Friday-Sunday, December 8-10, 2006

From me to you: a great big, global 'Thank You'... I had no idea what to expect when I started this blog in May of 2005. I just knew I wanted to share my memories with you and form a connection between the 2 of us. One of the first lessons I learned at the School of Radio and Television Technique, which now 'sleeps with the fishes' at the bottom of the Hudson River was this: 1) Talk as if you're talking to just one person. The second lesson was learned at the end of the one-year course and it was this: 2) Now take everything (diction, pronunciation, enunciation, etc.) you've learned and throw it all away. Do it your way. I liked that one a lot and I've applied both in my writing. If I can jog one memory from each of you each day, I've done my job... Based on your feedback, it's often just mentioning your favorite song, disc jockey, radio station, TV show or event. Maybe it's a video link or particular feature. Whatever it is, I wanted to thank you for being so supportive... MPR has become global and I'd like to acknowledge where you're clicking from. Over 80% of you are in the U.S. The rest of you are in Canada (eh), Britain, Japan, Germany, Peru, New Zealand, India, France, Denmark and Argentina... To all of you: Thank you. As long as you keep reading, I'll be writing... Today's video link contains the 1st Beach Boys release on December 8th. 1961. Know what it is? Click on and find out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_bwdjDtscI Timeline Memories for December 8th... [1776] General George Washington crosses the Delaware with the retreating American Revolutionary Army, from New Jersey to Pennsylvania (I hope they had more than one boat)... [1863] President Abraham Lincoln announces his plan for the 'Reconstruction of the South' (does it include moving north?)... [1940] The Chicago Bears scalp the Washington Redskins 73-0. It's not only the biggest one-sided score in NFL history but officials make da Bearrssss run for their final extra point. They ran out of footballs - true story... [1941] The U.S. enters WWII one day after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor... [1952] TV history is made. For the 1st time, a pregnancy is mentioned - on "I Love Lucy". Ricky asks Looocy to "splain it to him" but Fred and Ethel are more mystified and spend an entire episode searching for the stork... [1961] The Beach Boys release their 1st single (see video link above to find out what it was)... [1962] A newspaper strike shuts down 9 New York City dailies. The strike lasts 114 days, ending April 1, 1963 - no April Fool's... [1966] The Yankees make one of their worst trades in history sending Roger Maris to St. Louis for the immortal Charlie Smith. Maris plays in the next 2 world series and Smith gets to the series by paying admission... [1980] John Lennon is fatally shot by Mark David Chapman... "Happy Trails": 1964] Actor William Bendix (who played Chester Riley in "Life of Riley" and Babe Ruth) dies of lobar pneumonia at 58...1978] Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir dies in Jerusalem of cancer at 80...1982] Singer Marty Robbins dies of heart failure at 57... Ban the Bomb: 1987] President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev sign a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles... A King's ransom: 1963] Frank Sinatra Jr. is kidnapped but is returned for an undisclosed ransom... Conspiracy theory: 1999] A Memphis jury finds that Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was the victim of a vast murder conspiracy and not a lone assassin... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]... Commentary... Do you know the reward for using steroids? Apparently $5 million. That's the two-year deal that Mets GM Omar Minaya gave relief pitcher Guillermo Mota yesterday. In case you're not aware of it, Mota violated major league baseball's drug policy and will sit for the first 50 games next season. But hey, when he returns he's on his way to his first million. What a great country! Whether he performed well for the Mets last year and has become a valuable piece of the bullpen of not, it doesn't matter. My team or not. Doesn't matter. What matters is this. You set a bad precedent when you reward a player for violating a drug policy. It's just wrong. C'mon Omar. You know better than that... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Dominic ("Lost") Monaghan (30), Sinead O'Connor (40), Teri Hatcher (42), Kim Basinger (53), Gregg Allman (59), Jerry Butler (68), James ("book 'im Dan-O") MacArthur (69), David Carradine (70) and Maximilian Schell (76)... ... Saturday, December 9, 2006... Timeline Memories... [1940] The timebuy is born as the Longines Watch Company signs the 1st FM radio advertising contract with experimental W2XOR in New York City... [1975] President Ford signs a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from defaulting despite his "Drop Dead" message to New York... [1977] The Lakers Kermit Washington punches Rudy Tomjanovich in the face during a game. Tomjanovich would need facial reconstruction and collects $2 million from the Lakers in a settlement. Washington is fined $10,000 and suspended for 60 days... [1990] Lech Walesa wins Poland's 1st direct presidential election in the country's history... "Happy Trails": 1979] Religious broadcaster Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen dies of natural causes at 84...1981] Orioles lead singer Sonny Til dies of a heart attack at 51... The Final Curtain: 1984] The Jacksons play their last show together in Los Angeles... Released on this date: 1963] "Meet The Supremes" (LP)...1972] "Crocodile Rock" - Elton John...1978] "Soul Man" - Blues Brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd)...1995] "Anthology I" - Beatles (following the showing of the 6-hour ABC documentary. "Free As A Bird" the 1st new Beatle tune in 25 years is part of the package)... Stop the presses: 1793] "The American Minerva" becomes New York's 1st daily newspaper (founded by Noah Webster who gave us our 1st dictionary)... "Signed, Sealed, Delivered": 1907] Christmas Seals go on sale for the 1st time in the Wilmington (DE) post office (proceeds went to fight tuberculosis)... Debuted on this date: 1958] "The John Birch Society" is formed in Indianapolis (IN) by Robert H.W. Welch Jr. and 11 others (as an anti-communist society)... Wedding Bells: 1967] LBJ's daughter Lynda marries a Marine, Charles Robb in the White House (Robb would become Governor of Virginia). They celebrate their 39th anniversary on Saturday... "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1992] Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana announce their separation... "TCB": 1968] The Supremes and Temptations special airs on NBC-TV... Chapter 11: 2002] United Airlines (after losing $4 billion during the previous 2 years)... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Felicity Huffman (44), Donny Osmond (49), John Malkovich (53), Beau Bridges (65), Judi Dench (72), Buck Henry (76), Dick Van Patten (78), Dina Merrill (81) and Kirk Douglas (88)... ... Sunday, December 10, 2006... Timeline Memories... [1958] The 1st domestic passenger jet flight in the U.S. takes 111 passengers from New York to Miami (round-trip? or do they leave them there?) on a National Airlines Boeing 707... [1971] Joseph Durso (N.Y.Times) called it "the worst trade in baseball history" (and no one is arguing) as the Mets send Nolan Ryan to the Angels for Jim Fregosi (all Ryan would do is pitch 7 no-hitters and become the greatest strikeout pitcher in history while Fregosi would hit .232 in his brief career as a Met)... [1991] WNEW (AM) signs off at 1130 on the dial, becoming business radio WBBR (knowing this was coming WQXR adapts a similar WNEW type format as WQEW on Dec. 2nd)... "Happy Trails": 1967] 26-year old Otis Redding is killed along with most of the Bar-Kays in a small plane crash in Wisconsin...1996] Country singer Faron Young dies from a self-inflicted shotgun wound at 64...1999] Rick Danko of The Band dies in his sleep at 56... Nobel Peace Prize: 1896] Swedish chemist (who invented dynamite) Alfred Bernhard Nobel dies in Italy...1901] The 1st Nobel Peace Prize is awarded...1906] Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 1st American president to win the award...1931] Jane Addams becomes the 1st American woman to win...1950] Ralph J. Bunche becomes the 1st black American to win the award...1964] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the youngest person to win the award...

1984] South African Bishop Desmond Tutu receives the award...1994] Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin win the peace prize...2002] Former President Jimmy Carter accepts the peace prize for his diplomacy in the Middle East in the 70s...

Recorded on this date: 1949] "The Fat Man" - Fats Domino...

Released on this date: 1953] Hugh Hefner publishes the 1st Playboy (featuring a photo of Marilyn Monroe) with an initial investment of $7,600 (how did that work out?)...1976] "Wings Over America" (LP) - Paul McCartney...1984] "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - Band-Aid (for famine relief)...

Debuted on this date: 1963] At the age of 6, Donny Osmond makes his debut with the Osmonds on NBC-TV's "Andy Williams Show"...1965] The Grateful Dead play their 1st concert at the Fillmore in SF...

"Turn Out The Lights, The Party's Over": 1983] The Steelers beat the Jets 34-7 in the last NFL game played at Shea Stadium...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Kenneth Branagh (46), Susan Dey (54), Ralph Tavares (58) and Chad Stuart (Chad & Jeremy) (65)...

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until Chanukah, 15 days until Christmas, 21 days until 2007, 27 days until the NFL playoffs, 29 days until the BCS championship game and 56 days until Super Bowl XLI...

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