When we beat the guys wearing the CCCP jerseys

When we beat the guys wearing the CCCP jerseys: We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732. We used to celebrate his birthday as a special day. It reminded everyone of the greatness of the man. Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s….

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It gave us the lift that we all needed back then! Again, what a game and how timely that it happened on George Washington's birthday.

When we beat the guys wearing the CCCP jerseys - American Thinker https://t.co/f8Kva5ZTUa

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 22, 2025

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We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732. We used to celebrate his birthday as a special day. It reminded everyone of the greatness of the man.

Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s birthday watching an Olympic hockey game. It passed into the history pages as the “Miracle on Ice.”  It was sort of like the recent U.S.-Canada game without the fights but a million times more tense.

As you may remember, we were in the middle of various crises, abroad and at home.

First, the USSR had just invaded Afghanistan and was throwing its weight around in Nicaragua and paying for Cuban troops in Africa. Second, Iran had kidnapped U.S. diplomats and mocked President Carter every day.  It seemed as if no one feared the U.S. and the bad guys certainly didn’t. Third, the U.S. economy was struggling, from long gas lines to inflation. I remember all of this because I sat waiting in one of those gas lines.

In the middle of all of this, a bunch of young Americans gave us the time of our lives.  It was the first hockey game that I ever paid attention to!

The U.S. beat the old USSR in the Olympic semifinals to move on to the gold game. What a great game. In fact, listening to Al Michaels of ABC call the last minute of that game was unbelievable.

Here is the story of that day:

The story first needs a Goliath, and even the most cursory look at the Soviets shows their might. They had won each of the previous four Olympic gold medals in hockey and 12 gold medals in the 16 world championships they played in between 1961 and 1979.

The USSR also won all 12 matchups with the United States between the 1960 and 1980 Olympics, outscoring the Americans 117-26…

The idea of competing with the Soviets was absurd on paper. But the victory becomes even more miraculous when you see how badly the U.S. was outchanced that day by the older, more experienced Soviets…

The most basic metric is total shot attempts — the total number of shots a team takes, whether they hit or miss the net or are blocked by the opposition, commonly known in the hockey stats community as Corsi — specifically those taken when both teams are skating five players a side. It is commonly presented to show possession tendencies. Consider:

In all situations, the USSR had 52 shot attempts, while the U.S. recorded just 25 (67.5% of the total attempts).

When taking that same statistic and looking at only 5-on-5 situations, the USSR held a 46-21 shot attempt advantage (68.7% shot share).

When looking at shots that hit their target, the official box score credited the USSR with 39 total shots on goal, and we determined it had 31 at 5-on-5. The United States? Try 16, and just seven at 5-on-5. We actually classified six of those 16 American shots as dump-ins on goal, too, meaning there were really 10 true shots from Team USA. A ridiculous 71% of shots on goal in the game came from the Soviets, and that number jumped to 81.6% at 5-on-5.

Running a possession deficit that substantial is not usually going to lead to success, and it’s somewhat rare to see. Over the past three NHL postseasons, only five playoff games out of 258 have had a possession disparity as large or larger than what we saw in the Miracle on Ice.

Yes, “Running a possession deficit that substantial is not usually going to lead to success” except when you are playing on Washington’s birthday. Maybe George persuaded the Gods of hockey that the country really needed this one. I don’t know how it happened but the good guys won that day and people like me began to take hockey seriously. All of a sudden, the Stanley Cup was a sports final rather than a gift for newlyweds.

It gave us the lift that we all needed back then!  Again, what a game and how timely that it happened on George Washington’s birthday.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

A word about Sparky Anderson (1934-2010)

The great Sparky Anderson died in 2010.   He was born on this day in 1934 and inducted to The Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sparky managed the Big Red Machine in the 1970's and then Detroit until the mid-90's.

Anderson led Cincinnati to 4 NL pennants and World Series victories in 1975 & 1976.   Later, he led the Tigers to a series win in 1984 & AL East title in 1987.  Overall, Anderson was one of the most successful managers ever: .545 winning pct!

After baseball, he became a wonderful baseball analyst in post season baseball working radio and TV.    I specifically remember his radio work in the 1983 World Series.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1980 Winter Games & the most enjoyable hockey game ever!

We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732.  

Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s birthday watching an Olympic hockey game.  It passed into the history pages as the “Miracle on Ice”.

As you may remember, we were in the middle of various crises, abroad and at home.  

First, the USSR had just invaded Afghanistan and was pushing its weight around in Nicaragua and paying for Cuban troops in Africa.

Second, Iran had kidnapped U.S. diplomats and mocking President Carter every day.

It seemed like no one feared the U.S. and the bad buys certainly didn’t.  

Third, the U.S. economy was struggling, from long gas lines to inflation.

In the middle of all of this, a bunch of young Americans gave us the time of our lives. 

It was the first hockey game that I ever paid attention to!

The U.S. beat the old USSR in the Olympic semifinals to move on to the gold game.  It was a great game.  In fact, listening to Al Michaels of ABC call the last minute of that game was unbelievable.  

Here is the story of that day:

“In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team 4-3 before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to clinch the hockey gold.”

It gave us the uplift that we all needed back then!   

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Remembering what my late great-uncle used to say about George Washington

(My new American Thinker post)

George Washington was born on February 22 in 1732.  

No one is indispensable but Washington came pretty close, as Scott Johnson reminds us very year.  With all due respect to Scott Johnson, a real favorite of mine, but that post reminds me of my late great uncle every time that I read it. I feel that he could have written it!

My late great-uncle, or Tio Joaquin as we called him, was one of those men who got to live a lot of the history that we've read.

He was born in the 1890s or when Cuban was still a Spanish colony. The US and Spain got into a war in 1898 and Cuba finally achieved its independence in 1902. Unlike most of Latin America that became independent in the first 30 years of the 19th century, Cuba remained the last Spanish outpost in the New World until the end of the century. 

He remembers the day that Cuba became an independent country.  He lived through the Great Depression or when the price of sugar collapsed in the 1930s.  He saw the Machado dictatorship that followed the economic turmoil, the Batista uprising, the establishment of a republic in 1940 and communist takeover of 1959.

He saw it all and died in Cuba in the 1980s.  He chose not to leave because he didn't want to be a burden to his nephews (my father and two uncles) starting a new life in the US.  He used to say that the communist were not going to convert old folks like him and Aunt Clara.

He was a huge fan of US history, specially Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

He told me something that I will never forget. Let me paraphrase it for you:

"The US was very lucky to have a man of Washington's character at every turn of the young nation's history.  He earned the respect of the rebels with his integrity.  He was the man trusted by those colonists embarking on a constitutional experiment.    And he knew when to leave when his two terms were up.  Did you ever hear of a man walk away from a position of power?  He could have been president for life but he left."

It was a history lesson that I did not quite understand as a kid in Cuba.

I understand it today as we celebrate the man's life on his birthday. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Discover Politics Internet Radio with Silvio Canto Jr on BlogTalkRadio

What a way to celebrate George Washington’s birthday in 1980

We celebrated this week another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732.  

Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s birthday watching an Olympic hockey game.  It passed into the history pages as the “Miracle on Ice”.

As you may remember, we were in the middle of various crises, abroad and at home.  

First, the USSR had just invaded Afghanistan and was pushing its weight around in Nicaragua and paying for Cuban troops in Africa.

Second, Iran had kidnapped U.S. diplomats and mocking President Carter every day.

It seemed like no one feared the U.S. and the bad buys certainly didn’t.  

Third, the U.S. economy was struggling, from long gas lines to inflation.

In the middle of all of this, a bunch of young Americans gave us the time of our lives.  It was the first hockey game that I ever paid attention to!

The U.S. beat the old USSR in the Olympic semifinals to move on to the gold game.  It was a great game.  In fact, listening to Al Michaels of ABC call the last minute of that game was unbelievable.  

Here is the story of that day:

“In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team 4-3 before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to clinch the hockey gold.”

It gave us the uplift that we all needed back then!   

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

February 22, 1980: US 4, USSR 3

We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732.  

Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s birthday watching an Olympic hockey game.  It passed into the history pages as the “Miracle on Ice”.

As you may remember, we were in the middle of various crises, abroad and at home.  

First, the USSR had just invaded Afghanistan and was pushing its weight around in Nicaragua and paying for Cuban troops in Africa.

Second, Iran had kidnapped U.S. diplomats and mocking President Carter every day.

It seemed like no one feared the U.S. and the bad guys certainly didn’t.  

Third, the U.S. economy was struggling, from long gas lines to inflation.

In the middle of all of this, a bunch of young Americans gave us the time of our lives.   It was the first hockey game that I ever paid attention to!

The U.S. beat the old USSR in the Olympic semifinals to move on to the gold game.  What a great game.  In fact, listening to Al Michaels of ABC call the last minute of that game was unbelievable.  

Here is the story of that day:

“In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team 4-3 before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to clinch the hockey gold.”

It gave us the lift that we all needed back then!    Again, what a game and how timely that it happened on George Washington's birthday.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

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The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 with Barry Jacobsen

Guest:  Barry Jacobsen, military historian and blogger, will remember The Battle of Gettysburg 1863, one of the defining moments of the US Civil War...We will look at General Robert E Lee and some of the other military commanders......President Lincoln and the North...........Jefferson Davis and the South....he wrote a recent post about Civil War.......we will also look at the movement to delete Confederate symbols.................

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

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Listen to "The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 with Barry Jacobsen" on Spreaker.

Trump and Ukraine, Canada beat US in great game, FBI Director Patel, Nixon in China 1972 and more stories..

Tea for two in '72

Tea for two in '72 : It was 53 years ago that President Nixon had tea with Mao. As I recall, Air Force One, the 707 version, landed in China and I watched it while eating breakfast with my parents on TV. It was shocking, and happening in an election year with most of ...

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It was 53 years ago that President Nixon had tea with Mao. As I recall, Air Force One, the 707 version, landed in China and I watched it while eating breakfast with my parents on TV.

It was shocking, and happening in an election year with most of the troops out of Vietnam. Does…

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 21, 2025

 

It was 53 years ago that President Nixon had tea with Mao. As I recall, Air Force One, the 707 version, landed in China and I watched it while eating breakfast with my parents on TV.

It was shocking, and happening in an election year with most of the troops out of Vietnam. Does it get any better than that? After all, who would have believed that the anti-communist Nixon would shake hands with Mao? But he did and we saw images of the President and First Lady walking around China. Again, who saw that coming?

President Nixon paved the way for the China of today. In other words, cars instead of bicycles and skyscrapers instead of simple buildings. It also contributed to the outsourcing of thousands of manufacturing jobs, i.e. “Made in China” is everywhere! And most damaging of all, China is now a full adversary on the economic front and all those aircraft carriers that they are putting out to sea.

Nixon and Mao are now gone. Nixon in 1994 and Mao a few years after this visit. So what was the impact of that visit? I always enjoy reading articles about how the visit happened in the first place. This is from the Nixon Foundation:

On July 15, 1971, President Nixon — broadcasting live from studios in Los Angeles — sent a tremor through the Cold War world, announcing that he’d be visiting the People’s Republic of China early the following year.

The move proved to be a geopolitical game changer.

When President Nixon took the oath-of-office in January 1969, the Vietnam War was raging. He wanted to bring the nation beyond the decade long morass that was draining political capital and resources abroad, and intensifying social strife at home.

For the 37th president, rapprochement with China would help the United States end the war through diplomacy with a more powerful Communist country in Southeast Asia. It would also put pressure on the Soviet Union, whose relations were frayed with the PRC following clashes on its eastern border, make progress on the limitations of nuclear arms, and peace in parts of the world where it continued to be engaged.

After a series of carefully calibrated moves through PRC allies Romania and Pakistan, President Nixon landed in Peking in February 1972. He stepped off Air Force One, extended his hand to Premier Chou en-Lai, and ended nearly a quarter-century of non-communication.

Memorialized by the president as The Week that Changed the World, the trip culminated in the announcement of the joint US-China Communiqué in Shanghai.

Both sides agreed to articulate their substantial differences, make progress towards normalized relations, and refrain from seeking hegemony in the Asia Pacific region.

The most significant development came from the United States on the issue of its democratic ally Taiwan, affirming that “there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China,” and that a peace be settled by Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait.

In August 1974, when President Nixon resigned, his successor President Gerald Ford sent a personal letter to Chairman Mao Ze Dong pledging to continue on the path to stronger relations with the PRC, a policy still maintained by the White House today.

So the question remains. What did we get out of this visit? It’s a close call and will continue to be as China expands and builds all that infrastructure in Latin America. On the other hand, maybe China would have grown anyway without the visit. We will never know, but it was a consequential trip and one that will consume analysts for years.

Last, but not least, the phrase “Nixon to China” is now part of our political lexicon. You hear it every time that a politician goes against his base.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

We remember Tommy Henrich (1913-2009)

We remember Tommy Henrich, who was born in Ohio this week in 1913 and died in 2009.  Heinrich played on some of the greatest Yankees teams of the 20th century.  His teammates were Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon, Bill Dickey, Phil Rizzuto, and Yogi Berra.  He wore #7 for a while but never played with Mickey Mantle, who broke in the lineup in 1951, after Henrich was gone.

Like so many other very good Yankees, Henrich was always in the background of the aforementioned superstars.  Nevertheless, he had a great career.  It was cut short by three seasons of military service, 1942–45.  Henrich retired with a .282 average, 183 HR and 795 RBI in 1,284 games.  Losing three years to World War II probably cost him joining the “250 HR & 1,000 RBI” club.

Tommy was in the middle of one of the greatest sports accomplishments of the 20th century.  He was a key player in Joe DiMaggio’s 56-hitting streak, as Rob Edelman wrote: 

In 1941 Henrich played a significant role in keeping alive Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. On June 26, the 38th game of the streak, the Yankee Clipper was still hitless as the team came to bat in the last of the eighth inning holding the lead against the St. Louis Browns. 

DiMaggio was due up fourth in the inning, with Henrich scheduled right before him. With one out and Red Rolfe on first, McCarthy ordered Henrich to bunt to avoid a possible ground-ball double play — and not allowing his teammate a final at-bat. Henrich was thrown out, but Rolfe took second. 

DiMaggio slammed Elden Auker’s first pitch for a double, and the streak remained intact.

Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen began calling Henrich “Old Reliable” — the name of a train that ran from Ohio to Alabama and was celebrated for always being on time — because of his propensity for hitting in the clutch.

In other words, the streak could have ended at #38, and we would not be talking about it.  DiMaggio would have never reached #41 or #44, the two records ahead of him.

Back in 1941, it was his legs that kept the inning going.  DiMaggio then hit a double and the streak kept going.

After baseball, Tommy owned some beer distributorships and coached a bit.  He was active in The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing.

I wonder if DiMaggio took him out to dinner after that game.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1972: Nixon to China

Who remembers Air Force One landing in China this week in 1972?   It was quite a TV image for those who remember that day.

We celebrate another anniversary of President Nixon’s trip to China.  

It is still one of the most incredible presidential trips in US history.  Can you think of another one more unexpected or revolutionary?

President Nixon built his career as an anti-communist in the days of The Cold War.  He was the last person in the world that anyone would have expected to go to China and shake Mao’s hand.

His visit also created the phrase “Nixon to China” moment.  It became a popular slogan to describe a presidential move that goes against conventional wisdom.

President Nixon’s motives were to improve relations with China and divide the two communist superpowers.  He also understood the potential of China, diplomatically and economically.   

Today, China is an emerging superpower with a billion people and lots of challenges.  Time will tell whether China will continue to grow or blow up from within.  

Today, the US-China relationship is more complex than ever,  from a trade deficit to a cocky Chinese Navy in the Pacific.  

Nevertheless, it was an amazing moment this week in 1972.

By the way, President Nixon wrote a lot about the trip to China in his wonderful memoirs published in 1978.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

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1972: President Nixon and the China moment

Who remembers Air Force One landing in China this week in 1972?  What a photo.  What a TV image for those who remember that day.

We celebrate another anniversary of President Nixon's trip to China. 

It is still one of the most incredible presidential trips in US history.  Can you think of another one more unexpected or revolutionary?

President Nixon built his career as an anti-communist and strong supporter of the US military superiority.  He was the last person in the world that any would have expected to go to China and shake Mao's hand.

Well, he did and changed international relations.  

His visit to China also created the political phrase or the "Nixon to China" moment.  It became a phrase to describe a presidential move that went against conventional wisdom.

Pres. Nixon's motives were to improve relations with China and divide the two communist superpowers.  He also understood the potential of China, diplomatically and economically.   Eventually, we developed our relationship with China but kept strong ties with Taiwan with care and diplomacy.

Today, China is an emerging superpower with a billion people and lots of challenges.  Time will tell whether China will continue to grow or blow up from within.  Again, time will tell.

Nevertheless, it was an amazing moment this week in 1972.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1972: President Nixon in China

One of the benefits of old age is that you remember President Nixon's trip to China in 1972.  

It caught everyone by surprise.  It must be one of the best kept secrets in modern history.

Nobody expected such a move from President Nixon, the anti-communist.  At the same time, it was proof of President Nixon's brilliance and his ability to look forward and promote US interests.

Again, I'm old enough to remember watching the scenes on the evening news.  It's amazing how China has changed, from all of those people in bicycles to huge cities polluted by industries and cars.   

Was it the right thing to do?    We are still debating that today.   

We remember Henry Kissinger, who became Secretary of State a year later in 1973.  Also, President Nixon discussed the trip in his memoirs.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

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Nixon to China and many balloons later

On this day in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon made history, and showed some political flexibility, by landing Air Force One in China. It was the story of the year and one of the most interesting foreign policy decisions of the postwar period, especially because of Nixon’s political past.

By any account, Nixon seemed an unlikely candidate to improve relations with Red China, as it was known back then. We remember that during the 1940s and 1950s, Mr. Nixon was a vocal cold war warrior and had condemned the Truman administration for “losing” China to the communists in 1949. And we remember his comments in 1959 when VP Nixon expressed doubts about Fidel Castro.

President Nixon’s move paved the way for the China of today – in other words, cars instead of bicycles. Skyscrapers instead of simple buildings. It also contributed to the outsourcing of thousands of manufacturing jobs – i.e., “Made in China” is everywhere!

The jury is still out on just how much the U.S. got out of this arrangement. At the same, most Americans are not old enough to remember Mao or the China that some of us remember as kids. Back then, it seemed that all Chinese men and women wore the same outfits. Today, they are as fashionable as anyone in the West.

Was it the right thing to do? We are still debating that today. In retrospect, the trip to China was also about dividing the USSR from Red China. I just don’t remember anyone back then saying opening up China would turn it into a manufacturing powerhouse with a huge, and expanding, navy.

The debate will continue and Chinese ships will keep visiting places all over.

P.S.   Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos

1972: The 'Nixon to China' moment

On this day in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon made history by landing in China. 

It was the story of the year and one of the most interesting foreign-policy decisions of the post-war period.  After all, who would have believed that anti-communist Nixon would shake hands with Mao?

President Nixon's move paved the way for the China of today. In other words, cars instead of bicycles and skyscrapers instead of simple buildings. It also contributed to the outsourcing of thousands of manufacturing jobs, i.e. "Made in China" is everywhere!  

The jury is still out on just how much the U.S. got out of this arrangement.   Nevertheless, as Seth Mandel wrote a couple of years ago, President Nixon left us with a great expression, or  ".....any major politician’s rebuke to his ideological compatriots, no matter how superficial, is a “Nixon-to-China moment.”"

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.