For all the bowlers out there, and those of us who used to watch
this religiously on Saturday afternoons back in the 60s, I proudly
present………..
PBA Quiz: Last weekend Parker Bohn III won his 30th
Professional Bowling Association title, becoming just the 5th in
PBA history to do so. Who are the other four? Answer below.
Music Quiz: I see that Bobby Goldsboro turned 64 the other day.
Who had more Billboard top tens…Goldsboro or Bobby
Sherman? Answer below. [Sorry, guys. This is for my female
audience.]
Florida State 91…Wake Forest 83 (OT)
Drat! Geezuz it sucks being a fan sometimes. Well, at least we
set a new NCAA mark by hitting 50 consecutive free throws
(over two games). Only problem was #51 could have won this
game. C’mon, guys…you can’t lose to mediocre squads such as
FSU.
Inauguration Day
March 4, 1865
President Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address
Fellow-countrymen: At this second appearing to take the oath of
the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended
address than there was at first. Then a statement, somewhat in
detail, of a course to be pursued seemed very fitting and proper.
Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public
declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and
phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and
engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be
presented.
The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is
as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust,
reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope
for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all
thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All
dreaded it, all sought to avoid it. While the inaugural address
was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving
the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking
to destroy it with war – seeking to dissolve the Union and divide
the effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one
of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and
the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war
came. One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves,
not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the
Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and
powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the
cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this
interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the
Union by war, while the government claimed no right to do more
than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it.
Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration
which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause
of the conflict might cease when, or even before the conflict
itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a
result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same
Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against
the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a
just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of
other men’s faces, but let us judge not that we be not judged.
The prayer of both could not be answered. That of neither has
been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. Woe
unto the world because of offences, for it must needs be that
offences come, but woe to that man by whom the offence
commeth. If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of
those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs
come, but which having continued through His appointed time,
He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and
South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the
offence came, shall we discern there any departure from those
divine attributes which the believers in a living God always
ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that
this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God
wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s
two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and
until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by
another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years
ago, so still it must be said, that the judgments of the Lord are
true and righteous altogether.
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in
the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish the work
we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who
shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphans, to
do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace
among ourselves and with all nations.
—
Presidential Duties and Powers
Article II, Section 2…the United States Constitution
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and
Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several
States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;
he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in
each of the Executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to
the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have the
Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the
United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have
Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to
make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present
concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and
Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public
Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all
other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not
herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by
Law; but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of
such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President
alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may
happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting
Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
Section 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress
Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their
Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and
expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both
Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between
them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn
them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive
Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that
the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the
Officers of the United States.
—
William Henry Harrison (1773-1841)
Harrison, the 9th President of the United States and the first to die
in office, was born on February 9, 1773, in Charles City County,
VA. He was a hero of both the Indian Wars and the War of
1812, as well as a congressman and senator.
But as for the prime battle in the Indian Wars, the November 7,
1811, clash at the Tippecanoe River, Indiana Territory, the fact is
the Shawnee launched a surprise attack, killing 188 Americans
while suffering only a few dozen casualties themselves.
Harrison retook the Indian camp on November 8 and built a key
fort for the War of 1812, but many say he should have attacked
first. Now debate amongst yourselves.
Anyway, the Whig Party nominated Harrison to run against
Martin Van Buren in 1836 but Van Buren kicked Harrison’s butt,
170-73 in the Electoral College. [3 other candidates garnered a
collective 51 as well.] But in the Election of 1840, Harrison got
his revenge versus the incumbent.
Seeking to cast Harrison in the image of Andrew Jackson, a man
of the people, the Whigs depicted Van Buren “as a fop* with
indulgent tastes.” [David Jacobs]
“Old Tip he wears a homespun coat,
He has no ruffled shirt-wirt-wirt.
But Mat he has the golden plate,
And he’s a little squirt-wirt-wirt.”
*I had to look up ‘fop.’ “Dandy.” So I looked up ‘dandy.’
“A man unduly attentive to personal appearance.” [“Dandy” is
also the title of a #5 / 1966 song for Herman’s Hermits. But I
digress.]
Even P.T. Barnum got involved in the campaign of 1840, getting
Chang and Eng, the famous Siamese twins, to announce that
their two votes would go to Harrison.
Oh yeah, the Whigs were a well-oiled machine that year.
“What has caused the great commotion;
motion, motion, Our country through?
It is the ball a rolling on.
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too – Tippecanoe
and Tyler too.”
Tyler being Harrison’s running mate. Harrison whipped Van
Buren 234-60.
But by the time he took the oath of office on March 4, 1841,
William Henry Harrison was an old man…68 years of age. The
nation was also descending into the worst economic depression it
would experience until 1929.
“Severe deflationary conditions dried up sources of credit, forced
banks to suspend redemption of their bills…and drove prices
downward. Nine states that had overinvested in public works
were unable to meet scheduled payments on their indebtedness.
Because of sharp declines in imports and in land sales, the
revenues of the federal government plummeted from $50 million
in 1836 to a bare $17 million in 1841.” [Richard P. McCormick]
Goodness gracious…Bernie Kerik sold about $7 million in
shares in Taser International last fall all by himself…not that this
has anything to do with William Henry Harrison and the
predicament he faced.
Back to our story, March 4 proved to be cold and stormy with a
driving rain, yet Harrison rode a white horse to the Capitol,
refusing to wear a hat or coat. He then proceeded to give the
longest Inaugural Address in American history; some 8,500
words taking up about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I mean this
speech was twice the length of the second longest one in history.
[By comparison, Lincoln’s above is around 700 words and the
average is 2,400. Harrison also used the personal pronoun “I” a
record 45 times.]
One interesting note from Harrison’s address, however, is the
fact he was concerned that power had become too concentrated
in the Executive branch and so he declared he would serve just
one term. He also condemned the evil of excessive partisanship.
Well, Harrison attended three inaugural balls, including one
where 1,000 patrons ponied up $10 apiece, and he caught cold.
But the demands of office required that he soldier on and there
was an endless stream of office seekers, so he was quickly worn
out. By March 27 Harrison was bedridden with pneumonia and
around midnight on April 3, delirious, he said:
“Sir – I wish you to understand the true principles of
Government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more.”
The words were assumed to be directed to the absent vice
president, John Tyler. Harrison died at 1:30 a.m. on April 4.
Tyler became known as “His Accidency.”
But as John Quincy Adams said of Harrison, he was “taken away
thus providentially from the evil to come.”
But what of Harrison’s wife, the lovely Anna Harrison, born July
25, 1775, in Morristown, NJ. Anna and William had 10 children
and in glancing at their lifespan I thought I’d pass this tidbit
along as an example of the times….pre-Social Security and
actuarial calculations.
Elizabeth Bassett (1796-1846)…49
John Cleves Symmes (1798-1830)…32
Lucy Singleton (1800-1826)…25
William Henry (1802-1838)…35
John Scott (1804-1878)…73
Benjamin (1806-1840)…34
Mary Symmes (1809-1842)…33
Carter Bassett (1811-1839)…27
Anna Tuthill (1813-1845)…31
James Findlay (1814-1817)…3
[I looked up exact dates, known, except in two cases.]
Anna handily outlived all but one as she died on Feb. 25,
1864, at the ripe old age of 88. Also, you have to admire the
family planning involved here. Ahem.
And now you know……the rest of the story. Except that
William”s grandson became president, Benjamin, the 23rd (1889-
93).
[Sources: “Facts About the Presidents,” Joseph Nathan Kane;
“The Presidents,” edited by Henry F. Graff; “American Heritage:
The Presidents,” edited by Michael Beschloss]
Stuff
–So I’m proofing the above on the Constitution and I got to
thinking. There were the Founding Fathers, pondering each
word, arguing, prodding. I wonder if there was one in the back
who was called on to comment and responded…“whatever”…?
–NFL playoffs: Those of you who like to watch playoff football
in sloppy weather should certainly get your wish this Sunday.
There’s a big storm a comin’, at least that’s what “they” say.
So with this in mind, I’ll go with the Steelers and Eagles, both by
10-7 scores.
–Mount Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary released a
statement in conjunction with a video on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s
historic hut in Antarctica, the focus of various preservation
groups.
The wooden hut was built for Shackleton’s 1907-09 expedition
and still contains tins of food and other food items, preserved
over the decades. But Hillary says:
“I remember when I first went to (the) hut – and I’m not a person
who really sees things very much – but I went inside the door
and when I opened the door – it’s a rather sort of bare hut inside
– but I distinctly saw Shackleton walking towards me and
welcoming me and then it all sort of flashed away and he was
gone.” [South China Morning Post]
Let this be a lesson to all of you, boys and girls. Never climb to
altitudes above 5,000 feet.
–Krispy Kreme’s disgraced chairman and chief executive
officer, Scott Livengood, was forced to resign the other day. It
turns out he’s a Chapel Hill grad, which explains everything in
my book.
–And here come the e-mails from UNC…………………………
–From the January 24 issue of Newsweek:
“The truth of the matter is you can earn a tremendous amount of
money as an exotic dancer, if that’s your desire.”
Management consultant William Fried, in an interview, after a
career-day talk to eighth graders at J.L. Stanford Middle School
in Palo Alto, CA, in which he said one could earn $250,000 a
year as an exotic dancer. School officials and parents have
spoken out against the comments.
Well, it beats cutting grass.
–Phil W. offered up that “Survivor’s” Richard Hatch is now a
candidate for Bar Chat “Dirtball of the Year.” Hatch is working
out a deal with the IRS after not claiming his $1 million in
winnings from the program on his taxes, let alone another big
chunk of cash for a post-Survivor gig in Boston. Hatch is one
weird, creepy dude.
Thanks for the suggestion, Phil. Signed copy of “The O’Reilly
Factor For Kids” on the way.
[Speaking of O’Reilly, you just know he’s steamed that Katie
Couric is being mentioned as a potential replacement for Dan
Rather and not him. But that’s what happens when you have
phone sex with an unattractive associate producer.]
–Congratulations to soon to be wed Mets catcher Mike Piazza
for hooking up with former Playmate Alicia Rickter. From the
New York Post’s Paula Froelich:
“The beautiful brunette was a Killian’s beer spokesmodel at the
time (they met), while Piazza was often seen around town with
beautiful women. He was known to have homered with a bevy
of babes, including another veteran of Playboy’s pages, Darlene
Bernaola.”
–Stu Baby picked off this gem from Letterman the other night.
“Prince Harry has caused the Royal Family more embarrassment.
He came to a party dressed as the Jets’ field goal kicker.”
–College Basketball / AP Men’s Top Ten
1. Illinois
2. Kansas
3. Wake Forest…..doh!
4. Duke
5. Oklahoma State
6. North Carolina
7. Syracuse
8. Kentucky
9. Boston College…how good are these guys?!
10. Washington
–Man, I’m hungry. I was just reading a piece in the Daily News
on the best hamburger in New York City.
Donovan’s Pub in Woodside, Queens; located at the corner of
Roosevelt Ave. and 58th St. [“Time Out” magazine did the
actual survey that awarded Donovan’s the top slot.]
Established in 1966, Donovan’s has always been a hit with the
locals and now word is out.
“The juicy and buttery burger is still made the same way it was
when the pub opened…It’s loosely ground sirloin meat, topped
with sautéed onions, makes it a mess to eat, earning it the
nickname ‘the five-napkin burger.’”
And it’s only $5.75 (including fries).
For those of you in the New York area, go ahead, ask your boss
for a little extra time at lunch today. Better yet, take him or her.
It could improve your performance review.
Top 3 songs for the week of 1/17/70: #1 “Raindrops Keep
Fallin’ On My Head” (B.J. Thomas) #2 “Venus” (The Shocking
Blue) #3 “I Want You Back” (The Jackson 5)…#5 “Whole Lotta
Love” (Led Zeppelin)
Goldsboro / Sherman Quiz:
Goldsboro had two top tens…
#9 See The Funny Little Clown 2/64
#1 Honey 3/68
“Little Things,” 2/65, peaked at #13.
Sherman, though, had four top tens…
#3 Little Woman 9/69
#9 La La La (If I Had You) 12/69
#9 Easy Come, Easy Go 2/70
#5 Julie, Do Ya Love Me 8/70
In fact, you want to see a rather eclectic (to use the term loosely)
top ten? Here’s the Billboard Pop chart for 10/4/69…as my
beloved New York Mets were about to win the World Series.
#1 Sugar, Sugar…The Archies
#2 Jean…Oliver
#3 Little Woman…Bobby Sherman
#4 Easy To Be Hard…Three Dog Night
#5 I Can’t Get Next To You…The Temptations
#6 Honky Tonk Women…The Rolling Stones
#7 Green River…Creedence Clearwater Revival
#8 Everybody’s Talkin’ …Nilsson
#9 Hot Fun In The Summertime…Sly & The Family Stone
#10 Oh, What A Night…The Dells
Oh, what the hell. Here’s the top ten albums for the week of
10/4/69.
#1 Green River…CCR
#2 Johnny Cash At San Quentin
#3 Blind Faith…same
#4 Through The Past, Darkly…The Rolling Stones
#5 Blood, Sweat & Tears…same
#6 Best Of Cream
#7 Smash Hits…Jimi Hendrix Experience
#8 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida…Iron Butterfly
#9 The Soft Parade…The Doors
#10 Hair…Original Cast
PBA Quiz Answer: 30 or more victories, career.
41 – Earl Anthony
40 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.
34 – Mark Roth
31 – Pete Weber
30 – Parker Bohn III
20 or more……
27 – Mike Aulby
26 – Don Johnson, Dick Weber
23 – Brian Voss
22 – Marshall Holman
21 – Norm Duke
20 – Dick Ritger, Wayne Webb
and others…that I remember from my youth.
Dave Davis, 18 titles; Nelson Burton Jr., 17; Billy Hardwick, 17;
Carmen Salvino, 17; Dave Soutar, 17 (no relation to Justice
Souter…spelled differently); Johnny Petraglia, 14 (thought he
had more than 14); Wayne Zahn, 13; Larry Laub, 12; Barry
Asher, 10; Mike McGrath, 10 (Mike’s last win was the Winston-
Salem Invitational!); Gary Dickinson, 8; Don Carter, 6 (most of
us had Don Carter bowling balls back in those days); Skee
Foremsky, 6 (great name); Mike Limongello, 6; Don Glover, 5;
Art Trask, 4; Teata Semiz, 3…
And did you know that Billy Welu, who shared the broadcast on
ABC with Chris Schenkel, only won two titles?
But I’m saving the best for last. Did you know that Ray Bluth
also only won twice, the last being the Buckeye Open in 1969?
There isn’t one kid, or adult for that matter, that didn’t imitate
him back in the 60s and 70s; ball cupped in his right arm.
By the way, kids, if you don’t know who Dick Weber is he was
the Arnold Palmer of bowling…even looked like him a bit if I
recall. [Father of Pete Weber as well.]
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday. I’ll get around to the football I
promised for this one.
