Minnesota Twins Quiz (including years when franchise was in
Washington, going back to 1901): 1) Who was the manager,
1961-67? 2) Who won the Gold Glove at catcher three seasons?
3) Who was the 1970 Cy Young award winner? 4) Who was the
last to win 24 games in a season? [Not the same as No. 3] 5)
Who was batting champion in both 1946 and 1953? 6) Who are
the three with 250 homers in a Twins/Senators/Nationals
uniform? 7) Who is the only one to strikeout 300 batters in a
season? Answers below.
Sgt. Pepper and other Stuff
The other day, Daniel Levitin, a former record producer, noted
the following in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
“Paul McCartney may be the closest thing our generation has
produced to Franz Schubert – a master of melody, writing tunes
anyone can sing, songs that seem to have been there all along.
Most people don’t realize that ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Serenade’ were
written by Schubert. McCartney writes with similar universality.
His ‘Yesterday’ has been recorded by more musicians than any
other song in history.”
Russ Smith / Wall Street Journal
“When ‘Sgt. Pepper’ appeared, it was as if a massive block party
had appeared outside your window. I was nearly 12 years old at
the time and when one of my four older brothers came home
with the highly anticipated new Beatles record, we listened to it
over and over, marveling at the sheer audacity of songwriters
John Lennon and Paul McCartney….
“And it wasn’t just the music. The album cover itself was
breathtaking, a puzzling and colorful collage by Peter Blake that
showed the band, in gaudy mock-military costumes, presiding
over the burial of the ‘old’ Beatles, with scattered mug shots of
high and low cultural icons hovering in the background….
“The presentation was a triumph of packaging, and included for
the first time the printing of lyrics on the back cover….
“Relieved from the pressure of performing live, the Beatles were
able to record songs that were, even in a relatively primitive
studio, filled with overdubs, backward tapes loops, snippets of
orchestral crescendos, a cowbell here, a tin horn there…
“Although ‘Sgt. Pepper’ received almost unanimous raves when
it was released, a significant dissident was Richard Goldstein,
who panned the album in the June 18, 1967, New York Times.
Mr. Goldstein, roundly pilloried after the review was published,
complained the new release was ‘busy, hip and cluttered.’ He
concludes: ‘We need the Beatles, not as cloistered composers,
but as companions. And they need us.’
“As was soon evident, however, the Beatles didn’t ‘need us,’
and, in fact, didn’t need each other. The group disbanded just
three years later.”
Paul McCartney, in an interview with Newsweek, June 11, 2007
Newsweek: Do you ever look at any of these so-called biggest
bands in the world – U2 or Coldplay, or Oasis – and think, Oh,
please. You guys have no idea?
McCartney: [Laughs] Well, I think they know that themselves. I
actually don’t think I have to point it out to them. When they
started out, Oasis in particular, they said they were going to be
bigger than the Beatles. And I felt sorry for them. Because
everyone who says that, it’s a prediction that doesn’t come true.
It’s a fatal prediction. I sort of sit by and go, Good luck, son.
Newsweek: Many bands have been referred to as Beatle-esque –
do you think any of them are particularly good?
McCartney: I don’t mean to be mean, but no.
Newsweek: The competition between you and John was the
engine that drove the Beatles. Has it been hard, after the Beatles,
not having a John to compete with?
McCartney: Yeah, it always was. I’ve worked with other
collaborators. Elvis Costello, for instance, was great to work
with, and we did some great work together. But I’m sure Elvis
himself would easily acknowledge that John is a hell of an act to
follow. And now I realize that. It couldn’t have been anyone.
For years, I might have thought, Well, there may be someone.
John was pretty good and we worked well together….But you’ve
got to remember, John and I knew each other when we were
teenagers. We listened to the same records. We grew up to
those records. We wore the same clothes. We admired the same
kind of people. We had the same tastes. That informed the
whole business. John and I were like twins. To find someone
like that is pretty impossible. And hey, we were also damn good.
We just got it on. We were hot. You can’t replace someone like
John, and I don’t think he could’ve replaced someone like me.
And what songs by others does McCartney like?
“Cheek to Cheek,” the old Fred Astaire song. “Stardust.” “My
Funny Valentine.” John’s “Imagine.” George’s “Isn’t It a Pity.”
Sting’s “Fields of Gold” and Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You
Are.”
But here are some tidbits on 1967…including, perhaps, some of
the more obscure details from this era.
Jan. 15…Around 2,000 fans wave goodbye to the Walker
Brothers at London Airport as they set off on a six-week tour of
Australia and East Asia. Take-off is delayed for four hours –
when the plane’s hydraulics fail taxiing down the runway –
during which Scott Walker has to be sedated.
Jan. 15…The First Super Bowl is played. And the same day,
after much argument, the Rolling Stones sing a censored version
of their new single, ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ (changing
the chorus to ‘Let’s Spend Some Time Together’), on the Ed
Sullivan Show.
Feb. 3…On the eighth anniversary of Buddy Holly’s death,
legendary British record producer Joe Meek fatally shoots his
landlady in London before turning the gun on himself.
[An inquest later reveals that Meek thought people were listening
through the wall of his living room to steal song ideas for a rival
recording company.]
Feb. 5…The British tabloid ‘News of the World’ names Mick
Jagger, Keith Richards, and Pete Townshend among those who
took LSD at a party held by the Moody Blues. Jagger sues for
libel.
Feb. 10…Using 40 session musicians to create the track’s unique
orchestral backdrop, the Beatles record ‘A Day In The Life’ for
their forthcoming Sgt. Pepper album.
Feb. 10…The Beach Boys, ? And The Mysterians (of ‘96 Tears’
fame), The Left Banke, The Electric Prunes, and Keith (who’s
just had a hit with ‘98.6’) play at Miami’s Convention Hall.
Feb. 27…Pink Floyd records their first single, ‘Arnold Layne.’
March 1…At the Coliseum in Ottawa, 3,000 fans riot after
waiting nearly an hour for the Animals to go on stage. The stage
is damaged, a set of drums and the loudspeaker system are
trashed, windows smashed and seats ripped. The concert is
canceled without a single note being played.
[This is why I always try and post my columns on time.]
March 2…Frank Sinatra wins Grammys for Record of the Year
and Best Vocal Performance, Male, for ‘Strangers In The Night,’
and Album of the Year for ‘Sinatra: A Man And His Music.’
Lennon and McCartney’s ‘Michelle’ beats out ‘Strangers in The
Night’ for Song of the Year. In a continuing trend of Grammy
gaffes, the Anita Kerr Quartet wins Best Performance by a Vocal
Group – a category that also features the Association (Cherish),
the Beach Boys (Good Vibrations) and the Mamas & the Papas
(Monday, Monday). Those three acts will also lose out in the
Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Recording category to the New
Vaudeville Band’s ‘Winchester Cathedral.’
March 31…Jimi Hendrix – beginning his first UK tour – is taken
to hospital after setting his guitar on fire and suffering minor
burns to his hands.
April 7…Pioneering DJ Tom Donahue at San Francisco’s
KMPX-FM begins playing cuts from rock ‘n’ roll albums in a
free-form format, marking the dawn of FM rock on US airwaves.
April 7…talk about a concert…The Turtles, The Buckinghams,
Tommy James & The Shondells, The Electric Prunes, Lou
Christie, Bryan Hyland, The Royal Guardsmen, The Blues
Magoos and others play at the Memorial Coliseum in
Jacksonville.
April 12…The Greyhound Bus Company begins to run tourist
trips through San Francisco’s “Hippyland.”
April 29…Cindy Birdsong replaces the increasingly unreliable
Florence Ballard of the Supremes.
May 1…Elvis Presley purchases a wedding license for $15 at the
Clark County Courthouse, Las Vegas, and marries his girlfriend,
Priscilla Beaulieu, at the Aladdin Hotel, in room 246, before 100
invited guests.
May 1…The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson, having been arrested by
the FBI in New York, is taken to Los Angeles to face charges of
avoiding military call-up and refusing to take the Oath of
Allegiance. He is released on bail and joins his bandmates in
Dublin for the start of their British and Irish tour.
May 8…Muhammad Ali is indicted for evading the draft, with
Ali famously saying “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong.”
He’s fined and given a five-year prison sentence. He ends up
avoiding jail on appeal, but is out of boxing for three years.
June 1… “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” hit UK No. 1
and stays at the top for 23 weeks; 15 weeks in the U.S. It cost
$60,000 to produce and involved 700 hours of studio time.
June 10…Jimi Hendrix is refused admission to the Botanical
Gardens in Kew, London, because “people in fancy dress aren’t
allowed.”
And on June 16…the Monterey International Pop Festival in
California begins…opened by the Association, followed by…the
Paupers, Lou Rawls, Beverly, Johnny Rivers, Eric Burdon & the
Animals, and Simon & Garfunkel…and this was just the first day.
The event is the first of its kind and is the brainchild of Alan
Pariser, who came up with the concept after seeing the Monterey
Jazz Festival.
June 17…day two at Monterey…Canned Heat, Big Brother &
the Holding Company, Country Joe & the Fish, Al Kooper, the
Butterfield Blues Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the
Steve Miller Band, the Electric Flag, Moby Grape, exiled South
African trumpet player Hugh Masekela, the Byrds, 19-year-old
singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, Jefferson Airplane, Booker T &
the MG’s with the Mar-keys, and Otis Redding. Redding was a
last-minute replacement for the Beach Boys, who cited Carl
Wilson’s draft hassles and the need to work on the single ‘Heroes
and Villains,’ a song that was to be the centerpiece of Brian
Wilson’s “Smile” album. Wilson later said he didn’t feel
Monterey fit in with their image, but the real reason was internal
problems in the group over “Smile.”
June 18…day three at Monterey…Ravi Shankar, the Blues
Project, Big Brother & the Holding Company, the Group With
No Name, Buffalo Springfield, the Who, the Grateful Dead, the
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Scott McKenzie, who sings ‘San
Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)’, – and the
Mamas & the Papas.
[Only 20,000 bought tickets and were allowed in, though another
50,000 wanted to, which made it a more enjoyable experience
than Woodstock.]
Next chat, the second half of 1967.
[Sources: “Rock and Pop Timeline,” edited by Johnny Black;
“Rock & Roll,” Luke Crampton & Dafydd Rees.]
Arnie
With the U.S. Open being held in Arnold Palmer’s backyard this
week, Arnie having grown up in Latrobe, Pa., and the
championship being played at nearby Oakmont, it’s time for
another story on just what an awesome guy Palmer is.
Steve Politi, the outstanding sportswriter for the Star-Ledger
(Tony Soprano’s paper of choice), related the story of his best
friend, Rob Pugliese, who during a visit to Latrobe in 1987,
heard Palmer was in town. Pugliese was only 14 but his parents
were big fans so they went over to check out his office.
Steve Politi:
“It almost seems too implausible to believe today, in an era of
gated communities and security entourages, but they could make
out his unmistakable silhouette standing behind a screen door a
few yards away.
“ ‘Arnie!’ the never-shy Robert Pugliese Sr. yelled.
‘ARRRNNNIEEEE!!!!’
“This often is where the door slams shut and the megastar
retreats inside, where the kid learns that his hero is a better
athlete than a person. This time, the door opened. Palmer
walked up to the car and stuck his head into the open window.
He shook hands with everybody.
“He stood with Rob, then 14 with red-striped tube socks pulled
up to his knees, and posed for a photo that still holds a place of
prominence on a family-room end table. The family was ready
to go, but the man they came to see was just getting started.
“ ‘You want an autographed photo?’ Arnie asked.
“ ‘Uh, sure!’ Rob replied.
“ ‘Well, come on inside.’
“Pugliese idolized Arnold Palmer for the same reason nearly
everyone does. He was accessible. He was one of us….
[Palmer led the family into his house.]
“ ‘You play golf?’ the legend asked.
“ ‘Yes, sir,’ the kid replied.
“ ‘For how long?’
“ ‘A few years now.’
“ ‘Well, you keep at it. It’s a game you can play for the rest of
your life.’”
It turns out that Rob Pugliese needed heart surgery the next year.
The sophomore in high school would have a tough road ahead.
“Three days before the surgery, a telegram came from Latrobe.
The family had passed along the message to Palmer that the
young man who stood in his house a few months earlier was in
the hospital, scared and waiting.
“ ‘Dear Robby,
“ ‘I just heard today about your surgery coming up on Monday. I
wanted to send you this telegram remembering your visit to
Latrobe with your family a couple years ago. I am sure you will
come through the operation with flying colors. Certainly want to
get yourself in good shape for the golf season! Good luck.
“ ‘Will be thinking of you,
“ ‘Arnold Palmer.’”
Rob Pugliese went on to become a successful high school golf
coach, as Steve Politi reached out to Palmer the other day to tell
him of how he had transformed Rob’s life.
“It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to hear of such occasions
where I might have touched somebody’s life for the good,” Arnie
wrote back.
U.S. Open Tidbits
–It was 34 years ago that Johnny Miller, then 26, fired a 4th
round 63 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont to come from six shots
back to win the title, in what is generally agreed to be the
greatest round in major championship history. [Only three others
broke 70 that day.]
–I said on April 2 in this space that Tiger would win the Open.
It’s the Bar Chat Guarantee! Actually, from what I’ve read, he’s
driving the ball like crap and at Oakmont, or any other Open
course for that matter, that’s not good.
But, in terms of winning percentages by golfers who held or
shared the lead entering the final round of tour events and in
majors:
Tiger Woods…Wins/Leads…40 of 43…93%
Johnny Miller…14 of 19…74%
Phil Mickelson…16 of 23…70%
Arnold Palmer…36 of 53…68%
Jack Nicklaus…38 of 63…60%
Davis Love III…9 of 23…39%
Greg Norman…8 of 23…35%
Tom Lehman…3 of 14…21%
Majors only
Tiger…12 of 12…100%
Jack Nicklaus…10 of 12…83%
Gary Player…5 of 6…83%
Lee Trevino…4 of 5…80%
Phil Mickelson…3 of 4…75%
Arnold Palmer…6 of 10…60%
Tom Watson…6 of 12…50%
Tom Lehman…1 of 5…20%
Greg Norman…1 of 7…14%
–Golf Digest’s Jamie Diaz had a story on playing under
pressure. NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, himself a scratch
golfer, said golf is the toughest sport mentally. “It’s not even
close, because it’s the ultimate battle within a battle, and
especially at the end when the pressure is highest,” he says. “In
basketball, you know how you can beat the player who’s
guarding you, and you know your teammates can help you. In
golf, there are so many different kinds of shots, but no one can
help you, so it’s more tense. To me, Tiger Woods is the most
remarkable athlete I’ve ever seen. His courage under pressure is
off the charts.”
Sopranos…last word
The Star-Ledger’s Alan Sepinwall got an exclusive interview
with creator David Chase about the show’s finale, agreed to
before the season began. After the finale Sunday, Chase took his
wife out to dinner…in France, “where he fled to avoid ‘all the
Monday morning quarterbacking,’ he told Sepinwall.
“I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or
adding to what is there,” Chase said of the final scene.
“No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God,” he adds.
“We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to
blow people’s minds or thinking, ‘Wow, this’ll piss them off.’
“People get the impression that you’re trying to f— with them,
and it’s not true. You’re trying to entertain them.”
Commenting on the prospect of a movie, especially because of
the ending, Chase said “I don’t think about (a movie) much. I
never say never. An idea could pop into my head where I would
go, ‘Wow, that would make a great movie,’ but I doubt it.”
“I’m not being coy,” he adds. “If something appeared that really
made a good ‘Sopranos’ movie and you could invest in it and
everybody else wanted to do it, I would do it. But I think we’ve
kind of said it and done it.”
Chase said he’s toyed with the idea of “going back to a day in
2006 that you didn’t see, but then (Tony’s children) would be
older than they were then and you would know that Tony doesn’t
get killed. It’s got problems.”
More likely, if Chase ever does a movie or another series, he’d
go back to Newark, circa 1960.
Alan Sepinwall, who did yeoman work during the series for his
readers, has two theories on the ending.
Theory No. 1 (and the one he prefers): “Chase is using the final
scene to place the viewer into Tony’s mind-set. This is how he
sees the world: Every open door, every person walking past him
could be coming to kill him or arrest him or otherwise harm him
or his family. This is his life, even though the paranoia’s rarely
justified. We end without knowing what Tony’s looking at
because he never knows what’s coming next.”
Theory No. 2: “In the scene on the boat in ‘Soprano Home
Movies,’ repeated again last week, Bobby Bacala suggested that
when you get killed, you don’t see it coming. Certainly, our man
in the Members Only jacket could have gone to the men’s room
to prepare for killing Tony (shades of the first ‘Godfather’), and
the picture and sound cut out because Tony’s life just did. (Or
because we viewers got whacked from our life with the show).”
I have my own theory. I watched the last 20 minutes a second
time on Monday night and, first, the man in the ice cream parlor
with the cap, that everyone said the next morning was so sinister,
isn’t. He never looked anywhere near where Tony and his
family were, so the guy wasn’t central to the ending, just a
character like so many others Chase threw in.
As for the Members Only jacket guy, he did not, in my opinion,
look at all like a hired killer. Tony tells Carmela after she sat
down that, yes, indeed, Carlo was testifying. In other words, an
indictment was certain. I saw Jacket Man as just another Fed.
He wasn’t going into the bathroom to get a gun that was
planted there. Of course my brother and many of you say
otherwise…that instead the guy was coming out blazing. I just
maintain we all knew from the final installment that Tony was
going to be put away, and there’s nothing wrong with that
ending. It certainly leaves a lot of options open as well.
But, Matt Servitto, who played FBI Special Agent Harris, told
the New York Post that “Chase briefly kept the camera rolling
after what amounted to Tony’s final moments on screen – and
that the extra footage appeared to clearly spell the end for the
supreme Soprano,” as reporters Michael Starr and Murray Weiss
write.
Servitto:
“[Tony’s daughter] Meadow got into the diner, sat down….The
menacing ‘Members Only’ jacket-wearing man at the counter
was a little bit more in play, and I think she’s sitting there with
the family kind of all together…and all of a sudden, the
menacing man gets up, starts walking toward their booth. End of
show.
“The scene cut as the [menacing] guy was advancing toward
[Tony], as if he was about to shoot Tony. It was, I think, less
ambiguous that Tony was going to get shot.”
Mr. Chairman, I’d like to revise and extend my remarks.
As for one of the other elements, the selection of Journey’s
‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ as the song on the jukebox, David Chase
told Sepinwall:
“It didn’t take much time at all to pick it, but there was a lot of
conversation after the fact. I did something I’d never done
before: In the location van, with the crew, I was saying, ‘What do
you think?’ When I said, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,’ people went,
‘What? Oh my God!’
“I said, ‘I know, I know, just give a listen,’ and little by little,
people started coming around.”
David Bauder of the AP wrote that the songwriters were
“jumping up and down” when they learned a few weeks ago it
had been licensed for use in the final episode.
“It was better than anything I would have ever hoped for,” said
Jonathan Cain, Journey keyboard player, who watched at home
with his wife and family.”
But Cain, who wrote the song with Steve Perry and Neal Schon,
told Bauder he didn’t know how it would be used when they
agreed to the licensing. “Cain kept the fact that it was going to
be in at all a secret, then watched the episode with his family.”
“ ‘I didn’t want to blow it,’ he told the AP. ‘Even my wife didn’t
know. She looked at me and said, ‘You knew that and you didn’t
tell me?’”
I just love that story. What an unbelievable trip for them. Good
for Journey!
Stuff
–Six years ago Wendy Martin of Britain was trampled and
severely gored by an elephant at a safari resort in Kenya. Martin
sued, saying the resort didn’t properly warn guests about running
in the bush and on Monday, a court ruled that Ms. Martin was
right.
Now this is incredibly stupid. Martin was with friends when they
decided to go for a 3-mile run. Owners of the lodge claimed they
properly warned against such an activity.
Anyway, halfway through the run, “as they turned for home, an
elephant charged from the undergrowth. Ms. Martin, then aged
39, tripped as she tried to flee. She was gored repeatedly by the
elephant, which ended the attack by kneeling on her crumpled
body, crushing her pelvis.” [Kind of like a WWF move.]
“ ‘I thought I was going to die and I was very lucky I didn’t.’
She needed 13 operations but still suffers constant pain in her
legs seven years later.” [Rob Crilly / London Times]
According to the judge in the case, however, the lodge had
advertised runs with Masai warriors as an attraction and therefore
should have taken adequate measures to protect the guests.
Right…like I’m about to go for a jog with some Masai.
–Mark R. told me that coyotes have invaded his Philly-area town
of West Chester. One woman lost her Chihuahua…with body
parts strewn about.
–So I’m watching the Mets-Tigers series over the weekend and
thinking, Whassup with the freakin’ seagulls?! They were all
over the damn place. If you were a free agent, forget the fact
Detroit isn’t exactly L.A. or New York; why would you want to
play your home games with seagulls dive-bombing you?
So Gerald M. passed along a piece from the Detroit News and
reporter Tom Gage correctly said the gulls gave Comerica Park
“the look of a landfill.”
Well everyone agreed that while seagulls have been spotted in
the stadium before, it was never as bad as this. What was the
reason? Moths. Seagulls love moths, and the moths were also
all over the place.
Turns out the moths had just hatched and were attracted by the
lights at Friday night’s game. The gulls then came; first one,
then another, and soon word got out among the gull community.
Gerald has the best idea as to how to get rid of the birds. Bring
in a Bengal tiger from the Detroit Zoo.
–Phil W. passed along the tragic tale of a black bear in the
Thomasville, N.C., area that went by the name of “Boo Boo.”
Boo Boo was wandering about, minding its own business and
looking for some ripe garbage, when police believed it got too
close to a neighborhood with children. So the officers, who
don’t own a tranquilizer gun, shot and killed the bruin. One
hopes Boo Boo’s family sues Davidson County for excessive use
of force.
–Goodness gracious! “Leaping Sturgeon Knocks Woman
Unconscious”!
Brad K. passed along this incredible AP story from Rock Bluff,
Fla.
“A woman was injured over the weekend by a leaping sturgeon,
the latest incident involving the flying fish on the Suwannee
River, officials said.
“Tara Spears, 32, of Bell, was knocked unconscious by the
animal on Sunday while boating on the river….She was taken to
a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to
recover.”
Now remember, sports fans, the sturgeon can grow up to 8 feet
long and weigh in at 200 pounds.
Just last April, “a leaping sturgeon injured a 50-year-old woman
from St. Petersburg who was riding a personal watercraft on the
Suwannee River. She suffered a ruptured spleen and had three
fingers reattached by surgeons, but she lost her left pinkie finger
and a tooth.”
Riding a personal watercraft? In the Suwannee, with prehistoric
fish? Was this woman nuts? I mean that’s like taking a jet-ski
out onto Loch Ness right after the recent discovery that Nessie
might still be alive! It’s as dumb as the woman noted above who
decided to jog in the freakin’ African bush, for crying out loud.
And this in the midst of what is clearly a worldwide animal
offensive.
–And this just in… “Australian man attacked with swordfish”!
From the South China Morning Post, “Two assailants broke into
a man’s trailer and attacked him with a swordfish snout in
eastern Australia early on Wednesday, leaving the victim with
cuts to his arms, back and hands, police said. The victim, who
was not identified, claimed the two suspects assaulted him with
the serrated, sword-like bill during a home invasion. It was not
clear where the alleged attackers found the swordfish snout.”
I’ve gotta tell you. I have a miniature Toronto Blue Jays baseball
bat next to my front door for all the crazed readers I have to deal
with [it’s really a terrific weapon….everyone should have one],
but now I’m thinking I may have to get a swordfish snout,
especially for my morning walk through the alley to my office.
–Uh oh…a second whale shark died at the Georgia Aquarium.
Clearly, this place is about to be tagged as another Guantanamo,
unless officials get their act together. As it is, the damage is
probably already done and no doubt word is out. Watch for a
massive shark assault, in retaliation, up and down the entire
southeast coast over the coming weeks.
–The auction house that had talked about paying $1 million for
Barry Bonds’ record-setting baseball has agreed to rescind the
offer after security officials at AT&T Park expressed concern a
few thousand fans might be trampled to death in pursuit of the
ball. [OK, slight exaggeration.]
Of course what if Bonds hits it in McCovey’s Cove? You just
know the killer whales are making their way to the Bay Area for
the big event, assuming Bonds does it at home. I’m thinking,
like 14 guys dive into the water from their kayaks, never to be
seen again!
–The former U.S. Attorney who headed up the BALCO
investigation, Kevin Ryan, said the latest grand jury is finally
wrapping things up and we should know shortly whether or not
Barry Bonds is getting indicted. At this point I’ve lost all hope
he will be.
–Allen Barra has a piece in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal
reminding us all of another depressing development down the
road…that being the fact Alex Rodriguez could end up with like
900 homers in his career before he’s finished. He’s 154 home
runs ahead of Bonds’ pace at this stage in his career, after all.
I’ll have to commit hari-kari before then.
–My Mets continue to suck……big time. It’s gotten so bad, I’m
gorging myself nightly on Edy’s Slow-Churned Ice Cream…the
cookie dough variety.
–According to John Daly’s wife, Sherrie, it was John who
assaulted her; not the other way around. Sherrie said John was
drinking heavily on Thursday, the night before he called police,
and “spun out of control,” verbally assaulting a security guard at
their home, before sexually assaulting her. Sherrie goes on to
claim Daly scratched his own face to make it appear Sherrie was
the culprit. The PGA Tour will be stepping into this one, that’s
for sure.
–We note the passing of Don Herbert, “Mr. Wizard” of
television fame, at the age of 89. Bob and Ray had a lot of fun
with this guy.
–Update: Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith’s passenger died
from his head injuries suffered in an accident on Saturday.
Smith, who wasn’t seriously hurt himself, even though both were
thrown out of the car because they weren’t wearing seatbelts,
faces a number of charges, after already being nailed for failure
to stop at a stop sign and improper passing. It turns out Smith’s
license in New Jersey had been revoked five times and that
within a one-year period, 2005-06, he had wracked up six
speeding and/or reckless driving arrests; though he had paid all
the fines and his record was cleaned up by the time of this latest
incident.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are also dealing with forward DerMarr
Johnson, who was charged with resisting arrest and interfering
with police during a disturbance at a Denver nightclub the other
night. Police used a taser on DerMarr. ZAPPPP!
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/16/73: #1 “My Love” (Paul
McCartney & Wings) #2 “Playground In My Mind” (Clint
Holmes…lives right here, same town as the world headquarters
of StocksandNews) #3 “Pillow Talk” (Sylvia…ooh baby…
ahhhh….ahhhh….yi yi yi yaaaaaaaaa)…and…#4 “I’m Gonna
Love You Just A Little More Baby” (Barry White…we miss
him) #5 “Daniel” (Elton John) #6 “Frankenstein” (The Edgar
Winter Group) #7 “Will It Go Round In Circles” (Billy Preston)
#8 “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” (George
Harrison) #9 “Kodachrome” (Paul Simon) #10 “Tie A Yellow
Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” (Dawn featuring Tony
Orlando)
Minnesota Twins Quiz Answers: 1) Sam Mele managed from
1961-67, including the ’65 Series loss to Los Angeles. 2) Earl
Battey was a three-time Gold Glove winner at catcher, 1960-62.
From ’60-’65, Battey was one of the better hitting catchers as
well, never batting under .270 and with power. 3) Jim Perry was
the Cy Young award winner in 1970 with a 24-12 mark. 4)
Frank Viola won 24 in 1988. [He also won the Cy Young that
year.] 5) Mickey Vernon was batting champ in 1946 and 1953.
But what a strange career for a guy who accumulated 2495 hits.
He hit .353 in ’46, but then batted .265 in ’47 and .242 in ’48,
and ended up with a .286 career average, which I believe is still
the lowest for a two-time champion. 6) 250 home runs: Harmon
Killebrew, 559; Kent Hrbek, 293; Bob Allison, 256. 7) The only
pitcher to fan 300 in a season did it twice…Walter Johnson…313
in 1910 and 303 in 1912. Yeah, kind of a trick question, but
you’ll have to live with it…just like “The Sopranos” ending…
‘cause whaddya gonna do?
Next Bar Chat, Monday p.m.
