Friday-Sunday, February 23-25, 2007

This DJ was always rated #1... Dennis Johnson was remembered by his former teammates. Larry Bird who once called DJ "the best player I've ever played with" had this to say when he heard of Johnson's passing from a heart attack at 52, "he told me once, I'm a horrible shooter. But give me the ball down the stretch and I'll hit it every time." Kevin McHale who played with DJ when the Celtics won the NBA titles in '84 and '86 had this to say, "What a sad, sad day. This one really hits you." Danny Ainge put it this way, "he found more ways to help us win than any other player I've ever played with." Steve Kerr, an NBA opponent called DJ "the ultimate competitor and a fierce defender."... Dennis Johnson, a 5-time NBA All-Star, suffered a fatal heart attack yesterday in Austin, Texas where he was the coach of the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. He collapsed after a team practice and never recovered. DJ will be missed... David Hinckley has an article in the New York Daily News that's worth reading. David reports that Howard (no "K") Stern is no longer the #1 talker in radio. You can read his comments by clicking this link: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/v-pfriendly/story/499943p-421559c.html ... There are 2 video links today, the first one is included in the "#1 on this date" timeline and video link #2 is in "Grammy Gold"... Timeline Memories... Grammy Gold: 1978] "Record of the Year:" "Hotel California" - The Eagles, "Song of the Year": "Hotel California"/"Love Theme from A Star is Born" - Barbra Streisand (tie). "New Artist": Debby Boone...1983] "Record": "Roseanna" - Toto, "Song": "Always on my Mind" - Willie Nelson, "New Artist": Men at Work...2000] "Record/Song": "Smooth" - Santana (with Rob Thomas) Video link of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2JiytxJVAE "New Artist": Christina Aguilera (Santana ties Michael Jackson, winning 8 Grammy Awards)...2003] "Record"/"Song": "Don't Know Why" - Norah Jones (Jones also wins for "Best New Artist" and ties Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys (and since tied by Beyonce) with 5 Grammy Awards... Salking it to ya: 1954] The 1st mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh... "Please Come To Boston": 1822] Boston is incorporated as a city... "Remember the Alamo": 1836] The seige of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas... "Tootsie Roll": 1896] The Tootsie Roll is introduced by transplanted European Leo Hirshfield. The Tootsie Pop came along in 1931 (tell me there's a better tasting Tootsie Pop than the cherry flavor)... "Going in Circles": 1905] The Rotary Club is founded in Chicago by Attorney Paul Harris and 3 others... "Signed, Sealed, Delivered": 1927] President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill creating the Federal Radio Commission. On July 1, 1934 the name will be changed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...1983] Junior running back Herschel Walker of Georgia becomes the highest paid player in football history when he signs a $1.5 million a year contract with Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals of the USFL... No lie: 1940] Walt Disney's animated classic "Pinocchio" is released... Planting Old Glory: 1945] U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima capture Mount Suribachi and plant the American flag in a classic moment captured for generations to come by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize winning photo... "Happy Trails": 1965] Stan Laurel (Laurel & Hardy) dies in his sleep following a heart attack at 74...1995] Melvin Franklin, bass singer of the Temptations dies of heart failure at 52... Released on this date: 1963] "He's So Fine" - Chiffons...1974] "Piano Man" - Billy Joel... #1 on this date: 1959] "Stagger Lee" - Lloyd Price (originally an old folk song, "Stack-O-Lee"). Video link of Lloyd Price and John Fogerty singing the song at Price's 1998 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgsN7Y9ZL8s 1969] "Everyday People" - Sly and the Family Stone... "You bet your sweet Bippy": 1970] Ringo Starr guest stars on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" in his 1st solo appearance on TV... Brooklyn boo-hoos: 1960] Millions mourn in Brooklyn as the wrecking ball, designed as a baseball, begins the demolition of Ebbets Field, the home of the Dodgers from 1913 to 1957... Winter Gold: 1980] Skater Eric Heiden wins the 4th of 5 gold medals at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Two nights later he wins an unprecedented 5th gold medal... "Have a Seat": 1985] Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight, angered by officials, flings a chair across the basketball court. Bobby is ejected from the game against Purdue but gets a 5.5. in "chair tossing"... "Family Feud": 1993] Gary Coleman wins a $1,280,000 lawsuit against his parents (for stunting his growth?)... Madman goes berserk: 1997] A Palestinian madman opens fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, killing one person and wounding 6 before taking his own life. A classmate of my son Robert, Matt Gross was shot in the head and suffered permanent brain damage. His brother Daniel started a successful anti-violence group... "Guilty as Charged": 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... "Hello Dolly": 1997] Scientists in Scotland confirm the successful cloning of the lamb named Dolly... Schindler Unplugged: 1997] NBC-TV airs an uncut version of "Schindler's List" to an audience of 65 million... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Dakota Fanning (13), Kristin Davis (42), Bobby Bonilla (44), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (56), Rusty (Poco) Young (61), Johnny Winter (63) and Peter Fonda (67)... Timeline Countdown: 26 days until spring and 37 days until Opening Day... ... Saturday, February 24, 2007... Timeline Memories... Phat Tuesday: 1868] The 1st parade to use floats? The New Orleans Mardi Gras... "Guantanamo-ra": 1903] An area in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased to the U.S. for use as a naval base... A brush-off: 1938] The 1st nylon bristle toothbrush is made by DuPont... Beatlethon: 1964] The Beatles appear (on video tape) on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the 3rd Sunday in a row... Recorded on this date: 1965] "Help Me Rhonda" - Beach Boys... Barry and Ray: 1978] "The Second Barry Manilow Special" airs on ABC-TV with guest Ray Charles... Released on this date: 1979] "Roxanne" - The Police... "Grammy Gold": 1982] Pat Benatar receives a Grammy for "Fire and Ice" and Al Jarreau is "Best Pop Male Vocalist"...1983] Kim Carnes wins a Grammy for "Record of The Year" for "Bette Davis Eyes"...1993] Eric Clapton wins 6 Grammy Awards for the song "Tears in Heaven", a tribute to his late son...1999] Lauryn Hill wins 5 Grammy's for her debut solo album... Winter Gold: 1980] The U.S. hockey team wins a gold medal after beating Finland 4-2 at the Lake Placid Winter Games...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... "Murder She Wrote": 1981] Jean Harris is convicted of murdering Scarsdale Diet Dr. Tarnower. HBO makes a movie out of it in 2006... "The King and I": 1987] Larry King suffers a heart attack requiring quintuple bypass surgery which is a success... "Is that plant moving?": 1989] Stalker Margaret Ray is found in David Letterman's home in Connecticut claiming to be his wife. Letterman is not amused... Wedding Bells: 1992] Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love rock down the aisle. The marriage is cut short by the death of Cobain in April, 1994... "Wayne's World...Wayne's World": 1992] The movie starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey opens in U.S. theaters (schhhhhwiiiiing!)... "Saturday Night still Alive": 1994] Garrett Morris is shot during a robbery but eventually recovers from his wounds... "Call me Sir": 1998] Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II... "Happy Trails": 1998] Henny Youngman dies of pneumonia at 91... "Not that there's anything wrong with it": 2004] President George W. Bush urges approval of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. It doesn't happen... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Paula Zahn (51), Eddie Murray (51), Rupert Holmes (60), Barry Bostwick (62), Ct. Senator Joseph Lieberman (65), Zell (and yell) Miller (75), my neighbor - Uncle Junior of 'The Sopranos', Dominic Chianese (76) and a person I frequently see on my walks - Abe ("Fish") Vigoda (86)... Timeline Countdown: 25 days until spring and 36 days until Opening Day... ... Sunday, February 25, 2007... Timeline Memories... "Eat Your Words": 1964] That's what Cassius Clay said after upsetting Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship when Liston couldn't answer the bell for round 7... "Happy Trails": 1983] Playwright Tennessee Williams is found in his New York hotel suite after choking on a bottle cap. Williams was 71... Who sat at the card table?: 1793] George Washington holds the 1st cabinet meeting on record, at his home... Samuel Gunn: 1836] Inventor Samuel Colt receives a patent for the Colt 45 (the gun, not the malt liquor)... Dropping the puck: 1940] The Rangers and Montreal play the 1st televised NHL game on W2XBS in New York, using just one camera in a fixed position. The Rangers beat the Canadiens 6-2 at Madison Square Garden... What a Show!: 1950] "Your Show of Shows" debuts on NBC-TV and Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris become household names. Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Neil Simon wrote for this show... A legend falls: 1989] After 29 seasons and 2 Super Bowl rings as Dallas coach, Tom Landry is dumped by new Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jimmy Johnson replaces Landry... "Grammy Gold": 1992] James Brown receives a "Lifetime Achievement" Grammy...1998] Bo Diddley and Roy Orbison also win the award... "Holy Cow": 1994] That was the reaction by Phil Rizzuto when told he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame at age 76... "Guilty as Charged": 1997] A jury in Media (PA) convicts multimillionaire John E. DuPont of 3rd degree murder but decides he was mentally ill when he killed world-class wrestler and neighbor, David Schultz...2002] Former NBA star Jayson Williams of the Nets is charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of his limo driver at Williams estate in Alexandria Township (NJ). In April of 2006, an appeals court ruled that Williams can be retried...2005] Municipal employee and church leader Dennis Rader is arrested for the BTK serial killings that terrorized Wichita, Kansas. He is now serving a 10 to life sentence... Acquitted: 2000] A jury in Albany (NY) acquits 4 NYPD officers of 2nd-degree murder and lesser charges in the February, 1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo... Controversy is his middle name: 2004] Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" opens on Ash Wednesday... Lucy look: 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 in the Olympics. Tonya will not letter... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Rashida Jones (31), Sean Astin (36) Scott Thompson a.k.a. "Carrot Top" (42), Tea Leoni (42), Sally Jessy Raphael (64), Diane Baker (69), Bob Schieffer (70), Tommy Newsom (78), Larry Gelbart (79) and Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin (88)... Timeline Countdown: 24 days until spring and 35 days until Opening Day... ...