Friday-Sunday, December 1-3, 2006

Weekend showdowns...

It's 66 (WNBC) degrees as we speak - headed for the low 70's, a new record high as we enter December and that can mean only one thing: it's time for football??? Weather or not, 1st place in the NFC East is up for grabs at the Meadowlands on Sunday when the Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys. With all the trash talk this week between Giant teammates and even a few between teams, it figures to be a real war as only Giant-Cowboy games can be. In the 1st meeting between the 2 teams, a Monday Night Football affair on October 23rd, the Giants beat the 'Boys in Dallas 36-22. Dallas leads the series 51-35-2 but the Giants hold a 17-12 edge at Giants Stadium. The Big Tuna is back in town to face his former team and Jeremy Shockey's column in the New York Post says: Forget The Negativity - Win And We Are Back In 1st Place. It should be quite the game. By the way, if you're looking for tickets, StubHub! has 26 tickets for sale ranging in price from $223 to $1,667. How many do you want ???

College football will not be denied this weekend as the USC Trojans face cross-town rival UCLA. Should SC win, they will play in the BCS Championship game against Ohio State with #1 on the line. The Trojans lead the series 41 games to 27. UCLA has the longest winning streak in the rivalry, 8 years (1991-1998) but USC is catching up, winning the last 7 (1999-2005). There are a few scattered seats left at the Rose Bowl ranging in price from $148 to $195 each...

The USC-UCLA game is a 4:30est start on Saturday - the Giants and Cowboys tee it up Sunday at 4:15pm. Are you ready for some football???

Video link alert:

Stand by for a weekend video link that's guaranteed to brighten your Friday up...at the end of MPR...

December 1st Timeline Memories...

1. [1824] With no candidate receiving a majority of the vote in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives decides that John Quincy Adams is chosen over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay (what'd they do, flip a coin?)...
2. [1917] Father Edward Flanagan opens "Boy's Town" in Nebraska (the farm village was designed for wayward boys). In 1979 it became co-ed. The Hollies' hit "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" was written as a tribute to Boys Town...
3. [1924] The 1st pro hockey game in the U.S. is played at the Boston Arena with the Bruins beating the Montreal Maroons (not Morons) 2-1 (both teams had just joined the 7-year old NHL. Boston became the 1st U.S. team)...
4. [1955] Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (AL), marking a milestone in the civil rights movement...
5. [1965] An airlift of refugees from Cuba to the U.S. begins (how come they didn't bring their cigars with them?)...
6. [1969] Charles Rangel will be happy to note that the U.S. government held its 1st draft lottery since WWII...
7. [1997] Golden State's Latrell Sprewell chokes in practice...chokes his coach (P.J. Carlesimo) that is. He's suspended for one year and the remainder of his 4-year, $23 million contract was terminated. Sprewell's career ended in 2004. Carlesimo is still coaching..

"Happy Trails": 1973] David Ben-Gurion, the founding father of Israel and its 1st prime minister dies of natural causes at 87...

Released on this date: 1982] Epic Records releases its all-time selling LP "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, which feeds everyone working for CBS Records for a couple of years or so, thank you very much...

Debuted on this date: 1913] The 1st service station opens in Pittsburgh...1942] Nationwide gas rationing begins in the U.S. (to conserve fuel for WWI). Jeez, I hope Charles Rangel doesn't see this...1957] Buddy Holly & the Crickets ("That'll Be The Day") and Sam Cooke ("You Send Me") make their debuts on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

Wedding Bells: 1960] Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee become America's favorite couple as they rock down the aisle (they will divorce in 1967)...1998] Exxon announces the purchase of Mobil for $73.7 billion creating the largest company in the world...

"The Name Game": 1997] Westinghouse formally changes its name to CBS...

"Guilty as charged": 1992] In Mineola (LI), Amy Fisher is sentenced to 5 to 15 for the shooting and serious wounding of Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Fisher a.k.a. the "Long Island Lolita" was having an affair with Mary Jo's husband - Joey (Amy is now out of prison and we don't care where Joey is)...

The Final Curtain: 1968] Janis Joplin makes her final appearance with Big Brother & the Holding Company...2004] Tom Brokaw signs off for the last time as anchor of NBC Nightly News (Brokaw occasionally does special reports now)...

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

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Carol Alt (46), Treat Williams (55), Gilbert O'Sullivan (60), Bette Midler (61), Lee Trevino (67), Woody Allen (71) and Billy Paul (72)...

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Saturday, December 2, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

1. [1816] The 1st savings bank (the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society) opens for business...
2. [1956] San Francisco University's Bill Russell stars as the USA picks up a gold medal in basketball with an 89-55 trouncing of Russia at the Melbourne (Australia) Olympics (and we all know where he will star next)...
3. [1959] Bobby Darin is the surprised subject on "This Is Your Life" (boy would I like to see that again)...
4. [1964] Ringo Starr's tonsils are removed (what would that fetch on ebay today???)...
5. [1982] Barney Clark (a retired dentist) receives the 1st artificial heart. He will live for 112 days...
6. [1998] Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates donates $100 million to immunize children in developing countries (something Gates continues to do). How can anyone criticize this guy???

"Happy Trails": 1967] New York City's Cardinal Francis Spellman dies of natural causes at 78...

#1 on this date: 1957] "You Send Me" - Sam Cooke...1963] "Dominique" - The Singing Nun a.k.a. Sister Luc-Gabrielle...1974] "Kung Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas...1979] "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" - Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand...

Released on this date: 1972] "You're So Vain" - Carly Simon...

"Guilty as charged": 1991] The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Shirelles, B.J. Thomas and Gene Pitney are owed $1.2 million in unpaid royalties...1994] "Hollywood Madam" a.k.a. Heidi Fleiss is convicted in Los Angeles on 3 counts of "pandering" (Charlie Sheen is #1 with a bullet on Heidi's list)...

Debuted on this date: 1901] Gillette patents the 1st disposable razor...1927] Ford rolls out their Model A, the successor to the Model T (it's yours for $385)...1939] New York's LaGuardia Airport begins operations as a plane from Chicago lands at 12:01am...1969] Boeing shows off its 747 jumbo jet for the media...1983] MTV airs Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video (the LP was released in 1982)...

"D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1979] Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge (they were married in 1973)...

"I'm Your Leader": 1961] Fidel Castro declares himself a Marxist-Leninist who will lead Cuba to Communism (he also leads them to ruin)...

"The Name Game": 1992] WQEW replaces WQXR on 1560 in New York (WQEW adapts a nostalgia music WNEW-AM type format that won't be successful)...

Chapter 11: 2001] Enron Corp. files for chapter 11 after Dynegy walks away from an $8.4 billion buyout (it's the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Britney Spears (25) (more pictures???), Nelly Furtado (28), Monica Seles (33), Lucy Liu (38), Stone Phillips (52), Cathy Lee Crosby (62), Julie Harris (81) and Alexander ("I'm in charge now") Haig (82)...

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Sunday, December 3, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

1. [1833] Oberlin College (OH) opens as the 1st codeducational school of higher education in the U.S...
2. [1949] Notre Dame stretches its unbeaten streak to 4 seasons and 38 games by beating the Kyle Rote SMU Mustangs 27-20 (The Irish win their 7th national title)...
3. [1961] The Beatles meet Brian Epstein for the 1st time in his record store in Liverpool...
4. [1967] Dr. Christian Barnard performs the 1st human heart transplant (patient Louis Washkansky lives for 18 days with his new heart)...
5. [1968] Elvis Presley launches a new phase in his career with his "Elvis" TV Special...
6. [1979] 11 fans are crushed to death at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a concert by The Who (laws are changed following this tragedy to prevent "first-come, first-served" type seating in the future)...
7. [2002] Thousands of files showing that the Archdiocese of Boston protected clergy after sex and drug abuse charges are released...

"Happy Trails": 1994] AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser (and wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser) dies at 47 (she and her 2 children were infected after a blood transfusion. Daughter Ariel would also succumb to the disease. Her son Jake survived)...

Released on this date: 1965] "Rubber Soul" (LP) - The Beatles...1973] "You're Sixteen" - Ringo Starr...

Debuted on this date: 1931] Alka Seltzer "plop-plops and fizz, fizzes" for the 1st time...1950] "Page 2" ...Paul Harvey begins his national radio broadcast (and he's still on)...1966] The 1st Monkees concert is performed in Hawaii (Honolulu). Hey, ya gotta start somewhere...

"How low can you go?": 1968] The major league pitching mound is lowered from 15" to 10' to get more offense in the game (it does that!)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Holly Marie Combs (33), Katarina Witt (41), Daryl Hannah (46), Julianne Moore (46), Ozzy Osbourne (58), Jaye P. Morgan (75), Andy Williams (79) and Ferlin Husky (81)...

Timeline Countdown: 12 days until Chanukah, 22 days until Christmas, 28 days until 2007, 35 days until the NFL playoffs and 63 days until Super Bowl XLI in Miami...

As promised....our video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BErZbkRzN8Y&mode=related&search= Bang those drums...it's the weekend.

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