Houston Astros Quiz (1962-present): 1) 1st manager? [2+ years
…initials H.C.] 2) Who was the manager in 1986, the 96-66
squad that lost to the Mets in the NLCS? 3) Who is the only
hurler to win 22 in a season? 4) Who is the franchise leader in
wins, career? 5) Who holds the record for at bats, season, with
660 [1978] Answers below.
Charlie Daniels
[Note: It’s hot out, here in New Jersey as it is in much of the
country these days; the dog days of summer that always bring to
mind southern rock and drinking beer. So I dusted off the
following from five years ago. Go ahead, grab a long neck.]
Charlie Daniels was born in 1936 in Wilmington, North
Carolina. The son of a lumberman, there really weren’t a lot of
musical influences in his house growing up, unlike all the other
stars we have profiled over the years it seems. Daniels took up
the guitar on his own and by the time he was 21 formed a group
called the Jaguars which played Southern bars and roadhouses
for the next 10 years.
[At the time he decided to pursue music full time, Daniels was
working in a creosote plant. In a display of his character, Charlie
asked to be laid off instead of a black employee who had a
family to support and was about to get a pink slip.]
The Jaguars disbanded in 1967 and Daniels was able to use a
connection in Nashville to gain a lot of session work. He was
developing a great reputation as one of the better pickers around
and he earned a comfortable living. Eventually he also got into
the producing end of the business and was intimately involved in
the success of the Youngbloods of “Get Together” fame.
Then in 1971 Charlie started the Charlie Daniels Band (CDB),
modeling it after the Allman Brothers, with 2 drummers and twin
lead guitars. Perfecting his own brand of “raunch and roll,”
Daniels’ music is harder to define than the other Southern
rockers of this era. It’s a little blues, jazz, country, bluegrass,
boogie, and hard rock, all rolled into one. By 1973, CDB had its
first hit with “Uneasy Rider,” a top ten takeoff of the popular
movie, “Easy Rider.” Just like Marshall Tucker, CDB embarked
on a grueling road schedule of 200-250 concerts a year. But as
Daniels put it, it wasn’t work, they simply enjoyed it.
As much as anyone of his generation, Charlie Daniels had an ear
for catching the political winds of the country and in 1975 he had
his second big hit with “The South’s Gonna Do It Again.” And
like his good friends with Marshall Tucker, Daniels was a big
supporter of Jimmy Carter, gaining an invitation to play at his
inauguration along with the boys from Spartanburg.
In fact the connections between not just CDB and Marshall
Tucker, but also Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers were
many. They constantly opened for each other’s concerts and
you’d always find Daniels jamming with the others when it came
time for them to take the stage. His fiddling was one of the
highlights of any show. In addition, due in large part to his
massive build, 6’4” and put together like a lineman, as well as
his involvement with all the Southern rock groups of this era,
Charlie earned the nickname “Godfather.”
He also didn’t like to use others’ tunes, preferring his own work.
The best example is when he mentioned to the boys at Marshall
Tucker that he wanted to name his next album “Fire on the
Mountain.” MT’s George McCorkle then wrote a song by the
same title, thinking Daniels would use it. Charlie turned it down,
but kept the album title, and McCorkle and Company turned the
tune into their own hit. [After a few beers, I bet you can get
some folks on this one.]
In 1979 Charlie Daniels really busted into the big time
nationwide with the album “Million Mile Reflections” and the
single “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” the latter peaking at
#3. [Personally, this is my least favorite CDB tune; “Carolina”
being my own top pick.] And then in 1980 Charlie took
advantage of the mood surrounding the Iranian hostage crisis to
come up with the #11 “In America.” Two years later he scored
yet another political hit with “Still In Saigon.”
While Daniels had been a Carter supporter, he was drawing
increasing attention for his conservative, right-wing views,
particularly following the release of the album “Simple Man” in
1990. The title cut called for the lynching of drug dealers, and
for rapists and child abusers to be left in swamps, where they
would be gnawed to death by snakes and alligators. Many were
not exactly amused. [The editor, on the other hand, not only
finds it amusing, he also thinks it makes perfect sense. CD for
President!]
Daniels replied to his critics: “I come from a long line of blue-
collar folks, farmers and timber people. That’s how my mind
operates. (While I write) I think about how it will affect
working class people.”
Yup, something tells me Charlie Daniels wouldn’t have too
many good things to say about the corporate dirtballs of the
Enron era. Rather, he’s another that warrants consideration for
the Bar Chat Hall of Fame.
[Sources: “Southern Rockers,” Marley Brant; “Country Music:
The Encyclopedia,” Stambler & Landon; “The Rolling Stone
Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll”]
Stuff
–Goodness gracious. From the Anchorage Daily News, as
reported by Craig Medred, July 30.
“Wakened from sleep in a tent at the Russian River Campground
early Saturday, Chicago tourist Daniel Kuczero didn’t consider
the possibility that a grizzly bear tugging at the nylon woke him.
“He figured it had to be a dog he heard outside in the 4:30 a.m.
stillness, witnesses say.
“Then the animal collapsed the tent on him.
“That, according to Russian River campground manager Butch
Bishop and others, was the first indication Kuczero had that the
animal probably wasn’t a dog. Kuczero apparently decided the
best thing to do was play dead. [ed. note: I wouldn’t have been
playing dead, I really would have been….heart attack, you
understand.]
“He changed his mind when the bear grabbed his body – still
wrapped up in a sleeping bag inside the tent – by the shoulder,
in-law Rich Dunn said…
“That was enough to start Kuczero screaming.
“ ‘When it bit him in the shoulder,’ Dunn said, ‘he yelled.’
Well, sports fans, the bear took off with the noise and relatives in
a motor home nearby came to Daniel’s rescue. No word on his
condition, but he’s alive.
It was just this past July 25 in this very space that I mentioned
local officials were worried about the increased bear activity on
the Kenai and Russian rivers. I’m assuming some heeded this
warning and opted for the Beverly Hills Four Seasons instead.
Actually, it was July 2003 that angler Daniel Bigley nearly died
while ambling (zip-pi-ty do-daaa! ….that’s ambling music)
along the Russian River.
“An agitated bear knocked him down, grabbed him by the face
and crushed his skull. Other anglers who came to his aid,
coupled with the quick arrival of emergency medical technicians
and a rescue helicopter from Anchorage, saved his life, but he
was blinded.” [Craig Medred]
In light of all the recent activity, the U.S. Forest Service is
instituting a night-time closure of riverside trails.
You’ve got to be kidding me….some people actually walk
around at night knowing the odds of becoming a late-night treat
for a grizzly are about 3-2?
–Floyd Landis learns his fate on Saturday but experts who are
familiar with the evidence say it’s pretty clear he cheated. One
of the tests he was given, a carbon isotope ratio test, will be
tough to refute should it come out positive in his second sample.
Landis would be stripped of his Tour de France title immediately
and suspended for a few years to boot. If he then returned to the
sport, he’d be forced to ride a Sting-ray.
–And this from Reuters on the steroids front.
“Justin Gatlin’s masseur has denied comments by the sprinter’s
coach that he applied a mysterious cream to the world and
Olympic champion on the day he failed a doping test.”
Coach Trevor Graham, the key figure in the BALCO scandal,
said the cream was applied by Chris Whetstine before Gatlin ran
in the Kansas Relays back in April.
This is pretty bizarre.
“Graham said Whetstine had been upset with Gatlin because he
thought the sprinter was responsible for him being fired earlier
this year.
“Whetstine was later reinstated and has traveled with Gatlin to
meets since April, the coach said.
“Graham said Whetstine had applied a whitish cream to Gatlin’s
groin area and the back of his knees after the Kansas Relays.
“ ‘When I asked what is that? He (Whetstine) said, ‘Get away.’’
“ ‘He then put it (a tube of the cream) in his pocket.’”
As Gollum said, “What’s it got in its pocketses?”
–Check this out. Once a month the NBA cuts checks to 30 NBA
franchises out of revenues picked up in its national television
contract. But there’s one other check, and it goes to brothers
Ozzie and Dan Silna, co-owners of the ABA’s St. Louis Spirits.
Over the years the Silnas have received a total of $168 million
and the checks will just keep on coming.
According to Jonathan Abrams of the Los Angeles Times, “Part
of the Silnas’ deal called for them to receive one-seventh of the
annual TV revenue from each of the four ABA teams entering
the NBA. The deal turned out to be so lucrative that several
NBA teams have tried to break it, without success.”
There’s a line in the contract that reads: “The right to receive
such revenues shall continue for as long as the NBA or its
successors continues in its existence.”
Of course the four ABA teams now in the NBA – Denver,
Indiana, New Jersey and San Antonio – are ticked.
It goes back to 1976, the year the ABA reached its deal with the
NBA. The ABA was struggling financially and the NBA took
just the four above and left Kentucky and the Spirits out.
But the ABA needed unanimous approval for the deal to go
through.
“John Y. Brown, owner of the Kentucky Colonels, quickly
accepted a $3.3 million buyout as compensation. That deal was
also offered to the Silnas.”
But, incredibly, Ozzie Silnas kept asking for more and finally
accepted $3 million, plus a share of the TV revenue from the four
teams entering the NBA.
Back then, of course, TV revenues were miniscule, though the
brothers still received about $300,000 a year until the NBA’s
ratings picked up with the arrival of Magic, Bird and Jordan.
These days, the brothers’ check is closer to $15 million.
But under the terms of the current six-year, $4.6 billion deal with
ABC/ESPN, it will escalate further to $24 million annually.
It was back in 1974 that the Silnas, textile manufacturers,
purchased the Carolina Cougars and moved the franchise to St.
Louis.
One last bit; in 1982 the Silnas almost reached a buyout with the
NBA. The NBA offered $5 million over eight years, but the
Silnas countered with a demand of $8 million over five. The
NBA said no and the Silnas kept cashing checks.
Is that a great story or what?! Only in America, baby.
–You know who is a primo jerk? The New York Giants’ Jerome
Shockey. The problem is he’s not only not maturing, he’s also
simply out of control. But we like this; he’ll be fodder all year as
it’s a clear case of ‘roid rage.
–Because of the super warm water, Europe’s finest beaches are
being hit with a double whammy, toxic algae and jellyfish.
Get this, near Genoa several hundred bathers needed treatment
because of an algae, Ostreopsis ovata, that releases neurotoxins
into the air.
“Holidaymakers fall ill either by coming into contact with it
while swimming or by inhaling toxins carried by the breeze.”
[Richard Owen/ The Times (of London)]
Italian coastal temps are up to 86 degrees.
–Phil W. passed along this story from the AP and ESPN.com.
Raleigh, N.C. – A local resident, unapologetic about his actions,
rebuked the North Carolina Historical Commission for not being
more upset when state monuments were garbed in Carolina
Hurricanes jerseys.
“Do you think Andrew Jackson, sitting majestically on his horse
while wearing a Hurricanes jersey was awe-inspiring and
thought-provoking?” Davis Jones asked the commission. “No, it
was a distraction and derailed the purpose of the monument to
both educate and honor. I considered it not only a responsibility,
but a duty to go down there and take those jerseys off.”
The statues were decorated for the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup
playoff run. Charges against Jones were later dropped and the
Historical Commission chairman said he shared “the outrage
over the desecration of the monuments.”
Seems like some of my North Carolina friends need to develop a
sense of humor. As for Davis Jones, his name has been placed in
the December file for consideration in our yearend “Jerk of the
Year” award.
By the way, Andrew Jackson would have been the Carolina
Hurricanes’ number one fan, and he would have mingled with
the common folk rather than sitting in a luxury box.
–Not for nothing, but a thought just crossed my mind. The
advent of the luxury box in American culture is about when the
divide between the rich and poor began to widen exponentially.
–30 years ago, American Legionnaires held a summer
convention in Philadelphia with the headquarters hotel being the
Bellevue-Stratford. But as some of the attendees went home they
came down with pneumonia and fevers topping 107 degrees.
By early August, it was being reported some were dying and no
one knew just what the victims had nor the cause. It became
known as Legionnaires’ disease.
Lawrence Altman, reporting for the New York Times this week,
recalled that when he saw the first bulletins he viewed them with
skepticism. Back then Americans were being primed for
vaccination against swine flu after warnings an epidemic was
about to sweep the country.
But doctors looking into the legionnaires’ cases in 1976 were
scared to death. Finally, six months later it was determined the
illnesses were caused by bacterium spread from the hotel’s air-
conditioning system. Today the timely application of antibiotics
could knock it down, but it ended up being too late in ’76 for 34
who succumbed. And, as it turned out, investigators weren’t
aware until it was too late of another outbreak two years earlier
at the same Bellevue-Stratford that had killed 3 among 19 who
became ill with similar symptoms.
–The other day 18 veterans of the Negro Leagues were inducted
into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Among them was power hitter
George “Mules” Suttles. According to “The Complete Book of
Baseball’s Negro Leagues,” Suttles averaged 40 homers per 550
at-bats, the most of any player including Josh Gibson.
Suttles was about 6’3” and 250 pounds and supposedly wielded a
50-ounce bat. By comparison Babe Ruth used a 40-ounce bat
during his 60-home run season of 1927. Combined with muscles
formed working Alabama’s coal mines, Suttles’ biggest blasts
were legendary. Such as the time he sent a ball over a 60-foot-
high center-field fence, 500 feet from home plate, in Cuba’s
Tropicana Field.
Josh Gibson was a better known Negro Leagues slugger who
once hit a 580-foot blast to the top of the center-field wall in
Yankee Stadium that came within a couple of feet of leaving the
ballpark. No one has yet to hit a fair ball out of the place.
[Lonnie White / Los Angeles Times]
–This really is pretty amazing. Coors Field is no longer the
bandbox it used to be. Scoring is down 33% from a decade ago
and most blame it on the way the balls are treated; a special
humidor is used to keep the balls from drying up and shrinking in
Denver’s thin air. On Tuesday, Milwaukee beat Colorado 1-0,
just the fourth 1-0 game in the stadium’s 12-year history but the
third this year.
Some of the Rockies are now claiming the balls are waterlogged
before the game to keep them from flying out
–With the acquisition of first baseman Sean Casey from the
Reds, I see that the Tigers sent down Chris Shelton. What a
strange season he’s had.
I highlighted Shelton early on in April as he hit 9 home runs in
his first 51 at bats. But then talk about a power failure, he only
had 7 his next 303 abs. Wassup with dat?!
–I saw a blurb in Parade Magazine concerning Roy Gleason,
who was on the 1963 L.A. Dodgers, was later drafted, and was
badly wounded in Vietnam, whereupon he received the Purple
Heart.
Gleason is one of a handful (I forget just how many) who
finished their major league career with a 1.000 batting average.
I double-checked Baseball-Reference.com and, indeed, he had
one official at bat, a double. But the Parade tidbit didn’t mention
the then 20-year-old appeared in 8 games, mostly as a pinch-
runner, and he scored three times. Gleason was out of Melrose
Park, IL.
Top 3 songs for the week of 8/6/66: #1 “Wild Thing” (The
Troggs) #2 “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” (Sam the Sham and The
Pharaohs….these guys had a blast playing…at least it seemed
that way) #3 “Summer In The City” (Lovin’ Spoonful)…and …
#4 “The Pied Piper” (Crispian St. Peters) #5 “They’re Coming
To Take Me Away” (Napoleon XIV…geezuz, this was a
depressing, godawful tune) #9 “Mothers Little Helper” (The
Rolling Stones) #10 “Somewhere My Love…Lara’s Theme
from ‘Dr. Zhivago’” (Ray Conniff and the Singers…didn’t
realize Ray was a trombonist/arranger for the likes of Harry
James, Vaughn Monroe and Artie Shaw)
Houston Astros Quiz Answers: 1) Harry Craft was the first
manager. 2) Hal Lanier managed the 1986 club. 3) Mike
Hampton won 22 in 1999. 4) Joe Niekro is the career leader in
wins with 144. 5) Enos Cabell had 660 at bats in 1978.
*I love this one….shortstop Sonny Jackson is the single season
club leader for singles, 160, in 1966. So you’re figuring he had
about 200 hits for the entire year, right? Wrong. Just 14 others…
6 doubles, 5 triples and 3 homers.
**And then there is pitcher Bob Bruce. His story is why some of
us love baseball stats so much. In 1964, for a Houston squad that
was 66-96, Bruce was 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA. Furthermore, he
had three 1-0 wins that year. But overall, Bob Bruce was just 49-
71 in his career, 1959-67. For that one season, though, he was
special.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
