The Good
Billy Donovan has a change of heart and decides to stay at Florida - a good thing. So too is the measure on ticket scalping in New York which lifts the limits on caps. On the surface it appears that this leads to higher prices. But it will make tickets more widely available too. Scalpers beware: you still can't sell tickets within 1,500 feet of larger arenas, 500 feet for smaller venues... Phil Mickelson contributes $24,000 to one of the Dobler family daughters (20-year old Holli) for college tuition. Father Conrad (remember him?) is 90% disabled, daughter Joy is a quadriplegic and there are 4 other kids in the family... Proving that the team comes first, nearly all of the Patriots attended teammate Marquise Hill's funeral in New Orleans...Alcohol was banned from all NFL team functions, buses and flights. The rule covers everyone: players, owners, coaches and guests. You go Roger Goodell...The Boston Red Sox fans who, in good spirit and taste, wore those blond masks for A-Rod's visit to Fenway Park - a shot at "Stray-Rod" and his extra marital dallying. This is the first time in memory that the 'Good' candidates outnumbered the 'Bad' and 'Ugly' candidates. What a 'good' week. I'm giving the nod to: Phil Mickelson for his generosity...Phil Mickelson is the 'Good' Award Winner of the Week...
The Bad
Several baseball names appear in the 'Bad' award category. Lou Piniella, Cubs skipper was given a 4-game suspension for 'dusting' one of the umpires over the weekend. Then there were Tigers' Gary Sheffield and San Diego's Josh Bard, both suspended 3 games each for confrontations with the boys in blue. Our next candidate almost made our 'Ugly' list and would have if his tirade wasn't so comical. Philip Wellman, manager of the Double-A Mississippi Braves went wild during his team's loss at Chattanooga and was suspended by the organization for 3 games when he covered home plate with dirt, threw a base and crawled to the mound like a Marine at boot camp and there's more...Hockey bad boy Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks gave us something else to talk about when he delivered an elbow to Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in the head. Pronger was suspended for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals...The 'Bad' Award Winner of the Week is: Philip Wellman for not only being bad but for making us laugh...If you haven't seen the video, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUcFWPgB8oY ...
The Ugly
Former Colts (pre-Peyton) QB Jack Trudeau was charged with refusing to give police officers in Indiana a list of teenagers attending a weekend party at his home involving underage drinking. He has a teenage daughter who was graduating. Trudeau has had previous problems relating to alcohol...Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was accused of kicking and hitting two men in his Georgia hometown. Thurman was not charged but a magistrate will hear testimony Friday to determine if he should be. Thurman was suspended for the first four games of 2006 after skipping a drug test. He's one of 9 Cincinnati players arrested in the past year...22-year old Devil Ray rookie Elijah Dukes is under a restraining order for threatening his wife who has filed for divorce...The 'Ugly' Award Winner of the Week: Odell Thurman for kicking someone in a fight and for adding to the Bengal rap sheet...
TGTBTU Update
Bears' bad boy Tank Johnson has been suspended for the 1st 8 games of the season for violating probation on a gun charge. He just finished serving two months in jail...A woman was arrested in Minnesota in connection with the beating death of former Villanova and NBA player Howard Porter...The Michael Vick investigation continues with Virginia police not having enough to issue a charge against Vick in the dogfighting business there. The house where they found those dogs was recently burglarized. What else can happen? Stay tuned...
10 Timeline Memories:
- 1816] What Summer? They called it the year without a summer in New England. It snowed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts (Waltham) on this date. It even snowed as far south as Connecticut...
- 1850] Levi Jeans: Levi Strauss makes his 1st pair of blue jeans. They were too tight, a harbinger of things to come...
- 1925] Sign in please: Walter Percy Chrysler founds his company. Guess what they manufactured???
- 1933] Hey watch that in the backseat: The 1st drive-in opens in Camden (NJ). The lot covered 10 acres, enough room for 400 cars with fogged-up windows...
- 1944] Big 'D': It's the beginning of D-Day as U.S. troops land in Normandy. The #1 song that day?: "I'll Get By" - Harry James...All major league baseball games are cancelled that day. The next time it happens? 911...
- 1946] Basketball says BAA: The BAA (Basketball Association of America) a forerunner of the NBA is formed. Of the 11 original franchises, only 3 remain in the NBA: Boston, New York and Philadelphia...
- 1968] Another Kennedy death: Robert F. Kennedy dies at 1:44 a.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles from gunshot wounds inflicted by Sirhan B. Sirhan...
- 1978] Radio influences TV: "20/20" debuts on ABC-TV (and it's still on)...
- 1983] Diamond Notes: The Boston Red Sox draft University of Texas pitcher Roger Clemens...1990] George Steinbrenner fires Bucky Dent as Yankee manager and replaces him with Stump Merrill (how'd that work out Boss???)...1996] John Valentin of the Red Sox hits for the cycle in a 7-4 win over the White Sox. In that game Chicago pulls off a triple-play. The last time those 2 things happened in one game? July 1, 1931...
- 2005] No weed allowed: The Supreme Court rules 6-3 that people who smoke marijuana for medical reasons, can be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws...
Music Memories:
- 1955] #1 on this date: "Rock Around The Clock" - Bill Haley and The Comets...1960] "Only The Lonely" - Roy Orbison...1966] "Paint It Black" - Rolling Stones (on the same date Stokely Carmichael launches the 'Black Power' movement)...
- 1971] Say goodnight Ed: "The Ed Sullivan Show" is cancelled after 23 years on CBS-TV. The last musical act is Gladys Knight & the Pips...
- 1971] At the Fillmore East: John Lennon and Yoko Ono join Frank Zappa...
- 1991] "Happy Trails": Jazz tenor sax great Stan Getz dies of liver cancer at 64...2006] Billy Preston dies of kidney failure at 59...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
Bob Sherwood corrects me on George Michael's label mentioned recently. Of course it was Columbia, not Epic. But remember Bob, CBS International gave you the act so I get points for that (Oh...the power of having the last word)...Ed Pyle remembers where he was when Bobby Kennedy was shot and also mentions that "coming on the heels of the MLK killing, it was stunning news. Ironically, these two shootings really kick-started the L.A. all-news operations, first at KFWB and a few weeks later, KNX, where, combined, I ended up spending the last 33 years of my career". Quite a feat in Radio, Ed..."Happy Trails" to one of the best third basemen of his generation, Clete Boyer, a member of the talented baseball playing family. The former Yankee (1959-1966) dies at 70 from complications of a stroke...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Uncle Kracker (33) (and here's the Unc with Dobie Gray guesting on "Drift Away"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDMMKLAxvqA , Paul Giamatti (40), Sandra Bernhard (52), Freddy Kreuger a.k.a. Robert England (58), Gary U.S. Bonds (68) ("A Quarter to Three" video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMIS0Nw49FA and Levi Stubbs (71) (Levi and The Four Tops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFuMEuBVGOU&mode=related&search=)...
Timeline Countdown: 3 days until the Belmont Stakes, 11 days until Father's Day, 15 days until Summer and 28 days until July 4th...
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