What a great time of the year for sports with baseball back on Sunday night, the Final Four NCAA playoffs the night before, the championship game Monday night and the rest of the baseball schedule on the same day. This is the time of the year that every team is on an equal footing - for a while anyway. Let's take a look at late breaking baseball items of note before the season starts on Sunday night...
Steve Swindal, the man who would be king of the Yankees is on the way out of both his marriage and being the heir apparent to George Steinbrenner. Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal has moved to make sure her soon to-be-ex doesn't get any part of the family fortune. Don't let the door hit you on the way out Steve...Item number two: Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell has asked to start player interviews as part of his steroids probe and expects to complete his investigation in the "coming months". Good news...Item three: Ria Cortesio became the 1st female umpire to work a major league exhibition game since Pam Postema in 1989 when she worked the bases in a Cubs-D'backs game in Mesa (AZ) apparently well. Ria is the only female umpire in professional baseball...Item Four: Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky, a spry 87, will be forbidden from being in the Boston dugout this season by major league baseball. Pesky can appear in uniform before the game but once the game begins he cannot join the Sox on the bench. MLB says it's a numbers game and the bench is only for coaches (6), players (on roster), trainers (1), one manager and (essential staff which includes an equipment manager and assistant trainer who can come and go from the clubhouse to the bench). They point to 84-year old Red Schoendienst who wears a uniform before the game and sits in the stands (without a uniform) once the game starts. Maybe Tito can make him Dice-K's interpreter. Oh wait that's not allowed. According to MLB: batting practice pitchers, interpreters, masseurs and other extra staff are not allowed. C'mon Theo, get creative...
Two video links can be found in the "O Solo Mio" and "Happy Birthday...happy birthday" timelines...
Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1986] Legendary actor James Cagney dies from a heart attack at 86...2002] Queen Mother Elizabeth of England dies of natural causes at 101...
"Honey, I forgot to duck": 1981] President Ronald Reagan is shot by John Hinckley. Reagan will make a complete recovery as will D.C. police officer Thomas Delahaney, also shot. Press secretary James Brady is not as lucky. Brady is left with permanent brain damage from a gunshot wound to the head...
"North to Alaska": 1867] The U.S. purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The deal will be known as "Seward's Folly" after Secretary of State William H. Seward who brokered the deal for the U.S...
Groovy Bridge: 1909] The Queensboro bridge a.k.a. the 59th Street bridge linking Manhattan and Queens opens to traffic, becoming the 1st double tiered bridge...
Back to work: 1966] Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale end a 32-day double holdout and sign with the L.A. Dodgers for equal $135,000 salaries (chump change today)...
"Pass the pepper": 1967] The cover picture of the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" LP is shot at Michael Cooper's studio in Chelsea, England...
"O Solo Mio": 1989] Gladys Knight performs solo for the 1st time since her grammar school days. She sings 'Pip-less' during a Las Vegas date. Gladys says it could be the "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me". Gladys does it live with the Pips on this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RctsRbQP_wM...
Musical call letters: 1992] WNSR (105.1) changes call letters to WMXV in New York...
Smarter than Maxwell: 1987] Keith Smart pops a 17-foot jumper from the corner with 4 seconds left to give Indiana a 74-73 win over Syracuse and the Hoosiers celebrate their 3rd NCAA title under coach Bobby Knight...
Touch 'em all: 1993] Charlie Brown hits his 1st home run in the Peanuts comic strip...
The rich get richer: 1998] BMW buys Rolls-Royce for $570 million (how many would you like?)...
Blood money: 1999] A jury in Portland (OR) orders Philip Morris to pay $81 million to the family of a man who died of lung cancer after smoking Marlboros for 4 decades ('and now a word from Marlboro')...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Norah Jones (28), Celine Dion (39), Ian ("Dancing with the Stars" contestant) Ziering (43), Tracy Chapman (43) and here's our birthday girl singing "Give Me One Reason": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPcjjOrKmJw&mode=related&search= , MC Hammer (45), Paul Reiser (50), Eric Clapton (62), Warren Beatty (70), John Astin (77), Richard (LA Law) Dysart (78), Peter Marshall (80) and social butterfly Brooke Astor (105)...
Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Final Four, 2 days until Opening Day, 3 days until NCAA championship game, 3 days until Passover and 10 days until Easter Sunday...
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Saturday, March 31, 2007...
Video clips can be found in the "Released on this date" and "#1 on this date" timelines...
Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1986] O'Kelly Isley (who I had the pleasure of knowing) of the Isley Brothers dies of a heart attack at 48. A personal comment: Kelly would go on weight losing binges and then put it back on. I believe this took it's toll on the lead singer of the Isley Brothers...1998] Former New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug dies of heart disease at 77...2005] Terri Schiavo dies at a hospice in Pinellas Park (FL), 13 days after her feeding tube is removed. Schiavo was 42...
Vive la France: 1889] French engineer Alexandra Gustave Eiffel unfurls the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower to mark its completion...
Club Med is ready: 1917] The U.S. takes possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark. Part of the islands are British to this day...
Time after Time: 1918] For the 1st time in U.S. history, Daylight Savings Time goes into effect when clocks are moved ahead one hour at 2 a.m...
"They Shoot Horses, don't they?": 1923] The 1st U.S. dance marathon is won by Alma Cummings who sets a new world record of 27 hours in New York City. Gig Young finishes second...
Irish Tragedy: 1931] 43-year old Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne and 7 others are killed in a plane crash in Kansas (en route from Kansas City to L.A.) as the legendary coach was headed to Hollywood to make a football movie...
CCC? Si Si: 1933] Congress approves the Civilian Conservation Corps to put people back to work in the parks...
Can Shea Stadium be far behind?: 1940] La Guardia Airport officially opens...
Released on this date: 1958] "Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry. Here's a clip of Chuck doing the song live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEq62iQo0eU&mode=related&search= ...
Another opening, another show: 1943] Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" opens on Broadway...
Going out a winner: 1975] John Wooden coaches his last game, a 92-85 UCLA win over Kentucky which gives the Bruins their 10th national title under 'The Wizard of Westwood'...
"Breaking Up is Hard to do": 1982] The Doobie Brothers break up...
Stone Premiere: 1992] "Dateline NBC" premieres. I hope they do a series on 'Predators' every once in a while. Enough already. I feel dirty watching the show...
Pulling the plug: 1976] The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator. Quinlan remains comatose until 1985 when she passes away...
#1 on this date: 1975] "Lovin' You" - Minnie Riperton. This song was produced by Stevie Wonder. On a personal note: I never met a lovelier person than Minnie who at one time sang backup for Stevie. Minnie and Dick Rudolph's daughter Maya Rudolph is a cast member of "Saturday Night Live". Here's a video clip of the late Minnie singing her #1 hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJWJT_jJeag ...
Airing for the 1st time: 2004] Air America debuts on 5 stations (David Bernstein ex-WOR, WRKO programmer was just hired to program AA)...
Tejano tragedy: 1995] 23-year old Tejano singing idol Selena is shot to death by Yolanda Saldivar, president of Selena's fan club, outside a Corpus Christi motel room...
Musical leagues: 1998] On the same day that Arizona and Tampa Bay play their inaugural games, the Milwaukee Brewers switch leagues from the American to the National but they lose their NL debut, 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves...
Guilty as Charged: 1999] 4 NYPD officers are charged with murder for killing Amadou Diallo. The officers will be acquitted in 2000...
Programming Note...
Sunday's MPR will go out separately on Sunday...Stay tuned...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Rhea Perlman (59), Al Gore (59), Gabe Kaplan (62), Christopher Walken (64), Herb Alpert (72), Shirley Jones (73), Richard Chamberlain (73) and Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe (79)...
Timeline Countdown: The Final Four playoff game is tonight, 1 day until Opening Day, 2 days until NCAA championship game, 2 days until Passover and 9 days until Easter Sunday...
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