The cavalry charge of 20 horses at the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby will feature the best two-year olds of last year and all the major prep winners of this year. It should be a real thriller and also a betting bonanza with no clear favorite. Curlin is the 7-2 morning line favorite and is undefeated but there's a but. Curlin has raced only 3 times...
There's another factor that makes it even more difficult to pick this year's winner - the weather. It's been raining at Churchill Downs and more of the same is expected for today and tomorrow. With that in mind, only 3 horses in this field have won on an off-track: Hard Spun, Scat Daddy and Teuflesberg. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss who won the Derby with Giacomo in 2005 have another horse entered this year, Tiago. Tiago is not my choice but I'll give you my pick at the end of the Friday section of the weekend MPR. Stay tuned...
Video links are scattered throughout the weekend blog and a new Frank Kingston Smith link has been added...
Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1975] Moe Howard one of the Three Stooges dies at 78 from lung cancer and here's a clip of Moe and brothers Shemp and Curly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppSbnOtzY_I ...
Four dead in O-hi-o: 1970] Four die and 9 others are wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen in the tragedy called Kent State. The girl (Mary Ann Vecchio) standing over one of the students shot was not a student but a runaway. John Filo, a photojournalism student won a Pulitzer Prize for that photo...
In a New York City Miniut: 1626] Dutch explorer Peter Miniut lands on Manhattan Island. Native Americans will later sell all 20,000 acres of the Island for $24 in cloth, buttons and belly button lint. They also tell him that they have a bridge he might be interested in buying...
The poster-child of sloooowwww states: 1776] Rhode Island declares its freedom from England 2 months before the Declaration of Independence is adopted...
It is now post time: 1905] Belmont Park Race Track opens in Elmont, LI...
Debuted on this date: 1927] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded...1959] Henry Mancini has the "album of the year" ("The Music of Peter Gunn") and Domenico Modugno the "record of the year", "Nel Blu dipinto di Blu (Volare)" in the first Grammy Awards presentation. The host was Mort Sahl. Can't you just hear those snide remarks??? 1976] Glam-rockers KISS debut in New York City...
Taxes and then death: 1932] Al Capone enters the federal penitentiary in Atlanta after he's convicted of income-tax evasion...
Prize winner: 1953] Ernest Hemingway gets a Pulitzer Prize for "Old Man And The Sea"...
Derby denial: 1957] Bill Shoemaker misjudges the finish line at the Kentucky Derby as his horse Gallant Man finishes second to Iron Liege instead of winning the race...
Recorded on this date: 1956] "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent (and the Blue Caps)...
#1 on this date: 1964] "Hello Dolly" - Louis Armstrong : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd4HPipfceU ...1977] "Hotel California" - The Eagles...1986] "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_i_C7r6uqE ...
Slash and Burn: 1990] Angela Bowie claims that ex-husband David slept with Mick Jagger (and this surprises us because???)...
Tossing away the key: 1998] Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski gets 4 life sentences plus 30 years under a plea agreement that spares him the death penalty...
Holywood murder: 2001] Bonny Lee Bakley, wife of Robert Blake, is shot to death in Los Angeles. Blake, who joined forces with O.J. Simpson, is searching for the real killer. Blake is acquitted on the murder charge but is found liable in the civil case...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
Imus goes legal. He's hired a First Amendment Lawyer (Martin Garbus) in a $40 million suit against CBS Radio. The deal is this: He was just 3 months into a new 5-year contract with CBS when he was fired April 12th. CBS Radio is claiming that they had 'just cause' to release him without fulfilling the remainder of his contract and the I-man says hell you did or something like that. I'm sure it was far worse. You know the I-man will walk away with something if not the entire amount...speaking of CBS Radio, Westwood One, distributor of programming and 18% owned by CBS is up for sale. Those interested include Citadel Broadcasting, WWI consultant (and MetroTraffic founder) Shane Coppola and New Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell. And if things couldn't get any worse, CBS dropped 6% in first-quarter earnings. "Happy Trails" to one of our original 7 astronauts, Walter a.k.a. "Wally" Schirra who makes his final journey at the age of 84. Schirra, who had a great sense of humor and never took himself too seriously died from a heart attack yesterday...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Lance Bass (28), Randy Travis (48), Pia Zadora (62), Peggy (Angels) Santiglia (63), Nick Ashford (65), George Will (66), Surf-guitar legend Dick Dale (born in Quincy, MA - go figure) (70) and Roberta Peters (77)...
Timeline Countdown: One day until the Kentucky Derby (my pick: Scat Daddy) and 24 days until Memorial Day...
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Saturday, May 5, 2007...
Cinco de Mayo
It means '5th of May' and it commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army (which in itself is reason enough to celebrate) in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Cinco de Mayo is bigger here than it is in Mexico where it's a regional holiday (Puebla area). Mexico's Independence Day (Sept. 16) is a national holiday in Mexico...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- "Happy Trails": 1821] Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of St. Helena. Napoleon was 55 and the official cause of death is stomach cancer although many think he was poisoned...
- Debuted on this date: 1847] The American Medical Association (AMA) is organized in Philadelphia...1891] The Music Hall opens in Manhattan. It will be renamed Carnegie Hall...
- The 1st perfecto: 1904] Pitching for the Boston Pilgrims, 37-year old pitcher Cy Young completes the 1st perfect game in the modern era (when the pitching rubber was moved to 60', 6"). Young beats the Philadelphia A's...
- Busted: 1925] Dayton, Tennessee biology teacher John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. 82 years later it's still being debated...
- Space Cadet: 1961] Alan Shepard, who along with Wally Schirra, was one of the original Mercury 7, makes a 15-minute sub-orbital flight from Cape Canaveral which I was fortunate enough to report on when I worked at WKKO. I watched the launch from the back of the control room, a few miles away...
- Run For The Roses: 1973] The great Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby in a record time of 1:59:02. Secretariat, arguably the greatest thoroughbred who ever lived still owns that record. Big Red would win the Triple (Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) Crown...
- The 3,000 club: 1978] Pete Rose picks up his 3,000th hit as a member of the Reds...
- Cleveland becomes fame-ous: 1986] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is approved for Cleveland. The world of music can thank Norm N. Nite for that. No one worked harder to get 1) A R&RHOF and 2) Get it built in Cleveland...
- On the charts: 1900] "The Billboard" which would later be changed to "Billboard Magazine", starts publishing weekly after 6 years as a monthly...
- What's in a number?: 1955] On 5/5/55, Boston and Detroit combine for 5 runs with the Tigers winning 3-2. It is the only game scheduled in the American League...
Music Memories:
Released on this date: 1968] "Bad Moon Rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival...The final curtain: 1968] The Buffalo Springfield bow out with a concert in Long Beach (CA)...#1 on this date: 1962] "Soldier Boy" - Shirelles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lze3PAYx9xI ...1970] "American Woman" - Guess Who http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYlbxnjf-wU ...1982] "Chariots of Fire" - Vangelis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYJzcUvS_NU
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams (48), New York news reporter John Miller (49), Monty Python's Michael Palin (64), Pat Carroll (80) and Ann B. Davis (Brady Bunch) (81)...
Timeline Countdown: Today: the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby and 23 days until Memorial Day...
Sunday, May 6, 2007...
At 3 minutes and four seconds after 2 a.m. on the 6th of May, the time and date will be: 02:03:04 05/06/07...my thanks to Sam Lederman for that timely information...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- Read all about it: 1835] James Gordon Bennett publishes the New York Herald for the 1st time...
- Now this is a lock: 1851] Linus Yale patents the clock type lock and has the good sense to put his name on it...
- Bambino goes yard: 1915] Babe Ruth hits his 1st home run (as a Red Sox pitcher) against the Yankees. Three years later on the same date, he will hit one against the Yankees, his first as a position player (1st base)...
- "Oh, the Humanities": 1937] The hydrogen filled German dirigible Hindenburg crashes and burns in Lakehurst (NJ) killing 36 of the 97 people aboard in one of the most vivid scenes ever captured on film...
- Run a mile in my shoes: 1954] Roger Bannister becomes the 1st runner to finish a mile under 4 minutes. His time: 3:59:59.4...
- Worthy of a prize: 1957] John Fitzgerald Kennedy wins a Pulitzer Prize for his book "Profiles in Courage"...
- Wedding Bells: 1960] Britain's Princess Margaret walks stiffly down the aisle with commoner Anthony Armstrong Jones. They will divorce in 1978...
- Run For The Roses: 1978] Affirmed captures the Kentucky Derby and becomes the last Triple Crown winner...2006] Barbaro wins the Derby, a first for jockey Edgar Prado. Ahem, ahem, so who picked Barbaro, last year as a longshot??? Unfortunately tragedy awaits the horse in a tumultuous year...
- Free as a Long Island Lolita bird: 1999] A parole board in New York votes to release Amy Fisher after 7 years, for shooting her lover's wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco in the face. Joey was just released the other day...
- "Friends" break up: 2004] An estimated 51.1 million watch the final 1st-run episode of "Friends" on NBC-TV...
Music Memories...
Released on this date: 1972] "Rocket Man" - Elton John http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyha5dFtog4&mode=related&search= ...O sol(o) Mio: 1973] After 18 singles and 7 albums together as Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon goes solo at one of my favorite theaters - The Music Hall in Boston...Honorary degrees: 1995] James Taylor and Natalie Cole receive honorary degrees at Berklee College of Music's 50th Anniversary Commencement...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Devil goalie Martin Brodeur (35), Roma Downey (44), George Clooney (46), Tom Bergeron (born in Haverill, MA) (52), Tony Blair (54), Bob Seger (62) and Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays (76)...
Timeline Countdown: 22 days until Memorial Day...
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