Christmas 2009

**Next Bar Chat, Wed. Dec. 30**

NFL Quiz: 1) A ton of players have had four interceptions in a single game. Name these two. Initials D.A. [think 1973] and D.C. [think 1985] 2) Three players have returned four interceptions for a TD in one season, including Eric Allen of Philadelphia in 1993. Name the other two, circa 1970s…initials K.H. and J.K. 3) Who holds the record for most punt returns returned for a TD, career, with 10? Answers below. 

Holidays or no holidays. Army Times had the story of Staff. Sgt. Matthew Kinney who recently received a Silver Star for saving the lives of eight critically wounded U.S. and Afghan soldiers, along with an entire medevac crew, in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. 

The action took place on Oct. 16, 2008, when Kinney’s medevac flight arrived to discover six urgent casualties crammed into a small mud and rock building with the remaining members of the squad. 

“Kinney ordered the unhurt soldiers outside to provide security while he and the other flight medic provided care for the most critically wounded soldier. As the helicopter hovered overhead, Kinney prepared to hoist the first patient. But before he could send up the first casualty, the mud building and the medevac flight came under heavy machine-gun fire. 

“With rounds whipping past his head and kicking up the dirt around his feet he simultaneously loaded more casualties onto the flight and tried to locate the direction of the ambush. He discovered that the fire was coming from a ridgeline directly north of him, opposite from where an Apache helicopter was providing cover. He radioed the Apache and directed it to the right location. The Apache’s rockets and 30mm guns silenced the machine gun that had pinned the squad down. 

“During that time, the medevac had taken two direct hits, and if Kinney had not redirected the Apache, the medevac would have almost certainly been shot down, according to the citation. 

“Kinney was still taking sniper and small-arms fire while he continued to prepare the hoist. He discovered that several of the needed ropes were missing, but he had brought a spare rope, so he rigged makeshift lines. As he did so, the squad took another critical casualty. Kinney ran over, provided first aid and put the man among the wounded soldiers waiting to be evacuated. 

“After all the urgent casualties had been loaded, Kinney boarded the cramped flight and treated the wounded. During the flight, he stopped their bleeding, started IVs and administered pain killers. He also treated partial amputations, femoral bleeding and multiple gunshot and shrapnel wounds.” 

55 Years Ago…time to get out your copy of “Patton” 

On Dec. 19, 1944, 101st Airborne Division paratroopers rode to Reims, France, on a mission to thwart the Germans’ advance toward the strategically important crossroads town of Bastogne, Belgium. 

The spot became the site of the largest land battle in Army history, according to Army records. 

In the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest, the 101st Airborne Division and elements of the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions met on Dec. 19 to defend Bastogne and foil the Germans’ offensive, which was aimed at dividing the Allies. 

The Germans’ 5th Panzer Army laid siege to the town, but defenses at Bastogne held out until Gen. George S. Patton’s 3rd Army relieved the forces on Dec. 26. 

Hitler’s last big push in the west began to falter as Germans ran short of fuel for their vehicles, and Allied fuel dumps they intended to capture were destroyed by the Americans as they moved on. 

The Germans suffered setbacks in the air, as well as on the ground. A raid on airfields in France and the low countries left both sides with losses, but the Germans could not recover from the loss of aircraft as well as the Allies could. 

By Jan. 25, the Germans had been pushed back and the battle was acknowledged to be over. Hitler’s Germany had taken a blow from which it would not recover. 

Casualties during the battle among the Americans, British and Germans totaled more than 181,000. 

Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, acting as temporary commander of the 101st, became known for his legendary response to the Germans’ demand he surrender, reported to be just one word: ‘Nuts.’ 

In the area now, monuments mark the site of the siege of Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge. 

Then again, New England, 9-5, and Cincinnati, 9-5, haven’t officially clinched their divisions. And the Jets still have a legitimate shot, assuming they upset Indy. Don’t worry about all the permutations this weekend for your favorite team. Just hope they win and worry about the last week later, especially if Baltimore and Denver were to lose. 

And what’s this? The Giants are still in it for the wildcard following “The Massacre at FedEx Field” on Monday night. 

[Giants hold tiebreaker over Cowboys by virtue of their two wins over them.] 

–None other than the great Jim Brown said Eric Mangini deserves another year in Cleveland. Brown’s opinion does carry some weight since he’s an advisor to team owner Randy Lerner. The Browns have won their last two to hike their record to a stupendous 3-11. But now Mike Holmgren waits in the wings as he agreed to become president.  Holmgren says he doesn’t want to be coach since he’s been given total control of the operation, otherwise, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be on the sidelines come next fall. Regardless, he’ll make a decision on whether or not to retain Mangini shortly. 

–In Dreg Watch, the five worst teams in the NFL have a combined record of 11-59 (1-13, 2-12, 2-12, 3-11, 3-11), while the five best have a record of 59-11 (14-0, 13-1, 11-3, 11-3, 10-4). Ergo, the difference in winning percentage between the two is .685, as large as it’s ever been since the NFL merger in 1970. It goes without saying that the lack of parity is impacting attendance negatively as well. 

–Back to the Jets, Johnny Mac tells me that from Oct. 18 thru Nov. 22, they lost as many games as the Div. III powerhouse Mount Union Purple Raiders did this entire decade. 

And then there is rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, a k a The Sanchise, who has a rating of 62.3 to go along with 20 interceptions. In fact, 17 of the 20 picks were in the Jets’ 7 losses. To wit. 

L 24-10…New Orleans…3 INTs…game far closer than score indicates. ‘D’ was outstanding
L 31-27…Miami…0 INTs…Sanchez played well enough
L 16-13 OT…Buffalo…5 INTs….all about Sanchez
L 30-25…Miami…0 INTs…Sanchez again played OK
L 24-22…Jacksonville…2 INTs
L 31-14…New England…4 INTs…only one of 7 losses where Jets weren’t in it until the end
L 10-7…Atlanta…3 INTs…on Sanchez as well as FG kicking team 

In the Jets’ 7 wins, Sanchez played in 6 of them with just 3 INTs. Kellen Clemens started the 7th and didn’t throw one. And that, sports fans, is why football fanatics talk until they’re blue in the face about not turning the pigskin over. 

–If you thought the state of field goal kicking was not good this year, you’re right. As Judy Battista writes in the New York Times, the success rate this year, 80.5%, is the lowest since 2003. Ironically, last year’s 84.5% was the best in NFL history. This may not seem like much, but that’s still a lot of critical muffs, see last week’s Jets game. For example, from 30 to 39 yards, the success rate is 82.7%, down from 89.1%. 

But now it’s almost playoff time when anything can happen. I always think back to 1998 and Vikings kicker Gary Anderson, who was a perfect 35 of 35 in the regular season, but then with a chance to ice a playoff game against Atlanta, missed a 38-yarder, Atlanta scored to send the game into OT, and then won on a 38-yarder by their own Andersen (sic), Morten. 

–New Jersey Devils’ goalie Martin Brodeur is now all by himself with 104 career shutouts, breaking a tie he had with the late Terry Sawchuk. 

–And Kentucky on Monday became the first NCAA team to reach 2,000 wins in men’s college basketball in defeating Drexel. [It’s pretty incredible that North Carolina is close behind at 1,993, while Kansas has 1,981, thru Tuesday’s play.] 

The first win? 11-10 over the Lexington YMCA on Feb. 18, 1903. Wonder what the shooting percentages were in that one. 

—AP Men’s College Basketball Poll 

–Wow…big upset in the Holiday Festival tourney at Madison Square Garden as Cornell defeated what was supposed to be an improved St. John’s squad, 71-66. Cornell! But how big of an upset is it really? After all, Cornell, the Big Red, opened up this season with road wins at Alabama and UMass. 

–Update on the Bob Knight comment concerning “integrity” in college basketball and how it’s “really lacking,” a none too veiled reference at Kentucky coach John Calipari. CBS analyst Seth Davis said that Knight needs to be careful because Calipari’s two prior programs, UMass and Memphis, while being sanctioned, did not get probation (at least not yet in the case of the latter) and Calipari himself was not implicated. 

But then Davis, referring to Knight’s own past, said, “I’d like to see him own up to some of the things he did over the course of his career.” As Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY wrote, “This could get interesting.” Coaches never attacked fellow coaches, and analysts didn’t attack their own either. Both are now off the board. 

–The Chicago Bulls had a 79-44 lead over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night with about 9 minutes left in the third. Sacramento won 102-98. The fact it was in Chicago made it even worse. The Bulls were duly booed off the court. 

–The next night the Bulls came to New York to play the Knicks and almost came back from 22 points down themselves before succumbing. As for the Knickerbockers, following a 1-9 start, they’re 11-17!!! I hate to admit this, but I actually watched virtually all of the Bulls game. In fact last year I don’t think I watched a single entire Knick contest. But they are slowly, ever so slowly, recapturing fan interest as we all also await next year’s free agent signings. 

–Interesting bit in the Wall Street Journal concerning a study by Dave Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University. Examining the record of every NBA player from 1977-2008, Berri found that “the statistical output of the average 24-year-old is equal in value to six wins per season for his team if he plays 35 minutes a night. From then on, the average player keeps getting worse each year until age 35, at which point he begins costing his team wins. Of course, not everyone fits the mold. Kobe Bryant, 31, peaked at 24…but he’s still nearly as productive this season.” 

As reporter David Biderman adds, however, LeBron James, who turns 25 next Wednesday, fits the statistical model perfectly. “Last season, he played two-thirds of his games at 24 years old and he produced a career-best 27.7 wins. He’s still great this year, but his production now equals a slightly more human 24.2 wins. The downfall has begun.” 

–American Lindsey Vonn is back on top of the overall World Cup ski standings with the Vancouver Olympics beginning Feb. 12. But the American men are struggling, as far as I can tell, with Bode Miller sucking wind after a decent start to the season. C’mon, Lindsey!!! 

–Uh oh…the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight could be in jeopardy because Mayweather is insisting both fighters submit to Olympic-type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout. Pacquiao doesn’t like to do this because he’s superstitious. Seriously. 

–Notes from a Los Angeles County coroner investigator reveal that actress Brittany Murphy was suffering from abdominal pain and shortness of breath for 7-10 days before succumbing. “Large amounts” of prescription medications were also found on her nightstand, as well as “numerous empty” bottles, according to TMZ. Separately, her husband Simon Monjack, who was at home the day she collapsed, as was her mother who first found her, is being blasted in the tabloid media because he has always been a dirtball and was apparently a terrible influence on Brittany. 

–On a lighter note, for fans of “Entourage” it would appear the romance between Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Jerry Ferrara (“Turtle”) is over. They had crossed from the show to real life starting 14 months ago but are now going their separate ways.   The editor is a big Jamie-Lynn fan. She just seems very cool. 

—Connie Hines died. She was 79. Connie played Carol Post, whose husband Wilbur was the only one who could talk with Mister Ed in the 1960s television show. Connie’s whole role was reacting to the interplay between Wilbur, played by Alan Young (who is still alive) and Ed. Oh, the stories Ed could tell, only to Wilbur. 

–For Christmas, the Yankees just obtained 15-game winner Javier Vazquez. The Mets, not to be outdone, have signed a 35-year-old knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey, who has a career ERA of 5.43 and has given up 69 homers in 442 innings, including a record-tying six in one game. Mets fans are marching to the Whitestone Bridge near CitiField to launch themselves off it at a startling rate. [If you are driving in the area, you may want to take this into consideration and watch out for traffic jams.] 

–Golf Digest is suspending Tiger from his monthly instructional duties in the publication, though it’s not reported to be permanent. He has a $3 million a year contract with them! [Seriously, I would have guessed much lower.] 

–Well, after extensive thought, I still have to go with Rachel Uchitel when looking at the entire Tiger harem. 

–Tennis legend Boris Becker says he sympathizes with Tiger. “I experienced basically the same thing,” he said in an interview for Bild. But, “I was shocked by the dimensions, the frequency,” he said. “All the things he would have had to cover up, just logistically – how did he manage to do it? He must constantly be changing phones to cover up his tracks.” 

–The other day an old friend of mine, who played extensively on the satellite golf tours until recently, commented that “he saw some crazy stuff during my years, so (when it comes to Tiger) I’m not too surprised. I believe that there are very few professional golfers that cherish their marriages and home lives. I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that golfers in general are selfish. You have to be, to a certain degree, to achieve success because of the commitment required by the sport.” Not that this excuses Tiger in any shape or form, my friend hastens to add. 

–Mark R. had a brilliant idea. Sell Elin wigs and glasses at PGA Tour events where Tiger is participating. Could be a bit upsetting to the lad on the greens. 

—Mike Fisher is a solid, if unspectacular, player for the Ottawa Senators of the NHL, but somehow he reeled in Carrie Underwood! Goodness gracious. Guys, you’ve gotta respect that. 

–From China, “A man who shot dead a rare tiger in Yunnan was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined (about $80,000), state media reported on Tuesday. 

“According to a court in the province, Kang Wannian (ed. don’t know him) and another man shot the creature in a nature reserve in February, Xinhua news agency said. 

“When the two men realized they had killed an Indochinese Tiger, which is on the mainland’s list of endangered species, they got scared and ran away, leaving the corpse behind, the report said. 

“The second man, Gao Zuqiao (ed. don’t know him either), later returned to the animal’s body with six other people, skinned and dismembered the tiger, and brought the bones and flesh home to eat.” 

Gao received four years in prison. Only about 1,000 Indochinese tigers remain in the wild. 

–Caitlin Moran of the London Times had a glowing review of Paul McCartney’s shows in London at the O2 this week. She concludes with: 

“There are few on this Earth who can write a more impressive set-list without recourse to cover versions. And, let’s face it, there are few who will again. As he ages, you have to think: unlike Christmas, Sir Paul isn’t going to be around in 2,000 years. You need to make pilgrimage while you can.” 

Top 3 songs for the week 12/27/69: #1 “Someday We’ll Be Together” (Diana Ross & The Supremes) #2 “Leaving On A Jet Plane” (Peter, Paul and Mary) #3 “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” (B.J. Thomas)…and…#4 “Down On The Corner” (Creedence Clearwater Revival) #5 “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” (Steam)  #6 “Holly Holy” (Neil Diamond) #7 “Come Together” (The Beatles) #8 “I Want You Back” (The Jackson 5) #9 “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin) #10 “Take A Letter Maria” (R.B. Greaves) 

NFL Quiz Answers: 1) Dick Anderson, Miami, 1973, and Deron Cherry, Kansas City, 1985, are two of the players who’ve intercepted 4 passes in a game. 2) Ken Houston, Houston, 1971, and Jim Kearney, Kansas City, 1972, are two of the three to have returned 4 interceptions for TDs in a single season. 3) Eric Metcalf returned a record 10 punts for TDs for various teams, 1989-2002. 

Dick Anderson had 34 INTs in his career, Deron Cherry 50, Ken Houston 49 (9 for TDs), and Jim Kearney 23. 

By the way, staying on the topic of interceptions, Tommy Morrow, who played with Oakland from 1962-64, holds the record with a pick in 8 straight games. For his brief career he had 23 in 42 contests. 

And I forgot what a good d-back coaching great Tom Landry was with the Giants. Landry had 8 interceptions in each of 1951, 52, and 54…31 in 70 games for his career. 

But Landry also threw 47 passes, completing just 11 and with 7 interceptions. Good gawd, that sucks. [He also punted some for a 40.4 average.] 

Meanwhile, another who once picked off 4 passes in a single game was the great Sammy Baugh. The following is from a piece Johnny Mac did for me about 8 years ago. 

Born in Texas in 1914, Sammy, at 6’2” and 180 lbs., was the epitome of a long, tall Texan. A three-sport star in high school, he was a hot commodity for the local colleges. The University of Texas recruited him for football, but Sammy wanted to play baseball and basketball as well. Tiny TCU and their head baseball coach, Dutch Meyer, won out over the more prestigious UT by allowing Baugh to indulge his multi-sport wishes. Meyer soon became head football coach as well.

Baugh blossomed into a star under Meyer. As a junior, he helped TCU to a 10-1 record and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. He was the starting tailback, but also played defensive back and punted. In the wing formation, popular at the time, running backs often threw the ball and Baugh developed into an outstanding passer. The Sugar Bowl was played in a quagmire that year, making the passing game nonexistent. Thus, field position was the order of the day, and Baugh was called on to punt 14 times, compiling a 48-yard average. He also intercepted 2 passes and had a 45-yard run to lead the Horned Frogs to a hard fought 3-2 victory.

Sammy continued to progress in his senior campaign, completing 109 of 219 passes for 1,890 yards and leading TCU to the first ever Cotton Bowl. They beat a good Marquette team 16-6 with Baugh being named a Co-MVP of the game. The following summer he quarterbacked the college all-stars to an improbable 7-0 win over NFL champion Green Bay.

Sammy’s baseball exploits in college were good enough for the Cardinals to sign him to a minor league contract. But a few months bouncing around in busses persuaded Baugh to give pro football a shot. The Redskins had just moved to Washington from Boston and looked to Baugh to be a marquee player for them. He was signed to a one-year $8,000 contract, making him the highest paid player on the team. With barely a week of practice under his belt, he replaced an injured Cliff Battles in the opener of the 1937 season. Baugh completed 11 of 16 that day for 116 yards as the Skins beat the Giants

13-3. He continued as a starter, eventually leading Washington to the NFL title game against the Chicago Bears. That game may have changed the face of pro football. Running and defense had been the order of the day and the Bears, known as the “Monsters of the Midway,” were the acknowledged leaders of that brand of play. Baugh lit ‘em up with the forward pass, throwing touchdowns of 55, 78 and 33 yards en route to a 28-21 victory. He also played every offensive and defensive play for the entire game.

The Redskins remained a force in the NFL, meeting the Bears three times between 1940 and 1943 for the championship. The 1940 game was the most lopsided loss in title game history, with the Bears crushing Washington 73-0. Baugh had driven the team downfield early in the game, only to have a sure touchdown dropped in the end zone. Asked later what difference that catch might have made he drawled, “I suppose we would have lost 73-7.”

Sammy got a measure of revenge in 1942, leading the Redskins to a 14-6 victory. The Bears were awesome that year, having gone 11-0 in the regular season while outscoring the opposition 376-84. But Baugh threw for a TD and pinned the Bears deep in their own end all day with some great punting, including a quick kick for 85 yards.

Then, in 1943, Sammy had perhaps the finest all-around year in football history. He became the first and only player to lead the league in passing, punting, and interceptions. Remember, I mean picking passes off, not throwing them. He once threw 4 TDs and intercepted 4, all in one game, a 42-20 pasting of Detroit. Again, it was Chicago who awaited the Skins in the title contest. Baugh, on defense, tackled quarterback Sid Luckman early in the game and suffered a concussion. Unfortunately, Sammy did not return and the Skins lost 41-21.

Remember, Baugh accomplished all this in the old double-wing formation, not overly conducive to a passing attack. Before the 1945 season, Washington finally switched to a T-formation and he responded with a great year, completing an astonishing 70.33% of his passes, easily a record. [It wasn’t until 1982 that this mark was broken when the Bengals’ Kenny Anderson completed 70.55%.] That same season, Sammy led the Redskins to the title game, a 15-14 loss to the Rams in sub-zero weather.

Washington rarely challenged from then on, but Baugh continued his assault on the record book. On Sammy Baugh Day in 1947, he lit up the Cardinals for 365 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Skins routed the eventual champs, 45-21. In 1948 he set a Redskins record by throwing for 446 yards in one game.

Before retiring in 1952, Baugh would lead the league in passing seven times. His career punting average of 45.1 yards held up until recently (Shane Lechler is at 46.78, Donnie Jones 45.23 entering this season), and Baugh’s single season best of 51.4 still stands as the NFL standard. Plus his 31 interceptions leave him behind only Darrell Green and Brigg Owens in Washington history at last check.

But, as is the case with so many greats, Sammy’s post playing days were not as successful. He took a head coaching job with Hardin-Simmons University in 1955, limping to a 23-28 five-year record. That didn’t prevent the fledgling AFL from tapping him as the first head coach for the then New York Titans, now the Jets. Two seasons of

7-7 followed, which actually puts him pretty high on the list of career winning percentage for Jets head coaches. That says much more about the Jets ineptitude than it says about Baugh’s coaching abilities. A final stint at Houston in 1964 (4-10) ended his coaching career.

Sammy was among the 17 charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he’s also in the College Football Hall. He died on Dec. 17, 2008, at the age of 94. 

[Sources: “Slinging Sammy: The Man Who Would be King,” Alicia Seymour; Game Day Magazine; Sports Biographies / Hickoksports.com; ESPN Classic.] 

And now our annual Christmas special….I’ve added a few new ones.

Apollo 8

Growing up, one of the more dramatic memories as a kid was staying up Christmas Eve 1968 to follow the remarkable voyage of Apollo 8.  

If ever a nation needed a pick me up, it was America in ’68, after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, with the ongoing war in Vietnam and the dramatic Tet Offensive, and after LBJ’s sudden withdrawal from the presidential race, the turbulent Democratic Convention, and the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Yes, we were ready for a little space adventure.

Apollo 8 would be the first manned mission to orbit the moon. Commanded by Frank Borman, with James Lovell, Jr. and William Anders, it was launched on December 21 and on Christmas Eve the three began their orbit. What made it all even more dramatic was the first go round to the dark side of the moon, when all communication was lost until they reemerged at the other side. It was the middle of the night for us viewers, at least in the Eastern time zone, and I remember that Apollo was sending back spectacular photos of Earth.

Borman described the moon as “a vast, lonely and forbidding sight,” and Lovell called Earth, “a grand oasis in the big vastness of space.” The crew members then took turns reading from the Book of Genesis / Creation:

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light;” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

James Lovell would later say, “Please be informed, there is a Santa Claus.” And Borman concluded with, “Merry Christmas. God bless all of you, all of you on the Good Earth.” 

The story of Phil Spector’s “A Christmas Gift for You,” as told by Ronnie Spector in her book “Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness…or…My Life as a Fabulous Ronette”. 

“One record that did feature all three Ronettes – and just about everyone else who worked for Phil – was Phil’s Christmas album, A Christmas Gift for You. Phil is Jewish, but for some reason he always loved Christmas. Every year he would spend weeks designing his own special Christmas card, which he would send to everyone in the business. In 1963 he took that idea one step further and recorded an entire album of Christmas music, with contributions from all the acts on his Philles label. All of the groups got to do three or four songs each. The Ronettes did ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,’ ‘Sleigh Ride,’ and ‘Frosty the Snowman.’ 

“We worked on that one forever. Phil started recording it in the summer, and he didn’t leave the studio for about two months. We’d start recording early in the evening, and we’d work until late into the night, sometimes even into the next morning. And everybody sang on everyone else’s songs, so all of Phil’s acts really were like one big, happy family for that one album. 

“While he was recording it, Phil told everyone that this Christmas album was going to be the masterpiece of his career. And he meant it. We all knew how important this project was to Phil when he walked into the studio on the last day of recording and announced that he was going to add a vocal himself. The final song on the record is a spoken message from Phil, where he thanks all the kids for buying his records and then wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, while we all sing a chorus of ‘Silent Night’ in the background. A lot of people thought the song was corny. But if you knew Phil like I did, it was very touching. 

“But then I always did have a soft spot for Phil’s voice. There was something about his phrasing and diction that drove me crazy. It was so cool, so calm, so serene. Phil wasn’t a singer, but when he spoke he put me in a romantic mood like no singer could. He was the only guy I ever met who could talk me into an orgasm. [Ed. oops…how did that get in there?] 

“Of course, he wasn’t doing that back then. Not yet, anyway. Phil and I were still just sweethearts in those days. We spent lots of time together, and we were very romantic, but we still hadn’t slept together. Maybe that’s why we were so romantic. 

“A Christmas Gift for You finally came out in November of 1963. But in spite of all the work we put into it, the album was one of Phil’s biggest flops. It was reissued as The Phil Spector Christmas Album in the early seventies, and nowadays people talk about it like it’s one of the greatest albums in rock and roll history. But nobody bought it when it first came out. 

“President Kennedy had been shot a few days before it was released, and after that people were too depressed to even look at a rock and roll record. And they stayed that way until well into the New Year of 1964, when – thank God – four long-haired English guys finally got them to go back into the record stores.”

—–

The Gospel According to Luke

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

—–

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

A famous letter from Virginia O’Hanlon to the editorial board of the New York Sun, first printed in 1897:

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor –

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon

—

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

—–

A Visit from St. Nicholas

By Clement C. Moore [Well, he really stole it, but that’s a story
for another day. This is the original version.]

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap;
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof –
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes – how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

—

World War I – Christmas Truce

By December 1914, the war had been picking up in intensity for five months. Ironically, the feeling during the initial phases was that everyone would be home by Christmas, though little did they know it would be Christmas 1918.

On Christmas Eve 1914, along the British and German lines, particularly in the Flanders area, the soldiers got into conversation with each other and it was clear to the British that the Germans wanted some sort of Christmas Armistice. Sir Edward Hulse wrote in his diary, “A scout named F. Murker went out and met a German Patrol and was given a glass of whisky and some cigars, and a message was sent back saying that if we didn’t fire at them they would not fire at us.” That night, where five days earlier there had been savage fighting, the guns fell silent.

The following morning German soldiers walked towards the British wire and the Brits went out to meet them. They exchanged caps and souvenirs and food. Then arrangements were made for the British to pick up bodies left on the German side during a recent failed raid.

Christmas Day, fraternization took place along many of the lines, including a few of the French and Belgian ones. Some joined in chasing hares, others, most famously, kicked around a soccer ball. British soldier Bruce Bairnsfather would write, “It all felt most curious: here were these sausage-eating wretches, who had elected to start this infernal European fracas, and in so doing had brought us all into the same muddy pickle as themselves. But there was not an atom of hate on either side that day; and yet, on our side, not for a moment was the will to war and the will to beat them relaxed.”

In the air the war continued and the French Foreign Legionnaires in Alsace were ordered to fight Christmas Day as well. Plus, most of the commanders on both sides were none too pleased. Nothing like the Christmas truce of 1914 would occur in succeeding years (outside of a pocket or two) and by December 26, 1914, the guns were blazing anew.

[Source: “The First World War,” Martin Gilbert] 

“May You Always”

From 1959-2002, Harry Harrison was a fixture on New York radio, the last 20+ years at the great oldies station WCBS-FM. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire, which ticked off many of us to no end, but he will forever be remembered for a brilliant greeting titled “May You Always.” Enjoy.

As the holiday bells ring out the old year, and sweethearts kiss,
And cold hands touch and warm each other against the year ahead,
May I wish you not the biggest and best of life,
But the small pleasures that make living worthwhile.

Sometime during the new year, to keep your heart in practice,
May you do someone a secret good deed and not get caught at it.
May you find a little island of time to read that book and write that letter,
And to visit that lonely friend on the other side of town.
May your next do-it-yourself project not look like you did it yourself.

May the poor relatives you helped support remember you when they win the lottery.
May your best card tricks win admiring gasps and your worst puns, admiring groans.
May all those who told you so, refrain from saying “I told you so.”

May all the predictions you’ve made for your firstborn’s future come true.
May just half of those optimistic predictions that your high school annual made for you come true.
In a time of sink or swim, may you find you can walk to shore before you call the lifeguard.
May you keep at least one ideal you can pass along to your kids.

For a change, some rainy day, when you’re a few minutes late,
May your train or bus be waiting for you.
May you accidentally overhear someone saying something nice about you.

If you run into an old school chum,
May you both remember each other’s names for introductions.
If you order your steak medium rare, may it be so.
And, if you’re on a diet, may someone tell you, “You’ve lost a little weight,” without knowing you’re on a diet.

May that long and lonely night be brightened by the telephone call that you’ve been waiting for.
When you reach into the coin slot, may you find the coin that you lost on your last wrong number.
When you trip and fall, may there be no one watching to laugh at you or feel sorry for you.

And sometime soon, may you be waved to by a celebrity, wagged at by a puppy, run to by a happy child, and counted on by someone you love.
More than this, no one can wish you.

—

[From Army Times]

Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army was in a dire situation during the frigid winter of 1776. His army had been defeated and chased from New York, and forced to set up winter camp for his remaining 5,000 troops at Valley Forge, Pa., only miles from the capital city of Philadelphia. With morale at its lowest point of the war and enlistments coming to an end, Washington desperately needed a victory to secure reenlistments and draw in some new recruits. The outcome of the revolution was at stake. 

On Christmas night, Washington’s troops began to gather on the banks of the Delaware River at McKonkey’s Ferry. His plan was to cross the partially frozen river by midnight, march to Trenton and surround the garrison of Hessian troops (Germans fighting for the British) in the city in a predawn attack. 

Before the Army had even launched a boat across the river, it began to rain, then hail, then snow. Washington was behind schedule. Remarkably, the force crossed the river without a single casualty. At 4 a.m. Dec. 26, the ill-equipped army began to march toward Trenton, some with rags wrapped around their feet instead of shoes. 

Washington had achieved complete surprise with the dangerous crossing. The battle began when the Army encountered a group of unprepared Hessian sentries at about 8 a.m., and by 9:30 the garrison had surrendered. The Army had killed 22, injured 83 and taken 896 prisoners. 

By noon, Washington had left Trenton, having lost two men in the battle, and returned to camp at Valley Forge. He had won a major victory, inspiring the needed reenlistments. News of the battle drew new recruits into the beleaguered Continental Army. The revolution would live to fight another day.

Linus [From “A Charlie Brown Christmas”]

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them. And they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. 

**Next Bar Chat, Wednesday…our yearend award show!