The heat is on...
Proving the old adage, "politics make strange bedfellows" George McGovern chose Thomas Eagleton as his running mate in his quest for the presidency in 1972 despite Eagleton's mental health problems. I mean, no one accused Eagleton of being as nutty as, say, a fruitcake or even an O'Henry bar but McGovern's running mate nevertheless had seen a shrink or two. With this knowledge in hand, Eagleton was forced to withdraw from the race and Kennedy in-law, Sargent Shriver replaced him. Frankly, I really think that listening to McGovern's impersonation of Liberace every day on the campaign trail would have done him in anyway. The date was July 31, 1972...
Let's flash ahead to July 31, 2006, which happens to be today and in a totally unrelated way present to you (thanks to those of you who supplied us with your picks) our "Hate Parade" list. Because of the names you've provided, the list has grown to a top 10 list which we will continue to update:
1) Barry Bonds (01) 65% polled by the New York Daily News want the government to continue to investigate Bonds for steroid usage...
2) Alex Rodriguez (02) A-Rod stays in the top 5 unless the Yankees win the world series...
3) Terrell Owens (05) Up 2 notches from #5 because training camp has started. Let's see how long the love-fest lasts between Bill Parcells and the most famous initials in America...
4) Floyd Landis (--) Debuts on our HP list. 62.5% believe the testosterone results in an ESPN poll...
5) Tiger Woods (03) Tiger drops 2 positions for winning the British Open and not whining and for winning one for dad...
6) Lance Armstrong (04) Drops 2 positions even though he backs Landis. 71.8% don't believe the allegations against Lance in an ESPN poll...
7) Jose Canseco (--) He should have been on the original list. How could I forget him ?
8) Mike Tyson (--) Ditto...
9) Ron Artest (--) Ditto #2...
10) Pete Rose (--) Back in the spotlight after another Hall of Fame induction - something he'll never see...
Bumbling under: Venus and Serena Williams, Latrell Sprewell, Kobe Bryant, Charles Barkley, Rafael Palmeiro and Reggie Jackson...
For your future votes: No deceased people or folks who have been out of the spotlight and not likely to return to it, will be used...Thank you for voting and when you exit the ballpark, drive home safely...
Ten Timeline Memories...
1928] MGM's Leo the lion roars for the 1st time when he's introduced to the big screen for "White Shadows on the South Seas" (Leo was more famous than anyone in the movie)...
1948] President Harry S. Truman helps dedicate Idlewild International Airport (later changed to JFK) with N.Y. Governor (and his upcoming opponent in the Presidential election) Thomas Dewey and Mayor William O'Dwyer in attendance. There was coverage on both radio & TV...
1964] The American space probe, Ranger 7 transmits pictures of the moon's surface back to earth...
1964] Country singer Jim Reeves dies when the single-engine Beechcraft that he was piloting goes down during a violent thunderstorm near his home in Nashville. His business partner and manager, Dean Manuel is also killed. "Gentleman Jim" was just 40...
1968] The Beatles recording of "Hey Jude" is completed at Trident Studios in London...
1976] The U.S. picks up 5 gold medals in boxing at the Montreal Olympics. Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael and Leon Spinks, Howard Davis and Leo Randolph are the winners (Sugar Ray, Michael and Leon Spinks will make their mark in professional boxing)...
1979] James Taylor plays a free concert in Central Park to help the city's campaign to restore the park's Sheep Meadow...
1981] The 7-week baseball players strike comes to an end when the players and owners agree on the issue of free agent compensation...
1990] Nolan Ryan becomes the 20th major league pitcher to win 300 games as his Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3...
1995] The Walt Disney Company agrees to buy Capital Cities-ABC Inc. for $19 billion (the rich get richer)...
Released on this date: 1976] "Still The One" - Orleans..."Don't Fear The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult...
[To ensure accuracy of the dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"E-mails"...
Got a nice note from the "Morning Mayor" of New York City, Harry Harrison who's enjoying life. Harry's note pad includes his signature, "Every brand new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift"...We miss you Harry...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
Dean Cain (40), J.K. Rowling (41), Wesley Snipes (44), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (55), Gary Lewis (60), William Weld (61), Sherry Lansing (62), Geraldine Chaplin (62), Ahmet Ertegun (83)...
[Timeline countdown: 36 days until Labor Day, 40 days until NFL kickoff, 65 days until MLB playoffs and 153 days remaining in 2006]
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