Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"...

Nielsen Media Research, Inc. lists the final episode of "M*A*S*H" number one on its top 10 Network Telecasts of All time list, ranked by Household Ratings. The 2 1/2 hour special drew a 60.2% household rating and was seen in over 50 million homes when "Taps" were played ending the 11-year run on February 28, 1983...

"M*A*S*H" or Mobile Army Surgical Hospital made its debut on September 17, 1972 with one of the best casts ever assembled for a TV series: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, McLean Stevenson, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr and Mike Farrell. Gary Burghoff (Radar) was the only member of the cast who played the same role in the movie version of "M*A*S*H". The novel was written by a doctor who had actually served in one of the Korean War "M*A*S*H" units...

To give you an idea of how highly rated the last episode was, it finished 7% higher than the show that finished second, "Dallas" (11/21/80). The final episode of "M*A*S*H" reached 9 million more homes than "Dallas"...

More February 28 Memories...

1854) The Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI when 50 slavery opponents started the new political party...

1883) The 1st vaudeville theater opened in Boston...

1940) The 1st televised basketball game was aired on experimental TV station W2XBS in New York when Pittsburgh beat Fordham at Madison Square Garden (only several hundred homes in New York watched the game despite a 20-minute blackout caused by technical problems)...

1953) The double-helix structure of DNA is discovered in a Cambridge University lab by scientists Francis H.C. Crick and James D. Watson...

1960) The U.S. wins its 1st Olympic gold medal in hockey with a 9-4 win over Czechoslovakia at the Squaw Valley Games in California...

1962) WMGM in New York City changes call letters to WHN...

1967) The Rolling Stones are #1 with "Ruby Tuesday", the "B" side of "Let's Spend The Night Together" (banned by many stations but we played it at WRKO)...

1968) Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the Teenagers dies of a heroin overdose at 25 (Lymon provided the inspiration for many future singers including Ronnie Spector and Diana Ross)...

1974) Bobby Bloom ("Montego Bay") fatally shoots himself at 28...

1974) "Seasons in the Sun" was #1 for Terry Jacks...

1979) Mr. Ed, the talking horse from the TV show dies (no age disclosed)...

1983) "M*A*S*H" becomes the most watched TV program in history when the final episode airs (feature story)...

1984) Michael Jackson wins a record 8 Grammy's for the album "Thriller"...

1986) 21 MLB players are fined or suspended including Keith Hernandez and Dave Parker in the largest drug scandal in baseball history...

1993) U.S. Federal agents raid the compound of the Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh in Waco, TX. The 51-day long standoff will result in the killing of 4 agents and 6 Davidians including Koresh...

1994) The Brady Law, imposing a waiting period for hand-gun purchases goes into effect...

To ensure accuracy in dates and content, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1923) Charles Durning...

1931) Gavin MacLeod (Capt. Stubing on "The Love Boat" and Murray on "Mary Tyler Moore")...

1931) Hall of Fame basketball coach Dean Smith...

1939) Dancer, choreographer Tommy Tune...

1940) Race car racing great Mario Andretti...

1948) Bernadette Peters...

1969) Robert Sean Leonard (Dr. Wilson on "House")...

Commentary...

If you believe as many people do about 3 famous folks dying within days of each other than maybe this troika is now complete. With the weekend death of Dennis Weaver announced just yesterday, the actor who played "Chester" on "Gunsmoke" and then "McCloud" joined Don Knotts and Darren McGavin to form that threesome...

Can't you just see it now ? Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud assisted by Barney Fife putting the bad guys away and hey, it they have a problem all they have to do is call in Mike Hammer...

Today is the 59th day of 2006 with 306 days left in the year, 20 days until spring and 32 days until opening day...


Monday, February 27, 2006

Monday, February 27, 2006

"It's (not such) a beautiful day in the neighborhood"...

Mr. Rogers left our neighborhood on this date in 2003 to move on up to a "deluxe apartment in the sky". Fred Rogers, a native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania was an ordained Presbyterian minister who started his TV career as a puppeteer on "The Children's Corner" before starting his own show in Pittsburgh in 1968...

Mr. Rogers message to children was simply to love each other and themselves. Having studied early childhood development at the University of Pittsburgh, he came well equipped to help children deal with fear and anger, as well as everyday problems. Rogers composed most of his show's songs and handled most of the puppeteering and voices himself. Fred Rogers would win 4 Emmy's and a George Foster Peabody Award but never considered himself a star, saying instead, "I always thought I was a neighbor who just came in for a visit"...

He taped his last "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" in December of 2000 but came out of retirement briefly to film public service spots helping parents and children deal with the 911 tragedy. Fred Rogers lost his battle with stomach cancer on February 27, 2003 at the age of 74. One of his trademark red sweaters now hangs in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C...

More February 27 Memories...

1883) Oscar Hammerstein patents the 1st cigar-rolling machine (women of America take one last swig of fresh air)...

1922) The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote...

1939) The U.S. Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes (protestors demonstrate by holding a sit-down strike)...

1949) Chaim Weizmann becomes the 1st Israeli President (lots of mazel)...

1956) Specialty Records releases "Slippin' and Slidin'" by Little Richard...

1960) The Miracles make their 1st TV appearance on "American Bandstand"...

1960) The U.S. hockey team defeats the Russians 3-2 at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley and goes on to win a gold medal...

1974) "People" magazine hits the newsstands for the 1st time...

1980) The Doobie Brothers ("What a Fool Believes"), Donna Summer ("Hot Stuff"), Michael Jackson ("Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough") and Earth, Wind & Fire ("After the Love Has Gone") all win Grammy's...

1981) Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder record "Ebony and Ivory"...

1982) Wayne B. Williams is found guilty of murdering 2 people (while over 28 bodies were found in the Atlanta area over a period of 22 months)...

1988) Katarina Witt of East Germany becomes the 1st repeat winner of an Olympic gold medal in figure skating since Sonja Henie won 3 straight (1928-36) with her second consecutive win (later that year she'll win her 4th title in 5 years at the World Figure Skating Championships)...

1990) The Exxon Corporation and Exxon Shipping are indicted on 5 criminal counts in reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill...

1991) President George Bush (#41) announces live on TV that "Kuwait is liberated"...

1991) James Brown is paroled from prison after serving 2 years (he had been sentenced to 6 years after leading police on an interstate car chase. Time off for good (soul) singing ?)...

1992) 16-year old amateur golfer Tiger Woods becomes the youngest player to compete in a PGA Tour event (Nissan L.A. Open) and posts a one-over-par 72, just barely missing the cut...

1997) Legislation banning most handguns goes into effect in Britain...

2000) ABC-TV airs "The Beach Boys" TV movie...

2002) Alicia Keys wins 5 Grammy's for her debut album, "Songs in A Minor" (she ties the record for a female artist with Lauryn Hill and since tied by Norah Jones and Beyonce)...

2002) In Boston 20 people working at Logan International Airport are charged with lying to get their job or security badges (yikes !)...

2003) Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" dies at 74 (feature story)...

To ensure accuracy of dates and content in the timeline, multiple reference sources were used...

Happy Birthday To...

1930) Joanne Woodward...

1932) Elizabeth Taylor...

1934) Ralph Nader...

1940) Howard ("Johnny Fever" on "WKRP") Hesseman...

1980) Chelsea Clinton...

Commentary...

Happy trails to Don Knotts who died over the weekend at 81. Like I did, those who watched the Steve Allen Show have to remember the first time we saw Don Knotts as part of the "man on the street" skit that featured Don as the nervous guy who when asked "what do you do ?" would usually be a bomb defuser, tightrope walker or anything else that required nerves of steel, not nearly part of his character's DNA...

Don would go on to play the beloved Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show", winning 5 Emmy Awards and graduate to the movies in family movies like "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" and "The Incredible Mr. Limpet"...

It's interesting to note and nice to know that Andy Griffith was one of the last visitors to see Andy before he passed away. Friends to the end...

Today is the 58th day of 2006 with 307 days remaining in the year, 21 days until spring and 33 days until opening day...


Friday, February 24, 2006

Friday-Sunday, February 24-26, 2006

"Eat your words" - Cassius Clay (2/25/64)...

Only those in the crowd of 8,297 in the ringside seats on Tuesday Night, February 25, 1964 were close enough to hear Cassius Clay shouting at the beat reporters who didn't give the new champ a chance against Sonny Liston. Liston was installed as the heavy favorite at 8-1 but Clay (not yet Ali) would give the old champ all he asked for and more and after Liston couldn't answer the bell for round 7, it was all over...

The 22-year old Clay fell one round short on his prediction of a victory in 8 but didn't fall short of "floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee" in decisively beating Liston at Convention Hall in Miami Beach...

Officially the bout was scored as a TKO in the 7th round and the reign of one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all-time had it's beginning. Only 3 of 46 sports writers covering the fight had picked Clay to win and for those that didn't ? Cassius Clay had an answer, "Eat your words"...

February 24 Memories...

1868) The 1st parade to use floats ? The New Orleans Mardi Gras...

1868) The U.S. House of Representatives impeaches President Andrew Johnson over his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton (The Senate would later acquit Johnson)...

1903) An area in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased to the U.S. for a naval base...

1938) The 1st nylon bristle toothbrush is made by Du Pont...

1964) The Beatles appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the 3rd time via video tape...

1965) The Beach Boys record "Help Me Rhonda"...

1978) "The Second Barry Manilow Special" airs on ABC-TV with Ray Charles as guest star...

1979) The Police release "Roxanne"...

1980) The U.S. hockey team wins a gold medal at Lake Placid by beating Finland 4-2...

1981) Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer...

1981) Jean Harris is convicted of murdering Scarsdale diet doctor Tarnower (HBO presents "Mrs. Harris", a TV movie about the murder tomorrow (Saturday) night at 8 (EST)...

1982) Pat Benatar receives a Grammy for "Fire and Ice". Al Jarreau wins for "Best Male Pop Vocalist"...

1982) Wayne Gretzky scores his 77th goal of the season setting a record for 78 games...

1983) Kim Carnes wins a Grammy for "Record of the Year" ("Bette Davis Eyes")...

1987) Larry King suffers a heart attack...

1989) That wacky Margaret Ray is found in David Letterman's home in CT claiming to be his wife (Letterman is not amused)...

1992) The U.S. Postal Service unveils 2 versions of a proposed Elvis Presley stamp. The younger Elvis design will be chosen and issued on January 8, 1993...

1992) Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love rock down the aisle in Hawaii...

1992) "Wayne's World" starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey opens in U.S. theaters (schhhhhhwiiiing!)...

1993) Eric Clapton wins 6 Grammy Awards for the song "Tears in Heaven"...

1994) Comedian Garrett Morris is shot during a robbery attempt but eventually recovers from his wounds...

1994) Figure skater Oksana Baiul of the Ukraine injures her back in practice but 2 days later beats Nancy Kerrigan to win a gold medal at Lillehammer, Norway...

1998) Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II although he is introduced as "Sir John Elton"...

1998) Comedian Henny Youngman dies at 91...

1999) Lauryn Hill wins 5 Grammy's for her debut solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (she sets a record for a female artist that has since been tied by Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and Beyonce)...

2004) President George W. Bush urges approval of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages...

To ensure accuracy of dates and content in the timeline, multiple reference sources were used...

Happy Birthday To...

1921) Abe ("Fish") Vigoda...

1931) Dominic Chianese ("Uncle Junior" of the "Sopranos", who lives across the street)...

1932) Red-faced, screaming former Georgia governor and senator Zell Miller...

1942) Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman...

1945) Barry Bostwick...

1947) Rupert Holmes...

1956) Former Met (for about a minute) and Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray...

1956) Paula Zahn...

Today is the 55th day of 2006 with 310 days remaining in the year, 24 days until Spring and 36 days until opening day...

Saturday, February 25, 2006...

February 25 Memories...

1793) George Washington holds the 1st Cabinet meeting on record, at his home...

1836) Inventor Samuel Colt receives a patent for the Colt 45 (the gun not the malt liquor)...

1901) The United States Steel Corporation is incorporated by J.P. Morgan in Pittsburgh...

1940) The Rangers and Montreal play the 1st televised NHL game. Aired on W2XBS in New York, only one camera was used and was in a fixed position (P.S. the Rangers beat the Canadiens 6-2 at Madison Square Garden)...

1950) The brilliant "Your Show of Shows" debuts on NBC-TV starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris (just who were some of the contributing comedy writers ? Well how about Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and others. Surprisingly the show only lasts until June 5, 1954)...

1964) Cassius Clay TKOs Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship (feature story)...

1983) Playwright Tennessee Williams is found dead in his New York hotel suite at 71...

1987) Frank Sinatra guest stars on CBS-TVs "Magnum P.I."...

1989) After 29 seasons and 2 Super Bowl rings as Dallas coach, Tom Landry is dumped by Cowboys new owner Jerry Jones (Jimmy Johnson replaces Landry)...

1992) James Brown receives a "Lifetime Achievement" Grammy...

1994) Phil Rizzuto says "Holy Cow !" when told he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (the outstanding Yankee shortstop waited 28 years for this moment). Rizzuto was 76 at the time...

1994) Bad Girl Tonya Harding puts that Lucy of "Peanuts" face on when a last-minute loose skate lace turns her from lutzing contender to klutzy pretender (Tonya would not medal)...

1997) A jury in Media, PA convicts multimillionaire John E. du Pont of 3rd-degree murder but decides he was mentally ill when he killed world-class wrestler David Schultz...

1998) Bo Diddley and Roy Orbison receive "Lifetime Achievement" Grammy Awards...

2000) A jury in Albany acquits 4 New York City police officers of 2nd-degree murder and lesser charges in the February, 1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo...

2002) Former NBA star (the Nets') Jayson Williams is charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of his limo driver at Williams' estate in Alexandria Township, NJ...

2004) The controversial Mel Gibson film "The Passion of the Christ" opens on Ash Wednesday...

To ensure accuracy of dates and content in the timeline, multiple reference sources are used...

Happy Birthday To...

1919) Baseball Hall of Famer (N.Y. Giants) Monte Irvin...

1929) Former "Tonight Show" musician and Johnny Carson punching bag Tommy Newsom...

1937) CBS-TV news anchor Bob Schieffer...

1938) Diane Baker...

1943) Talk-show host Sally Jessy Raphael...

1965) Tea Leoni...

Today is the 56th day of 2006 with 309 days remaining in the year, 23 days until Spring and 35 days until opening day...

Sunday, February 26, 2006...

February 26 Memories...

1815) Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from the island of Elba to begin his 2nd conquest of France...

1919) Congress establishes Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona...

1930) New York City installs traffic lights (prior to that New Yorkers waited at intersections going "one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi")...

1951) The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, limiting U.S. Presidents to two terms in office...

1955) Billboard Magazine reports that the 45rpm single is outselling the 78s for the 1st time...

1966) The Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" is released...

1977) The Eagles release "Hotel California"...

1985) Chuck Berry receives a "Lifetime Achievement" Grammy...

1987) The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff in the Iran-Contra affair...

1990) Cornell Gunter of the Coasters is murdered in Las Vegas at 53...

1991) Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announces on Baghdad Radio that he has ordered his troops to withdraw from Kuwait...

1993) Six people are killed and more than a thousand injured when a van explodes in the World Trade Center parking garage. This was an act of terrorism by Islamic extremists...

1998) A Texas jury rejects an $11 million lawsuit by cattlemen who blamed Oprah Winfrey for a price drop after her on-air comment about mad-cow disease (to show there are no hard feelings Oprah awards a new steer and lasso to each cattleman)...

To ensure accuracy of dates and content in the timeline, multiple reference sources are used...

Happy Birthday To...

1921) Betty Hutton...

1928) Fats Domino...

1931) Robert Novak...

1945) Mitch Ryder...

1953) Michael Bolton...

Today is the 57th day of 2006 with 308 days remaining in the year, 22 days until Spring and 34 days until opening day...


Thursday, February 23, 2006

Thursday, February 23, 2006

A great date in Grammy history...

February 23rd will go down as one of the most memorable in Grammy history with multiple awards won by the Eagles, Toto, Carlos Santana and Norah Jones as outlined below by year:

1978) "Record of the Year": The Eagles for "Hotel California", "Song of the Year": Barbra Streisand and Eagles (tie) for "Love Theme from A Star is Born (Evergreen)"/"Hotel California", "LP of year": Fleetwood Mac for "Rumours" and "Best New Artist": Debby Boone...

1983) "Record of the Year": Toto for "Roseanna", "Song of the Year": "Always on my Mind", "LP of the Year": "Toto IV" and "Best New Artist": Men at Work...

2000) "Record and Song of the Year": Santana for "Smooth" (with Rob Thomas), "LP of the Year": Santana for "Supernatural" and Christina Aguilera for "Best New Artist"...

2003) "Record and Song of the Year": Norah Jones for "Don't Know Why", "LP of the Year": Norah Jones for "Come Away With Me" and Norah Jones for "Best New Artist"...

Santana won 8 Grammy Awards on this night in 2000, tying the record set by Michael Jackson in 1983...

And this night in 2003 belonged to Norah Jones who walked away with 5 Grammy's, tying the record for a female artist held by Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys and since tied by Beyonce...

More February 23 Memories...

1822) Boston is incorporated as a city...

1836) The seige of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, TX...

1896) The Tootsie Roll is introduced by Leo Hirshfield (Cherry Tootsie Roll Pops rule !)...

1905) The Rotary Club is founded in Chicago by Attorney Paul Harris and 3 others...

1927) Stand up and salute !!! The Federal Radio Commission begins assigning frequencies, hours of operation and power allocations for radio broadcasters. On July 1, 1934 the name will be changed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...

1940) Walt Disney's animated classic "Pinocchio" is released...

1945) U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima capture Mount Suribachi and plant the American flag in a moment captured for generations to come in the Pulitzer Prize winning photo by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal...

1959) Lloyd Price is #1 with "Stagger Lee" (the song is based on an old folk song, "Stack-O-Lee" about the tragic fate of 2 gamblers)...

1960) Millions mourn in Brooklyn as the wrecking ball begins the demolition of Ebbets Field, the home of the Dodgers from 1913 to 1957...

1963) "He's So Fine" is released by the Chiffons...

1965) Comedian Stan Laurel dies at age 74...

1969) Sly & the Family Stone are #1 with "Everyday People"...

1970) Ringo Starr guest stars on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" in his 1st solo appearance on TV...

1974) Columbia Records releases "Piano Man" by Billy Joel...

1980) Skater Eric Heiden wins the 4th of 5 gold medals at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics (2 nights later he wins an unprecedented 5th gold medal)...

1983) Junior running back Herschel Walker of Georgia becomes the highest paid player in football history at the time when he signs a $1.5 million a year contract with Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals of the USFL...

1985) Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight, angered by officials, flings a chair across the basketball court. Bobby is ejected from the game against Purdue (ho-hum, what else is new ?)...

1993) Gary Coleman wins a $1,280,000 lawsuit against his parents (for stunting his growth ?)...

1995) Melvin Franklin (with that great bass voice) of the Temptations dies of heart failure in Los Angeles leaving Otis Williams the sole surviving member of the Motown group of 5...

1997) Scientists in Scotland confirm that they've successfully cloned a lamb named "Dolly" (Hello Dolly)...

1997) A Palestinian man opens fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, killing one person and wounding 6 before taking his own life...

1997) NBC-TV airs an uncut version of "Schindler's List" to an audience of 65 million...

1999) A jury in Jasper, TX convicts white supremacist John William King of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1940) Peter Fonda...

1944) Albino rocker Johnny Winter...

1946) Original Poco band member Rusty Young...

1951) Former NFL player and sometime boxer Ed "Too Tall" Jones...

1963) Bobby Boo, I mean Bo, Bobby Bonilla...

1994) Child star Dakota Fanning...

Today is the 54th day of 2006 with 311 days remaining in the year, 25 days until Spring and 37 until opening day...


Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

"Do you believe in miracles ? YES!!!"...

Al Michaels made that call on February 22, 1980 as the world watched one of the most shocking and dramatic of all sports upsets, the underdog U.S. hockey team defeating the defending Russians 4-3. It was Mike Eruzione from Winthrop, MA. who picked up a loose puck and fired a 30-foot shot to break a 3-3 tie with 10 minutes remaining in the final period. Goalie Jim Craig did the rest, shutting out the Russian team the rest of the way and the U.S. had the win that nobody thought possible. But the U.S. didn't have the gold yet...

Two nights later, the U.S. team coached brilliantly by Herb Brooks, defeated Finland 4-2 for the gold medal as goalie Jim Craig searched the stands looking for his father while draped in the U.S. flag...

This was only the second gold medal for an American hockey team in Olympic history. The average age of the American team was 22 and only one of the 20 players had ever competed in the Olympics before. Coach Brooks pre-game message to the team was "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here". Then they went out and proved it...

More February 22 Memories...

1861) On a bet Edward Weston leaves Boston to walk to Lincoln's inauguration (no report on whether or not he made it)...

1879) In Utica, NY, Frank W. Woolworth opens his first 5 and 10-cent store (stay away from the hamburgers)...

1907) The 1st metered taxi service begins in London...

1924) President Calvin Coolidge delivers the 1st presidential radio broadcast from the White House...

1935) It becomes illegal for planes to fly over the White House...

1956) Elvis Presley has his 1st top 10 hit, "Heartbreak Hotel"...

1963) The Beatles form Northern Music which Michael Jackson will eventually buy...

1965) Filming for the Beatles' 2nd movie, "HELP!" begins in the Bahamas...

1976) Original Supreme Florence Ballard dies of a heart attack 9 years after being forced out of the group. Flo, penniless and living on welfare with her 3 children was only 32...

1987) Pop artist Andy Warhol dies at 58...

1994) 31-year CIA veteran Aldrich Ames and his wife Rosario are charged with selling national security secrets to the Soviet Union (Ames is later convicted and sentenced to a lifetime prison sentence, his wife, to 5-years)...

1996) Halle Berry files for divorce from David Justice...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1918) "SNL" announcer Don Pardo...

1932) Edward M. Kennedy...

1934) Hall of Fame baseball manager Sparky Anderson...

1950) Basketball Hall of Famer Julius (Dr. J) Erving...

1965) Hockey Hall of Famer and former Islander and Ranger Pat Lafontaine...

1975) Drew Barrymore...

Commentary...

I've never received more of an outpouring of condolences and personal memories like that received on Curt Gowdy in response to yesterday's commentary. It's still another tribute to not only a legendary sports broadcaster but a legendary person. Thank you all for sharing those comments...

Happy trails to William "Billy" Cowsill, lead singer and oldest brother in the family group, The Cowsills. Billy passed away in Canada over the weekend at 58. He had been in deteriorating health. Bass player and brother Barry Cowsill disappeared after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on August 29th with his body being discovered December 28th. Condolences go out to the Cowsill family...

In my February 18th blog I mentioned the 1999 trade of Roger Clemens for David Wells but that deal was between the Yankees and Toronto, not the Red Sox. Thanks to eagle-eyed Brian E. Kelly for spotting that...

Today is the 53rd day of 2006 with 312 days remaining in the year, 26 days until Spring and 38 days until opening day...


Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

(Remembering Curt Gowdy who passed away yesterday at 86, in my commentary)

From Great Neck to glory...

Against all odds, 16-year old Sarah Hughes, a student at Great Neck North High School, shocked the sports world by winning the women's figure skating gold medal at the Winter Olympics on this night (2002) in Salt Lake City...

The high school junior who went from fourth in the short program two nights ago to first place after the free skate, would pass Michele Kwan, who would win the bronze medal behind Russian Irina Slutskaya who picked up silver...

Sarah who would go right back to school following the Olympics had this to say, "There was no pressure on me to win. I skated for pure enjoyment. That's how I wanted my Olympic moment to be". Sarah who has curtailed her skating career attends Yale University but will be in the audience with her family when sister Emily Hughes, a 17-year old junior at Great Neck North does her short program at the Turino Winter Olympics tonight. Can lightening strike twice ? All of Great Neck and the New York metropolitan area will be hoping it does...

More February 21 Memories...

1858) The 1st electric burglar alarm is installed in Boston, MA...

1878) The 1st telephone directories are distributed by the District Telephone Company of New Haven, CT...

1925) The 1st issue of "The New Yorker" is published...

1931) ("Plop, plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is") Alka Seltzer is introduced...

1947) Edwin Land demonstrates the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America in New York City (it's the 1st camera to take, develop and print a black and white photo in 60 seconds. The camera would go on sale the following year)...

1965) Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan at the age of 39 (3 Black Muslims were charged and jailed for the murder)...

1965) "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis and the Playboys is #1...

1970) The Jackson 5 make their "American Bandstand" TV debut...

1972) President Richard M. Nixon begins his historic visit to China...

1975) The Average White Band is anything but, they're #1 with "Pick Up the Pieces"...

1975) Former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman are sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up...

1982) Disc jockey Murray "The K" Kaufman, a victim of cancer at 60...

1988) TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart tearfully confesses to his congregation in Baton Rouge, LA, that he was guilty of an "unspecified sin" and temporarily leaves the pulpit (reports that he had taken up with a prostitute are later confirmed by him)...

1992) Kristi Yamaguchi completes a yearlong leap from runner-up U.S. national champion in 1991 to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France (she's the 1st American since Dorothy Hamill (1976) to win the women's Olympic figure skating title)...

1995) Chicago stockbroker Steve Fossett becomes the 1st person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon (landing in Canada)...

2000) David Letterman returns to his Late Night show about 5 weeks after having emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery...

2001) Steely Dan, U2, Eminem and Faith Hill each win 3 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles...

2002) The State Department declares Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl dead, a month after he'd been abducted by Islamic extremists in Pakistan...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1935) Rue ("The Golden Girls") McClanahan...

1943) Record executive David Geffen...

1946) Tyne Daly...

1946) Tricia Nixon Cox...

1953) "CSI's" William Petersen...

1955) Kelsey Grammer...

1979) Jennifer Love Hewitt...

1986) Charlotte Church...

Commentary...

I met Curt Gowdy when he did sports on the 1st morning show under the new music format at WRKO in 1967. Curt joined morning man Al Gates and newsman Palmer Payne to form a 3-man full service morning team. Curt and then-GM Perry S. Ury were neighbors in Wellesley Hills, a posh suburban town west of Boston. Curt was so good at his craft that he adlibbed everything except the scores. He was like a walking sports encyclopedia with a great memory and near-total recall which he would often use. At the time, Curt, in addition to doing the morning show for us also did baseball and football for NBC-TV. Curt gave us a great presence and incomparable credibility in the world of sports. Whenever I would run into Curt following his stay at WRKO, he was always friendly and willing to spend some time with me whether he was about to catch a flight or just checking into a hotel for his network assignments. Curt never considered himself a star, he was the same "Cowboy" from Wyoming that came east to do Yankee games in 1949 and stayed to spend 16 seasons doing play-by-play for the Red Sox. What followed that was what makes Curt Gowdy legendary...

Curt would win 13 Emmy Awards and was first to win a Peabody Award, a prestigious honor in broadcasting. He broadcast 16 World Series, 9 Super Bowls, 8 Olympics, 12 Rose Bowls and 24 NCAA Final Fours. For 2 decades he hosted "The American Sportsman" on ABC-TV. Curt is the only person in 3 different Halls of Fame (Baseball, Basketball and Football), residing in the broadcasting wing. In 1963 Curt purchased the first of what eventually would be 7 radio stations, WCCM in Haverhill, MA...

Curt Gowdy leaves his wife Jerre, sons Trevor and Curt, Jr., daughter Cheryl Ann and 5 grandchildren. A funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Trinity Church in Boston. Contributions in honor of Curt can be made to Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming: 1351 Hynds Lodge Road, Cheyenne, WY, 82009. They can also be made to the Jimmy Fund at www.jimmyfund.org

Happy trails Cowboy. It was my pleasure knowing you. RIP...

Today is the 52nd day of 2006 with 313 days left in the year, 27 days until Spring, 39 days until opening day...



Friday, February 17, 2006

Friday-Monday, February 17-20, 2006

Thank 'em all...

Big 3-day weekend coming up and I bet you can't wait. I mean it is a national holiday, no work, no mail, sales in the stores and all that but let's look at why we celebrate it. It all started as 2 separate holidays honoring Presidents Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and George Washington (February 22nd, although he was born on the 11th according to the Julian calendar but what does Julian know anyway ?). The combined "common" holiday was part of the "Uniform Holidays Bill" of 1968 and took effect in 1971. From that year on, the 3rd Monday of February became the holiday...

In theory it was a day set aside to honor all the Presidents, all 43 to date. In fact and even in Washington, D.C. most people still refer to this as "Washington's Birthday". It's still the designated holiday in section 6103 (a) of title 5 of the United States Code, the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Well, it's high time we ended this foolishness. Change that damn code...

I say we say thanks to all our Presidents in fact, not theory, even Millard Fillmore, our 13th. Even our 9th President, William Henry Harrison who only served one month, catching a cold on inauguration day which developed into pneumonia and other devastating and deadly complications. He would die in office. And let's not forget our 20th President, James Abram Garfield who only served 6 months. Garfield did not voluntarily leave office. He was assassinated...

On Monday, make it a real "Presidents' Day". Thank 'em all...

February 17 Memories...

1801) The U.S. House of Representatives breaks an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr by picking Jefferson as President and Burr as his VP...

1913) The Armory Show opens at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City with paintings and sculpture on display (the show continues annually)...

1933) "Newsweek" is published for the 1st time...

1933) Blondie and Dagwood marry 3 years after Chic Young's popular comic strip 1st debuted (Mr. & Mrs. Bumstead will spend eternity in matrimonial cartoon bliss)...

1947) The Voice of America begins its broadcasts to the Soviet Union...

1955) Little Richard sends his 1st audition tape to Specialty Records which will sign him to a contract...

1960) The Everly Brothers sign with Warner Brothers ($1 million for 10 years)...

1965) Joan Rivers makes her 1st guest appearance on "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" on NBC-TV...

1966) Brian Wilson begins recording the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations"...

1968) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield, MA...

1968) France's Jean-Claude Killy wins the triple crown of Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, winning 3 gold medals...

1971) James Taylor makes his prime-time TV debut on ABC-TV's "Johnny Cash Show"...

1976) The Eagles release their "Greatest Hits" LP (ch-ching)...

1986) Howard Stern returns to New York radio at WXRK (K-rock)...

1992) Mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced to life in prison in Milwaukee (in November of 1994 he is beaten to death in prison)...

1995) Long Island Railroad killer Colin Ferguson is convicted of 6 counts of murder in the December, 1993 shootings (Ferguson is later sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison)...

1996) World chess champion Garry Kasparov beats "Deep Blue", the IBM supercomputer in Philadelphia (ironically, the founder of IBM, Thomas Watson would have been 132 today, his birthday)..

2004) Cingular Wireless agrees to pay nearly $41 billion to buy AT&T Wireless...

In order to insure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

1924) In keeping with our presidential theme, Margaret Truman Daniel...

1925) An actor who played a President (Lincoln), Hal Holbrook...

1936) Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown...

1939) Miss America 1959 Mary Ann Mobley...

1941) Gene Pitney...

1963) Michael Jordan...

Today is the 48th day of 2006 with 317 days remaining in the year, 31 days until Spring and 43 days until opening day...

Saturday, February 18, 2006...

February 18 Memories...

1885) Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is published in the U.S. for the 1st time...

1930) The planet Pluto is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh who used photos taken in January (doesn't the discoverer get to name the planet ? and if he does, why didn't he name it Clyde ?)...

1951) The biggest point-shaving scandal in college basketball history begins when 3 players from CCNY, the defending champion, are charged with accepting bribes to fix games (they eventually admit their involvement along with 29 other players from 6 schools, including powerhouse Kentucky)...

1953) "Bwana Devil", the 1st 3-D movie opens in New York City...

1953) Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign a contract worth $8 million to continue "I Love Lucy" through 1955...

1959) Ray Charles records "What'd I Say" ("ummmm, ahhhh")...

1969) Lulu and Maurice Gibb walk down the aisle in England...

1970) 5 of the "Chicago 7" are found quilty of intent to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic convention (the convictions are later overturned)...

1977) The space shuttle "Enterprise" goes on its maiden flight on top of a Boeing 747...

1979) Richard Petty wins the Daytona 500 for the 6th time...

1998) Cubs play-by-play man Harry Caray dies at 83...

1999) The Yankees and Red Sox make a blockbuster trade: 5-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens goes to the Bronx for David Wells...

2001) Dale Earnhardt dies from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500 (Earnhardt was 49)...

2004) Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean abandons his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination (he did not go quietly did he ?)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

1919) Jack Palance (who will be doing one-arm pushups to celebrate)...

1922) Helen Gurley Brown...

1925) George Kennedy...

1933) Yoko Ono (please do it quietly Yoko)...

1944) Herman Santiago (of the Teenagers)...

1950) Cybil Shepherd...

1954) John Travolta...

1957) Vanna White (no one turns letters better)...

Today is the 49th day of 2006 with 316 days remaining in the year, 30 days until Spring and 42 days until opening day...

Sunday, February 19, 2006...

February 19 Memories...

1878) Thomas Alva Edison patents a music player (the phonograph)...

1942) President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an executive order giving the military authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans...

1953) Ted Williams, a Marine pilot since 1951, escapes after crash landing his F-9 Panther after being hit in Korea (he climbs down from the cockpit just before the plane explodes)...

1956) The Platters record "The Magic Touch"...

1966) Joe Paterno moves from assistant head football coach of Penn State (where he began at the school in 1950) to head coach replacing Rip Engle (40 years later he's still doing it)...

1974) Kiss make their TV debut on "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert"...

1974) Dick Clark premieres the "American Music Awards"...

1977) President Gerald Ford pardons "Tokyo Rose" (Iva Toguri D'Aquino)...

1981) George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" (even better than "temporary insanity") between his song, "My Sweet Lord" and the Chiffons "He's So Fine"...

1984) Twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre finish 1-2 in the men's slalom on the final day of the Sarajevo Winter Olympics...

1985) Cherry Coke is introduced by the Coca-Cola Company (some discovery ! We were drinking those in Brooklyn 30 years earlier)...

1987) A controversial anti-smoking commercial airs for the 1st time on network TV. It features Yul Brynner who would die soon after of lung cancer...

1995) Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson rock down the aisle (although they divorced they're still together, oh no they're not, yes they are, no they're not, yes they are, etc. etc. etc.)...

2004) Former Enron chief Jeffrey Skilling is charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader's monumental collapse (worst of all he loses his company parking spot)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1940) Smokey Robinson...

1940) Fellow member of the Miracles Bobby Rogers...

1943) Lou (Looooooooooouuuuuuu) Christy...

1955) Jeff Daniels...

1963) Seal (for those of you who remember the spoof "CHAOS", "thank you seal")...

1966) Justine ("Family Ties") Bateman...

Today is the 50th day of 2006 with 315 days remaining in the year, 29 days until Spring and 41 days until opening day...

Monday (President's Day), February 20, 2006...

February 20 Memories...

1792) President George Washington signs the Postal Service Act, creating the U.S. Post Office...

1809) The U.S. Supreme Court rules the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state (so that's when that began)...

1839) The U.S. Congress prohibits dueling in the District of Columbia (somehow I have this picture of seeing Marion Barry back-to-back with some dueler, stepping off 10 paces)...

1872) The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City (still there)...

1949) Ricky Nelson joins the cast of his parents' radio show...

1952) Emmett Ashford becomes the 1st black umpire in organized baseball in the International League (he will graduate to the big leagues)...

1952) "The African Queen" with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn opens at the Capitol Theater on Broadway...

1962) John Glenn makes space history, orbiting the earth 3 times to become the 1st American to orbit the earth (aboard "Friendship 7")...

1964) The Beach Boys record "Don't Worry Baby"...

1965) "Ranger 8" crashes on the moon after sending back thousands of pictures of its surface...

1970) John Lennon's "Instant Karma" is released in the U.S...

1974) Cher files for separation from husband Sonny Bono (married for 10 years she will also soon file for divorce),,,

1982) Pat Benatar marries her guitarist Neil Geraldo in Hawaii (it's the singer's 2nd marriage)...

1987) After 11 years as co-host of ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" David Hartman leaves the show...

1988) Brian Boitano wins the gold medal in figure skating, the first gold medal won by the U.S. at the Calgary Winter Olympics...

1992) Paula Abdul and Emilio Estevez announce their engagement...

1998) American Tara Lipinski, 15, is the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympics history when she wins the ladies' figure skating title at Nagano...

1999) Gene Siskel ("Siskel and Ebert") dies at 53...

2000) ABC-TV airs the "Little Richard" movie...

2003) Fire breaks out in a West Warwick, RI club, killing 100, including Great White guitarist Ty Longley and injuring 200 others (Great White was one of the bands performing there that night)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1924) Gloria Vanderbilt...

1927) Sidney Poitier...

1937) Jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson...

1941) Buffy Sainte-Marie...

1942) Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito...

1946) Sandy Duncan...

1946) J. Geils...

1950) Walter Becker (Steely Dan)...

1954) Patricia Hearst...

1966) Cindy Crawford...

Today is the 51st day of 2006 with 314 days remaining in the year, 28 days until Spring and 40 days until opening day...


Thursday, February 16, 2006

Thursday, February 16, 2006

"Tonight we have a really big shew..."

Of course every show was "a really big shew" in Ed Sullivan's eyes. This was not necessarily a descriptive announcement, this was Ed Sullivan's mantra. On the night of February 16, 1964 Ed was right on the money. The Beatles, who had been on Ed's show for the first time one week earlier, returned...

The Beatles would perform 6 songs that night ("She Loves You", "This Boy", "All My Lovin'", "I Saw Her Standing There", "From Me To You" and their #1 hit, "I Want To Hold Your Hand"). Okay so you have the hottest act in the world on the show, who else do you book for the night ? In typical Ed Sullivan style, this was his lineup: comedians Allen and Rossi who did a boxing skit, probably because Sonny Liston and Joe Lewis were sitting in the audience and were asked to take a bow, Mitzi Gaynor did some show tunes and a blues medley, from Hialeah Race Track, the Nerveless Nocks (remember them ?), a sway pole acrobatic team performed. Is there no end to this madness ? Apparently not as the Valanti's (another household name), the "comedic unicyclists" did comedy on their unicycles apparently and for good measure, we had the comedy of Myron Cohen, a funny borscht-belt comedian who had one eye that would close halfway when he told a joke. And that my friends is how you back the Beatles...

The Beatles would return for their 3rd consecutive appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the following Sunday, February 23rd...

More February 16 Memories...

1868) The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is formed in New York City...

1883) The "Ladies Home Journal" begins publication...

1946) The 1st commercially designed helicopter is unveiled and tested in Bridgeport, CT...

1948) NBC-TV begins airing its 1st nightly newscast featuring Fox and Movietone newsreels...

1959) Fidel Castro seizes power in Cuba after the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista...

1964) The Beatles make their second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (feature story)...

1968) The 1st 911 emergency telephone system is inaugurated in Haleyville, AL (my 1st radio job as a DJ was at WJBB in Haleyville at the age of 18)...

1970) Joe Frazier continues his undefeated string as he wins the heavyweight championship by knocking out Jimmy Ellis in 5 rounds (he would keep the title until losing on January 22, 1973 to George Foreman, his 1st professional loss)...

1975) The music variety series "Cher" premieres on CBS-TV (the show is a bomb, lasting only one season)...

1982) Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett Majors say "I don't" and are divorced...

1984) 23-year old Bill Johnson becomes the 1st American to win Olympic downhill skiing gold at Sarajevo...

1987) John Demjanjuk aka "Ivan the Terrible", a guard at the Treblinka concentration camp is convicted but the Israeli Supreme Court overturns the verdict (huh ?)...

1989) Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden split up after 16 years of marriage...

1989) Investigators in Lockerbie, Scotland, announce that it was a bomb hidden inside a radio-cassette player that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 the previous December, killing all 259 aboard...

1990) Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison on cocaine charges...

1997) At age 25 Jeff Gordon is the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history...

2002) The operator of a crematory in Noble, GA is arrested after dozens of corpses are found stacked in storage sheds and scattered in the surrounding woods (oops)...

2005) The NHL announces the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to a labor dispute (it's the 1st time a major sports league in North America loses an entire season due to a strike)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1918) The Andrew Sisters' Patty Andrews...

1956) James Ingram...

1957) LeVar Burton...

1958) Ice-T...

1959) John McEnroe...

1972) Jerome Bettis...

Commentary...

When I came back home to New York in 1972 to replace Sebastian Stone as PD of WOR-FM, I stayed at the Delmonico Hotel. I had just checked in, waiting in the lobby for the elevator. The doors open and out step Ed Sullivan and his wife Sylvia. I just stood there with my mouth open. They were formally dressed and probably on their way to one of the many events that either Ed hosted or was invited to. I learned the next day that Ed Sullivan lived in the hotel and I would see him many times after that occasion. I had previously heard him speak at a Boston media luncheon and the man was really funny with a droll sense of humor and using language that you would never hear on his show...

Two corrections to make:

  • Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier (now married) are working for NBC-TV, not competing at the Torino Olympics...
  • I omitted the artists that were #10 on Dick Clark's AB top 10 board on February 15, 1964. "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)" was by the Tams...

One other thing to note...

  • Now that most of the teams pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training, I will start a countdown on days remaining until the MLB opener, April 2nd (Cleveland at Chicago in the ESPN Sunday Night game)...

Today is the 47th day of 2006 with 318 days remaining in the year, 32 days until Spring and 44 days until opening day...


Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Beatles dominance begins...

Much as the seas were dominated by the British Empire in 1900, England returned with a vengeance 64 years later when the Beatles, representing the city of Liverpool proclaimed their rule over the American charts. While they were already represented on the singles charts with "I Want to Hold your Hand" and "She Loves You", it was this album that gave them their first chart topper on February 15th, 1964. It was their first LP to sell a million and for the first time the Beatles also dominated the LP charts. The album was "Meet The Beatles" which would stay #1 for 11 weeks...

"Meet The Beatles" was the group's 1st LP release on Capitol but not their first album. Vee Jay released "Introducing The Beatles" 2 weeks before the Capitol release. "Meet The Beatles" released on January 20th was certified gold on February 3rd. By March the LP had sold 3.5 million and eventually would total over 5 million in sales to place it in the Beatles top 10 albums list, based on sales...

Dick Clark paid tribute to the Beatles and showed a clip of the group on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the same day "Meet The Beatles" went to #1. In my commentary we'll look at the "American Bandstand" top 10 board from that day...

More February 15 Memories...

1898) The USS Maine sinks by an unknown explosion in Havana Harbor. More than 260 crew members are killed ("Remember the Maine" becomes a rallying cry)...

1903) Russian immigrants, Morris and Rose Michtom introduce the 1st teddy bear to America (so how come it's not the "Russian teddy bear company" ?)...

1933) President-elect Franklin Roosevelt escapes an assassination attempt in Miami that kills Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak...

1936) Sonja Henie of Norway, known as "The World Queen of Figure Skating" wins her 3rd straight gold medal at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) Winter Olympics...

1954) Big Joe Turner records the original version of "Shake, Rattle & Roll" (Bill Haley had the hit)...

1964) The Beatles top the LP charts for the 1st time with "Meet The Beatles" (feature story)...

1965) John Lennon passes his driving test...

1965) Canada displays their new red and white maple leaf flag, replacing the old red ensign standard...

1965) The music world mourns the death of Nat "King" Cole, a victim of lung cancer at 46...

1967) The 1st laws concerning anti-bootlegging of music are enacted...

1967) Chicago, the band, is formed...

1979) Billy Joel and Donna Summer are the big winners at the Grammy's. Billy wins 2 Grammy's, "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for "Just The Way You Are". Donna Summer's "Last Dance" wins 2 Grammy's ("Best Female R&B Vocal" and "Best R&B Song")...

1984) Stage and screen star singer Ethel Merman dies at 75...

1998) Dale Earnhardt (#3) wins the Daytona 500 in his 20th try...

2002) Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier are awarded a gold medal to resolve the judging controversy at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (the pair are competing at the Torino Winter Olympics)...

To ensure accuracy, miltiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1914) Kevin McCarthy...

1918) Alan Arbus (played Major Sidney Freedman on "M*A*S*H")...

1927) Harvey Korman...

1931) Claire Bloom...

1941) Motown songwriter/producer Brian Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland)...

1951) Melissa Manchester...

1951) Jane Seymour...

1954) "The Simpsons" cartoonist Matt Groening...

1972) The Rangers' Jaromir Jagr...

Commentary...

When "American Bandstand" paid tribute to the Beatles on February 15, 1964, Dick Clark's top 10 board looked like this:
  • 1) I Want To Hold Your Hand - Beatles
  • 2) You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore
  • 3) She Loves You - Beatles
  • 4) Hey Little Cobra - Rip Chords
  • 5) Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - Major Lance
  • 6) For You - Rick Nelson
  • 7) Out of Limits - Marketts
  • 8) Anyone Who Had A Heart - Dionne Warwick
  • 9) Java - Al Hirt
  • 10) What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)

Today is the 46th day of 2006 with 319 days remaining in the year, 33 days until Spring and just one day away from pitchers and catchers...


Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Have a heart today...

Whether you do it with candy, flowers, gifts, or not, today is Valentine's Day and it's not going away, like it or not. This mysterious day dates as far back as the ancient Romans, the name coming from one of 3 saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. By the middle ages, one of the Saints Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France (even more popular than Jerry Lewis). We Americans started celebrating by exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700's. By the 1840's good ole Esther A. Howland started selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. In addition to the U.S., Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada (will you be my Valentine, eh ?), Mexico, Britain, France and Australia...

Lest you think celebrities are not moved by Valentine's Day, think again. Those struck by Cupid's arrow include: The Captain and Tennille, Prince, Cindy Adams, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Garcia. All got married on this day. I mean, even Elton John got hitched (to a woman !). Throughout the timeline you'll find the dates all said "I do" in addition to the other events that happened on Valentine's Day past...

And the person getting the best Valentine's Day present of all ? That would be Robin Givens when she received a divorce from Mike Tyson. Happy Valentine's Day...

More Valentine's Day Memories...

1918) "Tarzan of the Apes" (me Tarzan, you Jane, you my Valentine) is released...

1919) United Parcel Service (UPS) is formed...

1920) The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago with Maude Wood Park named as the 1st president of the organization...

1924) IBM is founded by Thomas Watson...

1929) The "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" claims 7 victims, all rivals of Al Capone. The mobsters were cut down in a hail of bullets in a Chicago garage...

1932) The U.S. wins the 1st bobsled competition at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid...

1952) Comedian Joey Adams marries gossip columnist Cindy Heller (Cindy still has a column in New York)...

1962) First lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives us a televised tour of the White House...

1967) Aretha Franklin records "Respect" (written by Otis Redding) at the Atlantic Studios in New York...

1968) The Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central merge into Penn Central...

1972) "Grease" opens off-Broadway...

1974) The Captain and Tennille walk down the aisle...

1977) The B-52s debut at a Valentine's Day party in Athens, GA...

1977) Janis Ian receives hundreds of Valentine's Day cards after she reveals in the song "At Seventeen" that she never received any in her teen years...

1980) Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from the "CBS Evening News"...

1983) "Baby, Come to Me" by Patti Austin and James Ingram is #1 (the song was featured on the soap, "General Hospital"...

1984) Jayne Torvil and Christopher Dean of Britain win a gold medal at Saravejo for ice-dancing to Ravel's "Bolero"...

1984) Elton John and Renata Blauel say "I do" (the marriage lasts for 4 years. Huh ?)...

1988) In a great example of fatherly love, 50-year old Bobby Allison holds off a challenge from 26-year old son, Davey Allison, to take the Daytona 500...

1989) Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie for writing the novel "The Satanic Verses" (Happy Valentine's Day Salman)...

1989) Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the government of India for the devastating results of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak...

1989) Mike Tyson gives Robin Givens the greatest Valentine's Day gift ever, a divorce...

1994) The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia (51) marries Deborah Koons...

1995) Roseanne Barr marries bodyguard Ben Thomas...

1996) Prince and Mayte Garcia exchange vows...

2003) "Dolly" the cloned sheep is put to death at age 6 due to premature aging and disease (Dolly was the 1st mammal cloned)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Valentine's Day Birthdays To...

1921) Hugh Downs...

1931) Phyllis McGuire (sister Dorothy of the McGuire Sisters celebrated her 77th birthday yesterday)...

1934) Florence Henderson...

1942) New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg...

1948) Pat O'Brien (on Valentine's Day ? How appropriate)...

1948) Teller (of Penn and Teller)

Commentary...

Some things you may not know about Valentine's Day:

  • Cupid represents the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of Love. In Greek mythology, Cupid is known as Aphrodite's son Eros...
  • 192 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making it the 2nd most popular greeting card giving occasion (Christmas, Channukah, etc is 1st)...
  • California produces the most Valentine's Day chocolate and cocoa products in the U.S. Pennsylvania is 2nd...
  • Approximately 85% of all valentines are purchased by women...
  • Esther A. Howland is known as the Mother of Valentine's Day, obviously Bobby Valentine is the Father of Valentine's Day...
  • statistics courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau...

Today is the 45th day of 2006 with 320 days left in the year, Spring is 34 days away and pitchers and catchers just 2 days away. The opening day countdown will begin when pitchers and catchers report...


Monday, February 13, 2006

Monday, February 13, 2006

Dorothy goes over the rainbow for a pot of gold...

Michele Kwan's departure from the Turin(o) Winter Olympics over the weekend is the biggest story so far since the games began on Friday. Emily Hughes gets a chance now to stun the figure skating world by pulling a major upset. Now, let's turn back the clock 30 years to the Winter Olympics on this date in Innsbruck and see what happened in women's figure skating...

There were no surprises on this date in 1976 when Dorothy Hamill won a gold medal by wowing the judges with her signature spin called the "Hamill Camel". All Dorothy did was capture the hearts of America with her youthful innocence, good looks, flawless style and oh yes, the hairstyle that Life magazine referred to as the "wedge", "one of the most important fashion statements of the last 50 years"...

Dorothy Hamill has had a great run since winning the Olympics, continues to make appearances and is currently one of the judges on Fox's "Skating With Celebrities" but she'll never have a bigger day than she did on February 13, 1976...

More February 13 Memories...

1566) St. Augustine, Florida is founded (it's the oldest city in the U.S.)

1635) Boston Public Latin opens as the 1st public school in the U.S...

1914) ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is formed in New York City (it was founded to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members)...

1935) A Flemington, NJ jury finds Bruno Richard Hauptmann quilty of kidnapping and killing the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh (Hauptmann was later executed for the crimes)...

1937) The Prince Valiant comic strip appears for the 1st time...

1937) The NFL's Boston Redskins move to Washington, D.C...

1954) 8 years before Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in an NBA game, Frank Selvy of Furman University scores 100 against Newberry College (both schools in South Carolina) in a 149-95 victory...

1967) "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" by the Beatles is released...

1971) VP Spiro Agnew hits 3 spectators with his 1st 2 shots in the Bob Hope Desert Classic (1 woman is hospitalized)...

1976) Dorothy Hamill of Riverside, CT wins a gold medal in Innsbruck (feature story)...

1983) Marvin Gaye sings the national anthem at the NBA All-Star game...

1997) Discovery astronauts bring the Hubble Space Telescope aboard their space shuttle, repair it and send it back into space...

2001) A 6.6 magnitude earthquake kills at least 400 in El Salvador one month to the day another quake killed more than 800...

2002) Country singing legend Waylon Jennings dies at 64...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1923) Test pilot Chuck Yeager...

1933) Kim Novak...

1934) George Segal...

1942) Carol Lynley...

1942) The Monkees' Peter Tork...

1944) Stockard Channing...

1944) Jerry Springer...

1947) Duke's basketball "Coach K" Mike Krzyzewski...

1950) Peter Gabriel...

Today is the 44th day of 2006 with 321 days remaining in the year, 35 days until Spring (as we were reminded during the 26.9" record breaking snowfall) and just 3 days until pitchers and catchers...


Friday, February 10, 2006

Friday-Sunday, February 10-12, 2006

Light the flame...

Last week we had XL, this week it's XX as in "The Opening Ceremony of the XX Olympic Winter Games". Apparently even the Greeks had a thing for roman numerals. By the way shouldn't there be roman letters for "th" to follow XX ? Just asking. The biggest pre-Olympic controversy so far is whether it should be Turin or Torino. I don't know about you but I prefer Torino and so, apparently does the Olympic committee. Torino it is...

For the next 17 days, 418 hours in all, the NBC-TV family, NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC and for you HD buffs, NBC HD and Universal HD will carry the games until we all flame out. There are also reports that some residents of Paducah, Kentucky will be able to pick up the Olympics on their fillings in HD. You want Olympic coverage, you've got Olympic coverage. With that in mind we have Olympic moments sprinkled throughout the weekend timeline...

On this date in 1968 Peggy Fleming who was more "ice follies" than traditional figure skater, won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. On the same date (1992) Bonnie Blair raced to a gold medal in the 500-meter speed skating event at the Albertville Games in France becoming the first American woman to win gold medals in an event in consecutive Winter Olympics and what's more Olympic than this ? Mark Spitz who won 7 gold medals in swimming at the 1972 games in Munich was born on this date in 1950...

More February 10 Memories...

1870) The YWCA was founded in New York City (how come the Village People didn't do a song about them ?)...

1897) The New York Times begins printing "All the news that's fit to print" on their front page...

1933) The singing telegram is introduced by the Postal Telegram Company of New York City...

1942) The Normandie, the former French liner, capsizes in New York Harbor (after suffering a fire while being fitted for the U.S. Navy the day before)...

1956) Little Richard records "Long Tall Sally"...

1964) Bob Dylan releases the LP "The Times They Are A-Changin'"...

1968) Peggy Fleming wins a gold medal for figure skating at the Olympics (feature story)...

1970) Sly & the Family Stone top the charts with "Thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody Is a Star"...

1971) "Tapestry" is released by Carole King...

1980) The Captain & Tennille are #1 with "Do That to Me One More Time"...

1989) Ron Brown becomes the 1st black to head a major U.S. political party as chairman of the Democratic National Committee...

1992) Mike Tyson is convicted in Indianapolis of raping a Miss Black America contestant...

1992) "Roots" author Alex Haley dies at 70...

2005) North Korea publicly announces for the 1st time that it has nuclear arms...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1930) Robert Wagner...

1937) Roberta Flack...

1940) Jimmy Merchant of the Teenagers...

1950) Mark Spitz...

1955) Golfer Greg Norman...

1961) Broadcast journalist George Stephanopoulos...

Commentary...

The first Olympiad on record began in 776 B.C. but it probably started even earlier. Coroebus was the 1st victor in the games (which either means he won or he was the first "Victor", Victor Coroebus). In any event, the games had a revival in 1896 in Athens when only 14 nations took part. American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years (quite a drought). When the games begin tonight 85 nations will be represented and Bob Costas will mention every single nation in the opening ceremony, guaranteed. The most unique story I've seen so far is the transplanted Ethiopian who now lives in Lake Placid who is the Ethiopian team. I hope he wins but he's going back to Lake Placid after his event and won't have to face the wrath of Ethiopia if he loses. Let the games begin...

Today is the 41st day of 2006 with 324 days remaining in the year, 38 days until Spring and only 6 days until pitchers and catchers...

Saturday, February 11, 2006...

February 11 Memories...

1861) President-elect Abraham Lincoln departs Springfield, Illinois for Washington, D.C...

1878) The 1st U.S. bicycle club, the Boston Bicycle Club is formed...

1937) A sit-down strike against GM ends with the company agreeing to recognize the UAW union...

1957) The NHL Players Association is formed in New York City...

1960) Jack Paar walks off "The Tonight Show" over network censorship (censors had cut a joke about a "water closet" claiming it was in poor taste, Paar storms off the set in tears and doesn't return for a month)...

1964) The Beatles play their 1st U.S. concert at Washington D.C.'s Washington Coliseum. The Chiffons and Tommy Roe open with 8,600 screaming fans in attendance...

1965) Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox walk down the aisle (the couple will divorce in 1975)...

1968) The new nearly 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden (the 4th MSG) officially opens...

1979) Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seize power in Iran 9 days after the religious leader returns after 15 years of exile...

1982) ABC-TV's presentation of "The Winds of War" concludes (the 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most watched TV program in history at the time)...

1990) South African activist Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in prison...

1990) James (Buster) Douglas beats the unbeatable Mike Tyson to win the heavyweight crown in a 10th round KO in Tokyo...

1993) President Bill Clinton names Janet Reno the 1st female Attorney General...

2002) The Canadian pairs couple, David Pelletier and Jamie Sale are robbed of a gold medal when a French judge tries to fix the event to favor the Russians at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1926) Leslie Nielsen...

1934) Tina Louise...

1936) Burt Reynolds...

1940) Bobby (Boris) Pickett ("The Monster Mash")...

1962) Sheryl Crow...

1969) Jennifer Aniston...

Today is the 42nd day of 2006 with 323 days remaining in the year, 37 days until Spring and just 5 days until pitchers and catchers...

Sunday, February 12, 2006...

February 12 Memories...

1892) President Abraham Lincoln's birthday (which would have been his 83rd in 1892) is declared a national holiday...

1909) The NAACP is founded...

1915) The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial is laid in Washington, D.C...

1924) "The Eveready Hour", sponsored by the National Carbon Company becomes the 1st sponsored network radio show. The variety show, broadcast in New York City was also heard in Washington, D.C. and Providence...

1924) President Calvin Coolidge makes the 1st presidential political speech on radio...

1956) Screamin' Jay Hawkins records "I Put a Spell On You" (that's a very scary thought)...

1961) The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's 1st million selling record...

1971) James Cash (J.C.) Penney dies at 95 (the company closes for business for a half day as a memorial to the company's founder (they couldn't take the whole day off ?)...

1976) Actor Sal Mineo is found murdered in his drive way...

1983) Ragtime piano great Eubie Blake dies 5 days after his 100th birthday...

1989) Tiny Tim declares himself a New York City mayoral candidate but can't find any tulips to tiptoe through on Park Avenue...

1999) President Bill Clinton is acquitted of impeachment charges...

2000) Charles M. Schulz, creator of "Peanuts" dies in Santa Rosa, CA at 77...

2000) Hall of Fame football coach Tom Landry who led the Dallas Cowboys to 5 Super Bowls, dies at 75...

2004) Mattel announces that "Barbie" and "Ken" are breaking up. The pair met on the set of their 1st TV commercial in 1961 (there has been recent talk of a reconciliation)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1917) Dom DiMaggio...

1926) Joe Garagiola...

1934) Bill Russell...

1939) The Doors' Ray Manzarek...

1952) Michael McDonald...

1955) Arsenio Hall...

1968) Chynna Phillips...

Today is the 43rd day of 2006 with 322 days remaining in the year, 36 days until Spring and just 4, count em, 4 days until pitchers and catchers...


Thursday, February 9, 2006

Thursday, February 9, 2006

Reaching a milestone...

With that headline this should be a story about "The Flintstones". Mile-stone, Flint-stone, Bed-rock, get it ? Well in a way it is. It was on this date in 1997 that "The Flintstones" was surpassed in longevity by "The Simpsons" as the longest running prime-time animated series. In January of 2003 the Matt Groening creation passed "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" as the longest running sitcom (animated or other) ever in TV history...

Did someone mention awards ? How about 21 Emmy's, 22 Annie's and a Peabody among others ? Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, all the lovable Simpson characters came into our homes for the first time as a short on "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987. The first short "Good Night" aired on April 19, 1987. The series began on FOX in 1989 and has run as a weekly show ever since. The first full length episode was "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...

The actors voicing the show have for the most part remained the same with Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer and Marcia Wallace...

Not to worry about "The Simpsons" going off the air anytime soon, FOX is committed to the series through the 2007-2008 seasons...

More February 9 Memories...

1825) The U.S. House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes...

1870) The U.S. Weather Bureau is authorized by Congress giving the American public someone to kick around forever (the bureau is officially known as the National Weather Service)...

1895) The game of volley ball is invented by W.G. Morgan...

1942) Daylight-saving "War Time" goes into effect with clocks turned ahead one hour...

1950) Senator Joseph McCarthy charges that the State Department is filled with Communists as we usher in that fun era called "McCarthyism"...

1955) The McGuire Sisters are #1 with "Sincerely" (originally done by the Moonglows)...

1962) Neil Sedaka records his 1st version of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do"...

1964) The Beatles make their 1st appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

1971) The Apollo 14 spacecraft returns to Earth after man's 3rd landing on the moon...

1971) Satchel Paige becomes the 1st Negro League player elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame...

1973) Max Yasgur who owned the farm where the original Woodstock took place in 1969, dies...

1976) "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" tops the charts for Paul Simon (it's Simon's 1st #1 hit since the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel)...

1981) Bill Haley dies of a heart attack at his home in Harlingen, Texas. Haley was 56...

1983) Prince releases "Little Red Corvette"...

1997) "The Simpsons" becomes the longest-running prime-time animated series (feature story)...

2002) Britain's Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 71...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...

Happy Birthday To...

1922) Kathryn Grayson...

1928) Broadcast journalist Roger Mudd...

1942) Carole King...

1943) Barbara Lewis...

1943) Joe Pesci...

1945) Mia Farrow...

Today is the 40th day of 2006 with 325 days remaining in the year, 39 days until Spring and pitchers and catchers are getting closer with just 7 days remaining...


Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Wednesday, February 8, 2006

The first NFL Draft...

With the NFL Draft right around the corner (April 29-30) let's look back at the first-ever draft held 70 years ago today on February 8, 1936. The first player drafted by the NFL was also the first Heisman Trophy winner in 1935 only it wasn't called that yet. When University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger got the call from Manhattan's Downtown Athletic Club, he was told he was getting a trophy for being "the most valuable football player east of the Mississippi". It wasn't until the following year that the prize was renamed after the club's athletic director, John W. Heisman...

Jay Berwang-huh ? You might ask who this guy was and I would tell you that he called plays, ran, passed, punted, blocked, tackled, kicked off, kicked extra points and returned punts and kickoffs, whew. Of the 107 opposing team players he faced during his senior year, 104 said the six-foot, 195-pound halfback was the best they had ever seen. Jay was coached by the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg during his freshman year and was the only Heisman winner ever tackled by a future president of the United States, Gerald Ford. That happened in a game against Michigan in 1934...

Berwanger was drafted and signed by the Philadelphia Eagles but Chicago Bear coach George Halas acquired the rights to Jay. When Berwanger asked for $25,000 for a 2-year contract, Halas backed off and he would never play a game in the NFL, choosing instead to become a foam-rubber salesman. He would also write a sports column for the Chicago Daily News. The foam-rubber business paid off, making Berwanger a millionaire. The Heisman Trophy was given to his aunt Gussie who used it as a doorstop...

Jay Berwanger died of lung cancer on June 26, 2002 at the age of 88...

More February 8 Memories...

1910) The American version of the Boy Scouts (which had started in England) is started by William D. Boyce and called the Boy Scouts of America...

1915) Director D.W. Griffith's Civil War epic, "Birth of a Nation" premieres at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles (the 3-hour movie cost $100,000, a bloody fortune at the time)...

1922) President Warren Harding installs a radio in the White House (replacing the milk containers and string)...

1924) The 1st coast-to-coast radio broadcast takes place, a speech by the Bell Telephone VP to a meeting of a men's club in Chicago. Some 50 million people hear it in New York, Providence, Washington, D.C., Oakland and San Francisco...

1936) Jay Berwanger is the 1st player drafted by the NFL (feature story)...

1953) Walt Disney is featured on a one-hour special broadcast on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" (a year later Disney starts his own show)...

1961) Lawrence Welk is #1 with "Calcutta" (only one take was needed and the instrumental includes a harpsichord)...

1963) Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL franchise in Dallas moves to Kansas City and starts the Chiefs...

1965) The Supremes release "Stop! in the Name of Love"...

1969) The last issue of the Saturday Evening Post is published...

1969) George Harrison's tonsils are removed and destroyed in London so they cannot be sold (what would that fetch on eBay today ?)...

1971) The Nasdaq stock-market index debuts...

1971) "One Bad Apple" is #1 for The Osmonds...

1973) U.S. Senate leaders name 7 members of a select committe to investigate Watergate...

1974) Ringo Starr releases "You're 16"...

1980) President Jimmy Carter announces a plan to re-introduce draft registration (thanks Jimmuh)...

1981) "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang is #1 and becomes the theme song of the 1981 Super Bowl and is played for the 52 returning American hostages from Iran...

1981) Scott Hamilton, a 5 foot 3, 115 pound jumping jack, receives 2 perfect 6.0's winning the 1st of 4 straight titles in both national and world figure-skating as well as the gold medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics...

1986) 5' 7" Spud Webb of Atlanta wins the NBA Slam Dunk competition at the All-Star game...

1990) Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gun shot wound at the age of 50...

1992) Right Said Fred is #1 with "I'm Too Sexy"...

1993) General Motors sues NBC alleging that "Dateline NBC" rigged 2 car crashes showing some GM pickups were prone to fires (the suit is settled by NBC the following day)...

1998) NHL stars arrive for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, removing restrictions against professionals being used in the Olympics (as they were by the NBA "Dream Team" 6 years before in the Summer games at Barcelona)...

2004) Beyonce wins 5 Grammy Awards, tying the record for female performers held by Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keyes and Norah Jones...(The Grammy's air tonight on CBS-TV)...

To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources are used...

Happy Birthday To...

1932) Former Boston Pops conductor (1978-1995) and composer John Williams...

1940) Ted Koppel...

1941) Nick Nolte...

1942) Comedian Robert Klein...

1953) Mary Steenburgen...

1968) Gary Coleman...

Commentary...

Rex Trailer who made his mark in Philadelphia before starting the children's show "Boomtown" in Boston in 1956 needs some cheering up following a serious fall he suffered. You can send get well cards and notes to Rex at the following address. They will be much appreciated by New England's favorite cowboy:

Rex Trailer, Wingate at Sudbury, 136 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 01776

Today is the 39th day of 2006 with 326 days remaining in the year, 40 days until Spring and 8 days until pitchers and catchers report...