[Posted Sunday PM due to a screwed up Monday.]
Baseball Quiz: 1) Name the top five in home runs by a pitcher,
career. Now I suppose you’d like a few hints. 4 of the 5 played
at least some in the 1940s, 2 of the 5 played in the 1960s, all had
between 33 and 37 homers, 3 won over 200 games (all won at
least 120), and none of them are Don Drysdale or Bob Gibson.
Now get to work. 2) Name the only three with 13, 100-RBI
seasons. Answers below.
World Cup Quiz: The first Cup was in 1930 and has been held
every four years since with the exception of 1942 and 1946.
Name the only three nations to win at least 3. Answer below.
D-Day
Operation Overlord was originally scheduled for May 1944 but
foul weather postponed it until June 6.
In order to boost morale and further encourage his forces,
Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower
issued the following message to all of the ground, naval, and air
“crusaders.”
Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which
we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are
upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people
everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies
and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the
destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi
tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for
ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained,
well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi
triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon
the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air
offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their
capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have
given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions
of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained
fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world
are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill
in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!
Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God
upon this great and noble undertaking.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
—
So I have a copy of the New York Daily News, June 6, 1944.
Here’s the exact ad copy for Rheingold Beer.
“My beer is RHEINGOLD – the DRY beer!”
says MISS RHEINGOLD 1944
1. “Every pilot knows how important it is to stay on the beam,”
says Jane House, Miss Rheingold of 1944, “and when it comes to
beer, I like to stay on the beam, too!”
2. “That’s why I always ask for Rheingold – the DRY beer,”
Jane continues. “Its real-beer flavor makes the sky the limit for
real-beer enjoyment. It’s beer as beer should taste!”
DRY tells you WHY!
Rheingold, the DRY beer, is not sweet, not bitter. It has a clean,
real-beer flavor. It’s beer as beer should taste!
So it’s not surprising that in 1943, as in 1942, more than twice as
many New Yorkers switched to Rheingold as to any other New
York beer.
Try Rheingold. On tap and in quart and 12-oz. bottles all over
town.
[Ed. All I’ve got to say is I wish I had the chance to party with
Miss Rheingold!!!!! Goodness gracious. By the way, New
Yorkers, who brewed Rheingold back then? Answer below.]
Also in the Daily News, June 6, 1944, was this little story.
“Prelate Falls Dead in College Speech”
“The Rt. Rev. Msgr. George Johnson, 55, fell dead today while
delivering a commencement address at Trinity College, Catholic
University.”
Boy, that would have been a bummer.
And here’s another headline.
“Roman Girls Mob Yankees”
Rome, June 5 (U.P.) – The biggest beauty parade the American
Army has seen in this war has turned out to welcome the Yanks
into Rome. The girls act as if the Americans are the finest men
they ever saw. Everybody is happy.
Tens of thousands of girls swarm the streets. It seemed that the
prettiest ones were always in the front rows, ready to pelt the
Americans with flowers or kiss their hands. They didn’t mind
that the soldiers were tired, sweaty and unshaven. To the girls of
Rome the Americans look he-men.
The girls piled onto the jeeps and trucks indiscriminately – three
girls per man or one girl for three men. Numbers were
unimportant.
[Ed. The reporter for the story, James E. Roper, sounded pretty
fired up himself, don’t you think? Altogether now…What did
you do in the war, Daddy?]
Lastly, there’s an ad for a 5-piece bedroom set: Bed, Dresser
with Mirror, Chest, Coil Spring and Mattress. Just $98! And
take a full year to pay!
Stuff
–Sports Illustrated’s Final Four for the World Cup.
France defeats Germany; Brazil defeats England.
Brazil beats France.
I haven’t a clue. I want Paraguay, but the official Bar Chat pick
to click is………………….IVORY COAST!!!!!!!
–Scott R. of Oklahoma City wrote the following letter to the
editor at Sports Illustrated.
“Why not mention the true home run record – believed to be 962
– set by Josh Gibson, who played in the Negro Leagues from
1930 through ’46? Why exclude Gibson again, as he was back
then? This, not Hank Aaron’s 755, should be the record
everyone is chasing.”
With all due respect to Mr. Gibson, Scott, you’re an idiot. Of
course Josh Gibson was awesome, but unlike Major League
Baseball, and despite all the recent research done on the Negro
Leagues, you can’t have a record that’s an estimate.
–Well whaddya know? It says here that Rivals.com has rated
the Wake Forest basketball recruiting class #10 in the nation.
North Carolina is #1, followed by Ohio State, Texas, UConn,
Duke, Tennessee, Washington, Georgia Tech, and Louisville.
Turns out Anthony Gurley, the hotshot guard from Boston, chose
Wake after all (he was scared Skip Prosser was leaving), and we
picked up some other great guard and forward prospects.
–Harvey Araton of the New York Times blasted Duke
Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski the other day. Coach K has
been awful quiet after the uproar over the lacrosse team.
“Typically a ubiquitous sermonizer on the choices young people
make – from college to credit card to car – the Duke men’s
basketball coach…has virtually gone underground since the
charges….
“He has been conspicuously absent from the national discourse
and noticeably scarce around campus, according to a Duke
professor I know. Nor, apparently, has Krzyzewski provided his
2006 recruiting class his take, on what, if anything, he believes
has gone wrong at Duke….
“In staying quiet, the erudite Coach K has proved, like a great
point guard dribbling out of the backcourt, to have the intuitive
capacity to recognize and avoid a trap. The last time he stepped
into a volatile ideological debate, playing host to a fundraiser in
2002 for the Republican Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole at a
university-owned facility, Krzyzewski was criticized around the
state, and even the Duke student newspaper was aghast.”
[Ed. For a non-Duke man, I’ve always held Coach K in high
esteem, but the last few years I’ve grown weary of him. I’ve also
been jealous as hell of the success he’s had with the program
compared to my underachieving one.]
–It does not appear that co-world-record holders in the 100-
meters, Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell, will meet on the track
until late July at the earliest. Both are being real jerks. Renaldo
Nehemiah (yeah, the great hurdler) is Gatlin’s agent and he
swears it’s not about money, though $1 million is being bandied
about. “It’s about climate. It’s about wanting to have a full
stadium. July 3 is Athens. I don’t want 3,000 people in an
80,000-seat stadium. I owe that to my sport,” said Nehemiah.
No one gives a damn about track, sadly, outside of the Olympics.
What the sport needs is these two racing head-to-head every two
weeks the next few months. Now that would be cool.
–Dan Graziano / Star-Ledger:
“As long as (Barry) Bonds continues to assert his innocence in
the face of evidence of his guilt, he must be scorned. Until the
day he sits in front of all of those TV cameras that follow him
around and says, ‘Here’s what I did. Here’s why I did it. It was
wrong. I’m sorry. Kids, please don’t do what I did,’ he must
continue to wriggle on the hook of negative scrutiny.
“The counter-arguments are beginning to find a forum.
Respected players such as Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter and Billy
Wagner have, in recent months, gone out of their way to defend
Bonds and paint the big, bad ‘media’ as the witch-hunting
villains. Cliff Floyd, one of the very good guys in the game,
painfully added his own voice to the embarrassing cacophony
Wednesday.
“ ‘Nothing’s ever been proven,’ Floyd said, inaccurately. ‘I feel
proud that he has done great things in this game. And until you
prove something else to me, the rest doesn’t mean anything.’
“There are even those who realize Bonds is guilty and still think
we’ve been too hard on him. They point out that he’s not the
only one who did steroids, which is true. They say he has taken
the brunt of the abuse while others have sailed under the radar,
which is also true.
“The thing is, though, these guys can’t have it both ways.
“Bonds, like any great professional athlete, received a
ridiculously large amount of positive public attention when he
was at the top of the game. He was worshipped by legions of
adoring fans. He made tens of millions of dollars. He had
everything fame brings with it.
“So now that he’s fallen, he and his supporters need to accept
that the disdain will be just as disproportionate as the acclaim
was. When he was at the heights, children bought his jersey and
hung his poster on their walls, in part because of all of the
newspaper column space and TV highlights he got. Now, the
same number of column inches and TV minutes should be
devoted to letting those same children know why they should
take those posters down.”
–Katie Couric purchased a home in East Hampton, N.Y., for
$6.3 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. The two-
story, cedar-wood-shingle house is on an acre and a half. “Built
in 1995, the structure measures about 7,000 square feet with
seven bedrooms, six bathrooms and a pool.”
But the property sits five blocks from the ocean! And it still
costs that much. What a rip-off.
–Johnny Mac was flipping channels the other day and came
across the program “Cashing In” on Fox News. The participants
were having a round table discussion on immigration and J. Mac
was horrified to see one fellow in particular….Lenny Dykstra,
formerly of the Mets and the Phillies. Yes, as Johnny said, “that
renowned expert on international law, Lenny Dykstra.”
–Major League Baseball holds its annual draft on Tuesday and
Wednesday, all 50 rounds of it, but this year there is a bit of
intrigue. Back in 1996, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier was attending
Game 1 of the Baltimore Orioles – New York Yankees A.L.
Championship Series when then rookie Derek Jeter launched a
fly ball to the right field wall. You remember what happened
next. Maier reached over and swatted it away from outfielder
Tony Tarasco, but what was clearly fan interference was ruled a
home run in one of the worst calls (as replays showed) in
baseball history. That hit tied the game, the Yankees went on to
win it and the series, and it was the beginning, most would agree,
of a slide for the Orioles franchise. [After making the playoffs in
1997, they embarked on a streak that has seen them have eight
straight losing seasons.] It became known as the Curse of Jeffrey
Maier.
But, 10 years later, there is a slim chance that Maier could be
drafted, including by either New York or Baltimore, because the
kid hit .375 in college for Div. III Wesleyan University (Conn.).
Both teams have admitted scouting him and while he has little
chance of ever making the majors, far stranger things have
happened…i.e., low, low draft picks like Mike Piazza.
–Speaking of the draft, in the first five rounds, or the first 150
picks, it is expected that only 10-15, max, will be African-
Americans. In all of Major League Baseball, only 8% of players
are black, down from 27% in 1975. Minnesota outfielder Torii
Hunter has started a foundation to encourage urban Little
Leagues and we wish him the best.
According to the NCAA, by the way, only 6% of collegiate
baseball players are black. Ken Williams of the Chicago White
Sox, the only African-American general manager, said “There
are so few scholarships (for baseball), and we’re losing these
kids to other sports.” I disagree in one respect. These kids aren’t
necessarily all playing basketball and football. A lot of potential
athletes are simply joining gangs and wasting away. We give
them too much credit sometimes.
–Zeke Bonura, part II. Bet you thought there couldn’t possibly
be anything more after last chat. Wrong! Johnny Mac
uncovered the following.
“Besides his base running, Zeke (who played from 1934-40) was
a horrible fielder. Well, that’s not quite fair. It was tough to tell
what kind of fielder he was, since he rarely offered at a batted
ball. He would just wave at it as it passed him, prompting the
writers to dub it his “Mussolini Salute.” In fact he actually led
the league in fielding percentage at first base one year, 1936, due
to his lack of involvement.
“Bonura spent most of 1941 completing his military duty but was
recalled shortly after Pearl Harbor. He was more than willing to
give up his ball playing ambitions, saying Uncle Sam needed him
more than baseball did.
“At Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Zeke was put in charge of
baseball operations, organizing teams and scheduling games. He
was able to obtain equipment donated by the major league clubs
and uniforms from his old minor league team, the New Orleans
Pelicans.
“By the spring of 1943, Zeke was in North Africa, organizing
baseball on a far greater scale…like 150 teams in six leagues
with over 1,000 players. He even tried teaching the game to the
locals, but the cultural divide proved a bit much. For one, they
couldn’t bring themselves to steal a base as it was against Islamic
tradition.
“Bonura’s achievements were recognized at the highest level.
Gen. Eisenhower himself presented Zeke with a Legion of Merit
award. Fully embroidered, Bonura now organized the North
African World Series, carried live on Armed Forces Radio. The
Casablanca Yankees beat the Algiers Streetwalkers for the title.
“Zeke then took it upon himself to scout players for the
Minneapolis Millers, the minor league club he was playing for
before his military stint. Several even signed contracts, although
several more didn’t make it back. Zeke followed the advancing
allies into Europe, organizing and promoting along the way. He
even lent his talents to the Arab Bowl in Oran and the Mustard
Bowl in Dijon, France.
“Master Sgt. Bonura was mustered out in mid-1945. His efforts
earned him the moniker ‘Czar of North African Baseball.’
“Zeke never made it back to the majors and played minor league
ball until the age of 43.” [S. Derby Gisclair (sic), an expert on all
things baseball, particularly New Orleans ball, was the main
source for the above.]
–And while we’re at it, J. Mac asks, which of you baseball
pundits had Joe Mauer and Alex Rios battling it out for the A.L.
hitting crown thus far as we reach the 1/3 mark in the season?
Also, put your hands up if you had Freddy Sanchez (Pittsburgh)
tearing up the N.L. Hell, Johnny and I never heard of the guy,
though we’re a bit embarrassed, seeing as Freddy was a regular
last year.
And what about the comeback of Nomar Garciaparra? 38 ribbies
in 38 games with a .369 batting average and only 5 strikeouts in
149 at bats. Can you say “Comeback Player of the Year”?
But both Johnny and I can’t help but comment on the difference
between the Kansas City Royals and Florida Marlins. Heck, I
know the Marlins are 20-34 with an ownership that doesn’t want
to spend a penny more than it has to, but the squad is loaded with
what look to be good, young up and comers. The other day when
they were playing the Mets, I thought if I was living near Miami
I’d go to a bunch of games. [I also like warm weather and beer, I
have to admit.] At least they are entertaining.
Now contrast that with the 14-40 Royals. They not only suck,
they are old! Five regulars (or close to it) are 32 or older…and
it’s not like these were perennial All-Stars even in their prime.
[Doug Mientkewicz, Tony Graffanino, Mark Grudzielanek,
Reggie Sanders, and Matt Stairs.] None of these guys can
possibly give a damn. They all make good money, which they
gladly pocket, but what’s the incentive? Instead, stock the club
with young, eager players and you certainly wouldn’t do any
worse, eh?
–After Sunday’s play, the Mets and Yankees are both 33-22.
–Goodness gracious. Alfonso Soriano has 21 home runs in 57
games!
–But Albert Pujols is now on the 15-day disabled list with an
oblique muscle pull. These things can go on and on. Ergo,
thoughts of Albert hitting 98 home runs this season are out the
window.
–Eddie Holman turned 60 on Saturday. “Hey…there… lonely
girl…” Peaked at #2, 1970. And Boots Randolph turned 79!
–Did you see the great college baseball upset? Manhattan was
making its first appearance in the NCAAs since 1957 and
defeated #6 Nebraska, in Omaha, 4-1. Manhattan’s Chris Cody
threw 142 pitches for the complete game victory. Neat stuff. As
I go to post Sunday evening, they are playing Miami to see who
advances out of the super regional.
–Then there’s Wake Forest baseball. Talk about embarrassing,
the Deacons, who collapsed at season end and were losing games
by 21-1 to Clemson, were clearly on the bubble for a bid in the
64-team NCAA tourney. But on the school’s web site they kept
advertising a “Selection Day Party!”
Fellow alum Phil W. and I couldn’t believe the idiocy of this.
And of course they didn’t get a bid.
But at least I got a phone call from freshman slugging sensation
Allen Dykstra…asking for more money for the Deacon Club.
[Alas, I wasn’t home.]
–While we’re on the topic of Wake, though, congratulations to
the men’s golf team for a super effort in the NCAA
championship. The Deacs tied for third with Minnesota behind
Florida and winner Oklahoma State. The Cowboys’ Jonathan
Moore, a budding superstar, won the individual title and Wake’s
Kyle Reifers was second.
–So it’s Mavs vs. the Heat in the NBA Finals. I’ll pull for
Dallas, of course, as Wake’s Josh Howard continues to shine. 15
rebounds in his last effort…not bad for a 6’6” stringbean. Plus I
think the Mavs are now 24-0 this season when he scores 20
points.
And here’s something…Pat Riley, in taking the Heat to the
Finals, is just the second coach in history to coach three
franchises to the last round. The other was Alex Hannum. [St.
Louis, San Francisco and Philadelphia.]
Lastly, you’ve gotta love Mavs coach Avery Johnson. What a
role model, whether he wants to be considered that or not. Just a
great guy and the best this country has to offer. [As for his wife
…………]
–Jay Haas, 52, tied the PGA Tour’s all-time cuts made mark at
The Memorial this weekend. His 590th puts him even with Tom
Kite, so he’ll have to obviously attempt to break this one. That’s
a helluva accomplishment. [Carl Pettersson of Sweden won.]
–I know I’ve said this before, but is there a better ass-kisser on
the planet than Jim Nantz? I mean to tell ya, he wrote the book.
Ya gotta admire him for that. After all, not many people can
claim presidents and men like Jack Nicklaus as their best friends.
Me? I get blown off by freakin’ Carlos Franco. Actually, I gave
the guy $1,000 for a charity of his in Paraguay, for burn victims,
no less, and he never even thanked me!………………………
…………………..the truth always come out in the end, sports
fans.
–I screwed up the other day. I thought I was free to watch
Michelle Wie and her attempt to make the U.S. Open field on
Monday here at Canoe Brook in Summit, N.J. Alas, I had an
outing of my own. Then again, the logistics looked like a
nightmare. For starters, 150 media credentials were issued for a
simple qualifier. Normally no one bothers.
–Halle Berry: “I saw Michelle Wie play and she has made golf
really sexy, so I decided to learn.” Halle is taking lessons from
David Leadbetter. Now you just know this is Leadbetter’s
favorite day of the week.
–Jeff B. and I are growing increasingly distressed over the
direction of “For Better or For Worse.” Creator Lynn Johnston
refuses to take our advice to add some violence to the strip,
though now we have a disturbed kid who doesn’t want Liz, the
teacher at the Indian school, to leave and he won’t talk. Liz also
touched Jesse’s shoulder, so at least there could be a lawsuit.
–We note the passing of the creator of Mister Softee, James
Conway, at the age of 78. From a story by Beth Fitzgerald in the
Star-Ledger.
“His son, Jim Conway Jr., said Mister Softee was launched in
1956 when his father and his uncle William drove their first truck
through Philadelphia, giving away green ice cream as a nod to
their Irish heritage.”
Today there are more than 600 franchised trucks in 15 states.
Conway Jr. says his father’s favorite Mister Softee flavor was
vanilla but he also loved Breyer’s butter pecan. [I’m a French
Vanilla man myself.]
“In 2004, New York City noise officials wanted to silence the
trucks’ music, but the city backed down after a public outcry
ensued. Now all ice cream vendors can play music, but only
when the vehicles are moving.”
If you hear rap music, that means they sell drugs too.
JUST KIDDING!
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/7/69: #1 “Get Back” (The Beatles
with Billy Preston) #2 “Love (Can Make You Happy)” (Mercy
…alright, so I like this schmaltzy tune…that doesn’t make me a
bad person…you see, I liked everything about the summer of ’69
because it was all about my New York Mets) #3 “Grazing In
The Grass” (Friends of Distinction)…and…#5 “Bad Moon
Rising” (Creedence Clearwater Revival) #6 “In The Ghetto”
(Elvis Presley) #9 “These Eyes” (The Guess Who)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Home runs by a pitcher, career: Wes
Ferrell, 37 (1927-41…193-128); Bob Lemon, 35 (1946-58…
207-128); Warren Spahn, 35 (1942-65…MS 43-45…363-245);
Red Ruffing, 34 (1924-47…MS 43-44…273-225…hit .269 for
his career); Earl Wilson, 33 (1959-70…121-109…hit 7 homers
in a season twice, including 1968, the ‘year of the pitcher’).
[Don Drysdale hit 29 homers and Bob Gibson 24, in case you
were wondering.] 2) Three with 13 seasons with 100 RBI.
Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Barry Bonds and Al
Simmons had 12. [If Bonds gets a 13th, I’m committing hari-
kari.] Hank Aaron had 11, though he had another five with 90+.
Manny Ramirez already has 10.
World Cup Quiz Answer: Brazil (5), Italy (3) and West Germany
(3) are the only three to win at least three World Cup titles.
Argentina and Uruguay have won two apiece.
Rheingold Beer Answer: Liebmann Breweries, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
