
1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Miami
4. Auburn
5. Purdue
6. Virginia
7. Florida State
All except Florida State are undefeated. Others without a loss
are Utah, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Boise State,
Arizona State, Southern Mississippi, Navy. [Miami is playing
Louisville, Virginia v. Florida State, Wisconsin v. Purdue]
–Well, I have further confirmation on the Edy Williams, USC –
UCLA game from the mid-70s. [From last Bar Chat.] Steve G.
remembers being in school at the time when ABC showed her on
air three times.
“The first time the commentator (possibly Keith Jackson) said
‘Wow.’ The second time he yelled ‘I don’t believe that.’ The
third time, Edy stood up, opened her mink coat and did a
seductive shimmy and the announcer said ‘Hold everything!’”
[Or if it was Jackson, “Wohhhh Nelly!”]
It proved to be one of television’s more revealing moments.
–“Desperate Housewives” on Oprah, Friday!!!!!
–So I’m reading a piece in Newsweek by Allison Samuels and
here I thought Tiger Woods only had 75 guests at his wedding to
Elin. I couldn’t be that offended I wasn’t invited myself, not
being in Tiger’s top 75. But supposedly the guest list was
actually 125 long and now I’m ticked.
–The #125 cutoff for the exempt list on the PGA Tour is
represented by Mark Calcavecchia, $545,000. Only three events
left. The other deal is to see who finishes in the top 30 for the
Tour Championship. My man Carlos Franco is #28.
–In Australia, a 12 ½-foot crocodile dragged a man out of his
tent while the fellow was sleeping with his wife and child at a
campsite. As he was being led away, a 60-year-old woman in a
tent nearby heard his screams and went running to his aid,
jumping on the croc’s back. Then the croc attacked the woman
before another camper shot the monster and killed it. Both
victims were said to be in stable condition. [BBC News] Why
the man’s wife and child didn’t help him wasn’t released.
Perhaps the wife hired the croc, having recently taken out a large
insurance policy? At least that’s my take and I’m stickin’ to it.
–By the way, there are an estimated 100,000 salt water
crocodiles in northern Australia. I think they like Foster’s, so
always have a can or two in reserve.
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/13/79: #1 “Don’t Stop ‘Til You
Get Enough” (Michael Jackson…of what, Michael?) #2 “Rise”
(Herb Alpert) #3 “Sad Eyes” (Robert John)
Pittsburgh Steelers Quiz Answers: 1) Receptions, career: John
Stallworth, 537 (1974-87). 2) Interceptions, career: Mel Blount,
57 (1970-83). 3) TDs, career: Franco Harris, 100 (1972-83). 4)
Rushing, season: Barry Foster…1,690 (1992). 5) Rushing,
game: John “Frenchy” Fuqua, 218 (1970). 6) Passing, game:
Tommy Maddox, 473 (2002). 7) #70 Ernie Stautner is the only
Steeler to have his uniform formally retired thus far, though it
seems to be only a matter of time before there are about ten
others.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday….if you keep it where it is.
