With friends like these?

With friends like these?:

Do the Europeans really want to end NATO?

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/04/with_friends_like_these.html

Memories of 'Semana Santa' in Cuba

Guests: Carmencita Romanach, President, Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc. & Carmen Valdivia, Member of Board of Directors, & Historic Committee Chair............Click to listen:

Memories of "Semana Santa" in Cuba.......

 

Listen to "Memories of "Semana Santa" in Cuba" on Spreaker.

Happy # 62 to Pete Incaviglia

We say happy birthday to Pete Incaviglia, who was born on this day in Long Beach, CA in 1964.

Pete jumped from Oklahoma State to the Texas Rangers in 1986 and hit 30 HR & 88 RBI as a rookie.   Pete became a real fan favorite on that Texas team that challenged the Angels to the AL West title.

He hit another 27 the next year and 124 HR in 5 seasons with Texas.   Pete was traded to Detroit and bounced around a few teams.  In 1993, Pete hit 24 HR with the NL champion Phillies.

As I recall, he hit long home runs.

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.

1976: The year that Reggie Jackson was an Oriole

On April 2, 1976, the Orioles and A's swapped some big name players:   Reggie Jackson & Ken Holtzman to Baltimore and Don Baylor & Mike Torrez to Oakland.   It was big!

Reggie had a good season but the Orioles fell short in the AL East:  .277, 27 HR, 82 RBI & 28 stolen bases.      After the season, Jackson signed a big contract with the Yankees and you know the rest of the story.

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.

We remember Jim Fregosi (1942-2014)

We remember Jim Fregosi who was born on this day in 1942.  He died in 2014.

Fregosi was a shortstop who could hit a home run and turn the double play.  He averaged 14 HRs and 62 RBI's between 1964-70.  

Fregosi is also the answer to a great trivia question.  He was the man traded for Nolan Ryan after the 1971 season.  The Mets did not think that Ryan would be ever be a consistent major league pitcher. 

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.

We remember Bobby Avila (1924-2004)

Roberto Francisco (Gonzales) Avila was born on this day in Veracruz in 1924.     

We remember him as Bobby Avila, the first Mexican to win a major league batting title.  

Bobby broke with the Indians in 1949 and became Cleveland's regular second baseman in 1951:   .304 average, 10 HR & 58 RBI.

In 1954, Bobby led the AL in batting (.341) and was a key part of the Cleveland team that won 111 games but lost to the Giants in the World Series.

Overall, he hit .284 in 10 seasons with the Indians with 1,236 hits in 1,207 games.   

After baseball, Bobby went back to Veracruz, ran a baseball team and was elected Mayor in 1982.

He was ranked # 26 among the 100 greatest Indians ever.      He died in 2004.

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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We remember Mike Cuellar, 1937-2010

Oriole great Mike Cuellar died in Florida on this day in 2010. He had been ill for a few months.

Mike was the greatest Cuban lefthander in major league history.

All together, he won 185 games, shared the 1969 Cy Young with Denny McClain and pitched the complete game that won the 1970 World Series.

Cuellar was a 20-game winner in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1974. He represented the AL in 4 All Star games.

My favorite Cuellar memory was the 1974 season. The O's won 28 of the last 34 and Cuellar was in the middle of it all. At one point, he pitched back to back complete games on 2-days rest. It was awesome!

Beyond the numbers, he was a family friend and very nice man.

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.

Happy # 81 Reggie Smith

We remember Reggie Smith who was born in Louisiana on this day in 1945.

Reggie Smith was one of my favorite hitters:  .287 batting average, 2,020 hits, 314 HR & 1,092 RBI.

He was a young member of the 1967 AL champs Boston Red Sox plus a veteran in The LA Dodgers that won the NL pennant in 1977 & 1978 and World Series in 1981.

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.

April 2, 1512: Ponce de Leon discovered Florida

Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon arrived in what we call Florida on this day in 1512.   Eventually, the US purchased the territory from Spain in 1819.   It became a state in 1845.  

P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Don Sutton (1945-2021)

We remember Don Sutton who was born in Alabama on this day in 1945.  He died in January 2021.

Sutton broke with the Dodgers in 1966 and turned into one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball.    

As a LA Dodger, he won 233, completed 158, threw 52 shutouts and had a great 3.09 ERA over 16 seasons.    He pitched with LA in the 1974, 1977 & 1978 postseason. Later, he played with the Angels, Brewers & Astros.  

In 1982, he was a critical piece of the AL champs Milwaukee Brewers.   Sutton beat Baltimore's Jim Palmer on the last day of the season to clinch the AL East title.    it was quite a game.

He retired with 324 wins, a wonderful 3.26 career ERA and Hall of Fame 1998.

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.