"The Good...The Bad...The Ugly"...
The Good
What an impressive performance by Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, Ohio State QB and I'm not referring to his stats. He was quite the eloquent speaker in his acceptance speech, thanking everyone that helped him turn his troubled life around. His highest praise was for the man he calls his dad, high school coach Tedd Ginn Sr. who practically raised Smith from age 7. His passionate and courageous speech was from the heart, Smith didn't need any notes. This was one moment in the world of sports that transcended athletic ability...
The Bad
You may have missed this item but Serena Williams' 5-year old pit bull allegedly bit a security guard outside her Palm Beach Gardens (FL) home. According to the police report, the pit bull ran toward Michael Norton and bit Norton in the left rear buttocks which was protected by a wallet in his back pocket. Williams told police she didn't own the dog, she was just watching it for a friend. When Palm Beach police checked to find the real dog's owner, to no one's surprise they found that the dog was registered to..........Serena Williams. Doggone...
The Ugly
Early Saturday morning, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Deltha O'Neal was charged with a DUI for a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 which is above Ohio's legal limit of 0.08. O'Neal must appear in court tomorrow to explain his off-the-field behavior. The Bengal veteran is the 8th Cincinnati player to be arrested this year. At 8-5 the Bengals have a shot at the playoffs but they're already in 1st place in arrests...
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On this date in 1960, Aretha Franklin made her New York debut at the Village Vanguard. The following year Aretha was on Columbia Records. Signed by the legendary John Hammond, Columbia took Aretha in a very safe but benign musical direction and she wouldn't become the queen that we know until she went to Atlantic Records. Our video link today features Aretha playing and singing one of 8 Columbia singles that would chart for her. The video is from 1961. Enjoy Aretha before she was coronated "The Queen": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnPoMmhPuG8
Timeline Memories...
- [1872] Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (what was his name before he changed it?) becomes America's 1st black governor when he takes office as acting governor of Louisiana...
- [1936] Britain's King Edward VIII abdicates the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson (now...that's love)...
- [1946] UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Fund) is established to provide relief to children in countries devastated by war (one of the few good things to come from this organization)...
- [1951] Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio retires after a 13-year career (Di Maggio will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. His last year marked the career start for another Baseball HOFer, Mickey Mantle)...
- [1975] The Yankees pick up 3 very good players in 2 separate trades: Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers and Ed Fiqueroa...
- [1982] Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing put on a show as Sampson leads Virginia to a 68-63 victory over Georgetown (Sampson knocks down 23 with 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots while Ewing scores 16 with 8 boards and 5 blocked shots. Sampson will be drafted at #1 by Houston in 1983 and Ewing #1 with that famous and controversial lottery pick by the Knicks in 1985)...
- [1988] Don Henley, Tom Petty, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt put on a benefit show in Los Angeles in tribute to Roy Orbison...
- [1997] Jewel, Sinead O'Connor and Emmylou Harris perform the Beatles' "In My Life" together at the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway...
- [2000] Alex Rodriguez agrees to a $252 million deal (who wouldn't?) with Texas. It's the most lucrative sports contract in history (the Yankees will inherit this contract and assure themselves that they'll never win a world series with A-Rod on the team. The curse of A-Rod continues into the 2007 season)...
"Happy Trails": 1964] Sam Cooke is fatally shot at the Hacienda Motel (Los Angeles) under mysterious conditions. The legendary singer who have been 34 in a month...
Final Curtain: 1981] Muhammad Ali fights his last fight, losing to Trevor Berbick (Ali retires with a 56-5 record and 37 KO's...
Recorded on this date: 1958] "Charlie Brown" - Coasters...
Debuted on this date: 1960] Aretha Franklin makes her New York City debut at the Village Vanguard...
Released on this date: 1971] "Anticipation" - Carly Simon...
Wedding Bells: 1957] Jerry Lee Lewis secretly marries his 13-year old third cousin Myra Gale Brown (it's the Killer's 3rd marriage but only the 1st for Myra)...1985] GE agrees to buy RCA for $6.3 billion. Included in the deal is NBC Radio & Television, some old RCA mics, transmitter tubes and Don Pardo's 1st contract, written on parchment)...
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1990] Ivana tells Donald Trump: "YOU'RE FIRED" (the marriage lasted 12 years)...
"Yeah Right": 1991] A West Palm Beach jury acquits William Kennedy Smith of sexual assault and battery, rejecting the allegations of Patricia Bowman...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Teri Garr (57), Brenda Lee (62), John Kerry (63), Donna Mills (64), David Gates (66) and Rita Moreno (75)...
Timeline Countdown: 4 days until Chanukah, 14 days until Christmas, 20 days until 2007, 26 days until the NFL playoffs, 28 days until the BCS championship game and 55 days until Super Bowl XLI...
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