The Good...The Bad...The Ugly of the Week:
The Good
I'm either getting soft or it's an early case of spring fever but the name that keeps surfacing in this week's 'Good' category is a name that would be least expected to surface. Are you ready? It's George Steinbrenner. Yes that George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner picked up the tab for the funerals of those 9 (including 8 children) souls who perished in that row house near Yankee Stadium. For that, Mr. Steinbrenner gets the 'Good' award of the week...
The Bad
I missed this one last week so I'll start with Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut, fined $25,000 for flipping the bird to the home crowd which makes me wonder what obscene gesture he would use on the road. There were other indiscretions in the NBA: Michael Jordan and Danny Ainge were fined $15,000 and $30,000 respectively for making playing footsie with Texas freshman Kevin Durant who will no doubtfully jump to the NBA. Phil Jackson and the Lakers were fined $50,000 apiece for accusing the NBA of conducting a "witch hunt" against Kobe Bryant to which I reply, "yeah right - as if he doesn't get a pass from the refs every time he plays." Toronto pitcher Gustavo Chacin was arrested on a DUI, apparently (according to Fay Vincent) Pete Rose didn't bet on all the Reds games, avoiding the games he didn't think the team would win. What, a Pete Rose lie? What is this world coming to? 11 pro wrestlers showed up on that 'athletes using steroids' list out of Albany was another 'Bad' candidate but the winner issssss: Joey Porter who just signed a big free-agent deal with Miami, punching Bengals (what, another Bengal in trouble?) OL Levi Jones in the face at a casino blackjack table in Las Vegas. Joey could face up to a year in the slammer and a fine...
The Ugly
A woman claims that she was raped at the home of Atlanta Falcon's defensive end Patrick Kerney's home is a breaking story that just cleared the wires. Kerney said he was asleep at his home at the time. This was a carry-over from a night at a bar and some pickups given a ride to Kerney's home. Kerney said an assault had taken place but he is not considered a suspect by police. More on this as it develops. Then there's the ever popular Tank Johnson who was sentenced to 4 months in jail for violating probation on that 2005 gun charge (wait till they get to the other things). Ryan Hollweg and the Nassau County DA's office have given the Islanders' Chris Simon a pass on his near beheading of Ranger Hollweg in a hockey game. But the winner of the 'Ugly' award of the week: Musher (what do you do? Oh, I'm a musher) Ramy Brooks who was disqualified from the Iditarod for abusing his dogs. Brooks hit each of his 10 dogs with a trail marking lath, similar to a surveyor's stake (ouch) after 2 refused to get up and continue to race on an icy field. One of Brooks' dogs died the next day on the trail. For that abuse to animals not only is Ramy Brooks our 'Ugly' of the week, he's also our Iditarod Idiot of the week...
Today marks the anniversary of what many believe was the very first 'Rock and Roll' show, Norm N. Nite does as you'll read in our guest Commentary. Norm remembers when Rock and Roll history was made in Cleveland on this date in 1952...
There are 2 video links and 1 audio link today and they can be found in the "Released on this date", "#1 on this date" timelines and at the end of our guest Commentary...
Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1987] Dean Martin Jr. dies in a plane crash during a blizzard while serving in the Air National Guard. The former member of Dino, Desi and Billy was just 35...
"The City of New Orleans": 1788] Nearly all of New Orleans is destroyed by fire. Almost 1,000 buildings and shops burn to the ground...
What do you want, a medal?: 1928] President Calvin Coolidge gives the Congressional Medal of Honor to Charles Lindbergh for his 1st trans-Atlantic flight...
Recorded on this date: 1939] "God Bless America" - Kate Smith...
Released on this date: 1970] "ABC" - Jackson Five (all the stations in NYC except WABC, declined to use the title in their intros) The group debuted the song on "American Bandstand" live (no lip-synch) as you'll hear Dick Clark say in this AB clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IafScvFdArQ ...
#1 on this date: 1964] "She Loves You" - Beatles...1975] "My Eyes Adored You" - Frankie Valli...1984] "Jump" - Van Halen (David Lee Roth sings the lead on this #1 hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e-vgQSqNtA ...
The Boss meets Oscar: 1994] Bruce Springsteen wins a 'Best Original Song' Oscar for "Streets of Philadelphia" from the movie "Philadelphia"...
All Sides Now: 1964] Judy Collins makes her debut at Carnegie Hall...
A smarter U.N.: 1946] The U.N. sets up temporary headquarters at Hunter College in Manhattan (they should go back there)...
Football breaks the color barrier: 1946] One year before Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier in baseball, halfback Kenny Washington becomes the 1st black player in the NFL when he's signed by the L.A. Rams...
An institution closes: 1963] Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay closes...
Wedding Bells: 1963] Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould walk down the aisle (I wonder if Ms. Streisand sang at her own wedding?). This rather odd pairing lasts for 8 years...
The Wizardry begins: 1964] Coach John Wooden wins the 1st of his 10 NCAA titles at UCLA with a 98-83 win over Duke...
The agony of defeat: 1970] Yugoslavian ski jumper Vinko Bogataj shows us 'the agony of defeat' on ABC-TV's "Wide World of Sports"...
NYETS to you!: 1980] President Jimmy Carter announces to the world that the U.S. Olympic team will not participate in the Summer Games in Moscow in a boycott against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan...
"Forward March": 1965] More than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators are led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on a march from Selma to Montgomery (AL)...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Guest Commentary by Norm N. Nite...
"On Friday, March 21, 1952 at the Cleveland Arena, Alan Freed, Record Rendezvous proprietor Leo Mintz and Akron (OH) promoter Lew Platt launched the "Moondog Coronation Ball" where Alan Freed would be crowned the 'King of the Moondogs'. Paul Williams & The Hucklebuckers, Tiny Grimes & The Rockin' Highlanders, The Dominoes, Danny Cobb and Varetta Dillard would comprise the 'All-Star Lineup' for Rock 'n' Rolls first major concert. For $1.50 in advance, $1.75 at the door, 10,000 fans bought tickets, with another 5,000 waiting outside to gain entry. This erupted into a riot when they crashed indoors. The concert was cancelled and the spark that ignited Rock 'n' Roll was lit in Cleveland. Rock on Mel."
Many thanks to Norm N. Nite who can be heard on Channel 5 on Sirius, Friday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. To hear Alan Freed's apology to the city of Cleveland the day after the concert on WJW: click on to this website that has many Freed airchecks: http://www.alanfreed.com/media.html Then Click on "Here is Alan Freed's apology the day after the 'Moondog' Coronation Ball"...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Matthew Broderick (45), Rosie O'Donnell (no card from Trump this year) (45), Stylistics' falsetto lead singer Russell Thompkins, Jr. (56), Timothy Dalton (61) and Soloman Burke (67)...
Timeline Countdown: 10 days until Opening Day and 11 days until the NCAA championship game...
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