The Good...The Bad...The Ugly...of April...
The Good
Candidates: Roger Goodell...The NFL commissioner suspended Adam "Pacman" Jones for one year and also apologized for releasing information of marijuana use by two players that were drafted by NFL teams (Calvin Johnson and Gaines Adams)...The Duke Lacrosse players for being wrongly accused on rape and assault charges...Michael Vick, for donating money to his alma mater, Virginia Tech and starting a foundation for families of victims of that horrible and deadly shooting rampage. And the 'Good' award for April goes to the Duke Lacrosse players who paid dearly for false accusations in a rush to judgement by a joke of a prosecutor...
The Bad
Candidates: Don Imus who lost his job over his denigration of the Rutgers women's basketball team...NBA referee Joey Crawford who wanted to fight with Tim Duncan during a game...Floyd Landis for the extra testosterone showing up in his urine. Landis has become the poster boy for 'Bad'. He's never met a urine test that he didn't fail. We also have some new candidates: The 6 Penn State football players, including stars Anthony Scirrotto and Justin King who started a violent fight at an off-campus apartment, KC defensive end Jared Allen suspended 4 games for substance abuse, WNBA player Deanna Jackson for attacking an Israeli player, Michael Vick, a 'Good' candidate whose cousin was raising 60 dogs, apparently 'fighting' dogs in Vick's house, former Mets clubhouse worker Kirk Radomski who ran a drugstore for major leaguers at Shea Stadium, 2 minor leaguers (Matt Roney and Doc Brooks) hit with 50 game suspensions for using drugs and the 2 bozos (Greg Trotta and Brian Schafler) who ran a drug store in upstate New York. But the award goes to the guy who created one of the major stories of the year, the I-man, Don Imus...
The Ugly
Candidates: Former major league reliever Ugueth Urbina who was accused of the attempted murder of 5 house workers in Venezuela. Urbina is serving a 14-year sentence...Clyde "The Glide-not" Drexler who was embarrassingly bad hoofing it as a "Dancing With The Stars" contestant and Troy T.J. Harrelson, a.k.a. Son of Buddy, who was sentenced to 5 years probation and 420 hours of community service for knowing that his pal fatally stabbed his step-father with a sword and helping him dispose of the bloody sword in a dumpster. Because Urbina's crime was not committed in this country, the 'Ugly' award for April belongs to Troy T.J. Harrelson a.k.a. Son of Buddy...
TGTBTU Update
Adam 'Pacman' Jones has filed an appeal of his season-long suspension and a hearing will be held with Goodell within the next 2 weeks...The Bears' Terry "Tank" Johnson has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional time in jail. He will serve 45 days, served concurrently with a 4-month sentence he's already serving in the Cook County Jail for violating his probation...
Today's video links are in the "Sharp as a 'tack" and "#1 on this date" timelines...
Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1957] Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (D-Wis) dies at Bethesda Naval Hospital of acute hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. McCarthy who was the poster boy for the slogan "better dead than Red" was only 48...1972] FBI head J. Edgar Hoover dies at 77 of hypertensive cardiovascular disease...2006] Louis Rukeyser, business and economic commentator, dies of multiple myeloma at 73...
Iron Man's streak ends: 1939] Lou Gehrig took a seat on the bench after playing in a then-record breaking 2,130 consecutive games. Gehrig's last game was played April 30th but with a day off for traveling, the Yankees next game was played in Detroit on this date and Gehrig decided he just couldn't play anymore due to the advancing stage of his disease. Cal Ripken Jr. would break Lou's streak in 1995...
Martha Stewart's bible: 1885] Good Housekeeping Magazine is published...
Networking: 1941] The FCC agrees to allow the regular scheduling of television broadcasts by commercial TV stations starting July 1, effectively the beginning date of network television...
Author Arthur wins the prize: 1949] Arthur Miller wins the Pulitzer for "Death of a Salesman"...
Sharp as a 'tack: 1964] Bill Hartack rides Northern Dancer to victory in the Kentucky Derby in 2 minutes flat and sets a record for fastest time for a horse in the "Run For The Roses" (until Secretariat entered the scene). Northern Dancer is in the lead and 'down the stretch they come': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaB9dLQsbHY ...
Long live the King: 1960] Ben E. King leaves the Drifters for a solo career after signing a deal with ATCO Records. "Spanish Harlem" was the former lead singer's 1st solo hit in 1961...
#1 on this date: 1966] "Ba-da, Ba-da, Da-da" The Mamas and Papas are #1 with "Monday, Monday": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7KrlDZ5Hkw ...1976] "Welcome Back" - John Sebastian (take a look at the opening of "Welcome Back Kotter". The school shown is New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, my alma mater): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMyC9dKjkrI ...
Cue the shark: 1974] The filming of "Jaws" begins on Martha's Vineyard. Next time you visit the Cape, take the boat over for a tour. They point out the spot near a small bridge where filming actually took place. They say that the extras in the water were frozen from the cold water which was in the 50's (maybe)...
Charlie Hustler: 1988] Reds manager Pete Rose is suspended for 30 days for pushing an umpire in a game. Gee I wonder if he lost his bet on that game...
Welcome back Chuck: 2001] Over 40 fans are ejected during a Yankee-Twins game as former Twin Chuck Knoblauch returns for the 1st time. Plastic beer bottles and coins rain down from the stands, Twins mgr. Tom Kelly takes the p.a. mic and appeals to the crowd. The game is delayed 12-minutes but the crowd calms down enough the finish it...
No. 13 joins the elite list: 2002] Seattle's Mike Cameron (who would go on to join the Mets) becomes the 13th major leaguer to hit 4 home runs in a game in a 15-4 Mariner thrashing of the White Sox. Now comes a great trivia question to try on your friends: 2 current Mets became the 14th and 15th (and last) players to hit 4 in a game. Who are they? The answer follows the "Timeline Countdown"...
When does the experiment end?: 2003] The MLB players association agrees to a 2-year experiment in which the winning league in the All-Star game will have home field advantage (one extra home game) during the World Series. Apparently this is now a fixture cause they're still doing it...
Flashing a "V": 1994] Nelson Mandela claims victory in South Africa's 1st democratic elections...1997] Tony Blair at 44 becomes Britain's youngest prime minister in 185 years...
The curtain comes down: 1997] Donald Trump and Marla Maples agree to disagree. Married in 1993, they separate on this date and divorce in June 1999...1999] Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway of the Denver Broncos calls it quits after 16 NFL seasons, all with Denver...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
I was sorry to read that comedian Tom Poston who made his 'bones' ("Soprano's" influence) as one of Steve Allen's "men in the street" passed away on Monday night. Poston was the guy who couldn't remember his name. This was a very funny man and a fine actor who in his later years would marry Suzanne Pleshette of "The Bob Newhart Show", a show that Poston starred in. "Happy Trails" to Tom Poston who was 85. No cause of death was given...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
English singer Lily Allen (22), Olympic figure skater from Great Neck, Sarah Hughes (22), David Beckham (32), The Rock a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson (35), Donatella Versace (52), Christine Baranski (55), Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm (57), Lesley Gore (61), Bianca Jagger (62), Engelbert Humperdinck (71) and Theodore Bikel (83)...
Timeline Countdown: 3 days until the Kentucky Derby and 26 days until Memorial Day...
Answer to baseball trivia: The last 2 players to hit 4 home runs in a game are current Mets' Shawn Green (w/Dodgers) May 23, 2002 and Carlos Delgado (w/Toronto) Sept. 25, 2003...
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