The Good
There are two feel-good stories in sports this week beginning with David Wright's contribution to Marooneffect.org which held "a night of philanthropy and hope" at Webster Hall in Manhattan last Friday night. This is the organization that was set up to help the Virginia Tech victims and families of that horrific shooting at the school on April 16, 2007. All of the proceeds went to the organization. The Mets slugging third baseman whose brother goes to Va Tech promoted the event and made a major contribution through his David Wright Foundation...In any other week David would be the winner of our 'Good' award of the week but the winners are longtime Houston Texan Jason Simmons and Ahman Green, recently acquired running back of the Texans who agreed to teammate Simmons terms in order to swap uniform #30 which Simmons wore but Green desperately wanted. The terms agreed to and met were paying the down payment on a new house for a single parent in Houston. For that, both #30 Green and #22 Simmons win the 'Good' Award of the Week...
The Bad
First there was Jets cornerback Justin Miller, charged with a third-degree assault after giving some woman a facial in a New York nightclub. Then there was Cincinnati linebacker A.J. (another jerk?) Nicholson who was arrested on a domestic violence charge over the weekend. Nicholson pleaded not guilty to the charge but that didn't help his standing with the 'Jailhouse 11' a.k.a. the Cincinnati Bengals. They waived him yesterday. A.J. has piled up quite the crime track record. Finally, the Mexican Soccer Foundation disqualified Cruz Azul from their national league championship semifinals because his club allowed Salvador Carmona to play after he was handed a lifetime suspension for doping. Cruz Azul, take a bow. You're the 'Bad' Award Winner of the Week...
The Ugly
A very ugly incident over the weekend was former Villanova basketball star Howard Porter, who was found severely beaten in a Minneapolis alley and remains hospitalized. The 58-year old Porter is now a probation officer for Ramsey County (MN), but it's not clear whether the beating had any connection to his job. We'll provide updates once they come in...A developing story that keeps getting "juicier" with each passing day is the saga of Jason Giambi. According to this morning's New York Daily News, Giambi, already in hot water for admitting to steroid use, apparently failed a major league baseball-administered amphetamines test within the last year. If this charge is true, he is sure to be questioned about it when he meets with commissioner Bud Selig's office, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Jason Giambi is our 'Ugly' Award Winner of the Week...
TGTBTU Update
Prosecutors say more testing is needed to determine whether suspected Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry has failed a drug screening in Kentucky, where he is on probation for letting minors drink in his hotel room...Last year's Tour de France champion Floyd Landis testified at his arbitration hearing over the weekend and denied cheating although he tested positive during the Tour...A California congressman (Tom Lantos) sent NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a letter urging the commish to "act swiftly and forcefully" if Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was involved in dog fighting on his former property...All of these are on-going stores which I will follow for you...
10 Timeline Memories...
- 1785] Spectacular find: Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals (something I have yet to encounter, thank you)...
- 1827] Miss Francis is waiting in the wings: The 1st nursery school in the U.S. is established in New York City...
- 1895] Shhhhhhhhhh: The New York Public Library is created with an agreement combining the city's existing Astor and Lenox libraries...1911] The library on 5th Avenue is dedicated by President Taft...
- 1934] They're young...they're in love...and they kill people: That was the 'sell' line for the movie. In real life, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot and killed in an ambush set up by former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer...
- 1945] Nazi site-ings: 1945] Nazi official Heinrich Himmler commits suicide while imprisoned in Luneberg, Germany...1960) Israel announces the capture of former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann in (where else?) Argentina...
- 1960] Musical call letters: WRCA changes call letters back to WNBC (thank you)...
- 1978] Musical owners: The American League approves the transfer of the Boston Red Sox to Jean Yawkey, widow of Tom, for $15 million...
- 1997] Musical CEO's: Mel Karmazin replaces Peter Lund as CEO of CBS-TV...
- 2002] "Happy Trails": Legendary golfer Sam Snead dies from complications of a stroke, 4 days short of his 90th birthday...
- 2002] A day to remember: The Dodgers' (now Mets') Shawn Green had a career day against Milwaukee: 4 home runs, 6 hits in 6 at-bats, scores 6 runs and sets a major league record with 19 total bases and oh yes - he had 7 RBIs...
Music Memories:
- 1971] Breaking up is hard to do: Iron Butterfly turn back to caterpillars and here's 'The Simpsons' closing out one of their episodes by paying tribute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznwtOJfSX8&mode=related&search= ...
- 1961] On American Bandstand: Little Caesar & the Romans lip-sync to "Those Oldies But Goodies"...2002] Celebrate good times, c'mon: American Bandstand celebrates its 50th anniversary...
- 1960] Recorded on this date: "Cathy's Clown" - Everly Brothers...
- 1966] Released on this date: "Paperback Writer/Rain"...Although you've seen the 'A' side a million times, did you ever see the video for "Rain"? Well now you can say you did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge-Xl8MTLoo ...
- 1965] #1 on this date: "Help Me Rhonda" - Beach Boys (here's an appearance they made on "The Andy Williams Show" singing the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4TbDWjqb_o ...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
Congratulations to the following Boston personalities, recently inducted into the Boston/Massachusetts Radio/TV Hall of Fame, housed at Massasoit Community College in Brockton: Bob & Ray, Jess Cain, Tom Bergeron, Rex Trailer, Frank Avruch, Paul Benzaquin, Fred B. Cole, Harold Segal (representing management/sales), Don Kent, Joyce Kulhawik, Liz Walker and Bob Wilson. Several of those inductees were installed and introduced at last week's Len Zola Media Gang Luncheon...Here's a nice e-mail from a WRKO alum who hasn't been heard from in quite awhile, Shelly Babcock-Klein, who replaced Harvey Mednick as Promotion Director when Harv went to KHJ and then corporate: "I was so sorry to hear about Johnny (Williams) (a.k.a. Bill Todd) passing away. He was such a sweet guy and he always let me dress him up in whatever crazy costume I wanted for those promo pieces we did all the time." (some of which were used for "The Now 30" and later "The Big 30")...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jewel (Kilcher) (33), Drew Carey (49), Marvelous Marvin Hagler (55), General a.k.a. Norman Johnson (64), Charles ("Murphy Brown") Kimbrough (71), Joan Collins (74), Barbara Barrie (76) and Betty Garrett (88)...
Timeline Countdown: 5 days until Memorial Day and 17 days until the Belmont Stakes...
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