We remember Ossie Álvarez (1932-2008)

We remember Ossie Alvarez who was born in Matanzas on this day in 1932.

Ossie was a promising middle infielder primarily known for his speed and defensive skills.  He was in the Washington Senators’ farm system and led the minors twice in stolen bases.

In 1958, Ossie played the whole season in the majors hitting .269 in 88 games.  He was traded a couple of times in the off season and played only 8 games for Detroit in 1959.   Alvarez spent the rest of his career in the minors and later the Mexican League.

Alvarez died in 2008.   He worked as a Pirates’ scout after leaving baseball.

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1981: Rick Monday's HR beat Montreal in game 5

We remember Rick Monday for a few reasons:

1) He was a good player:   241 HR and 775 RBI with the Kansas City/Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers;

2) In 1976, he stopped two people from burning the US flag in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field; and, 

3) Monday hit a top of the 9th HR off Steve Rogers to put LA rather than Montreal in the 1981 World Series.   I heard it on the radio!

I think that they called it "Blue Monday" in Montreal for several years.

Great player and big post season moment.

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Happy # 50 Michael Young

We remember Michael Young who was born in LA on this day in 1976.

In 2000, the Rangers sent Esteban Loiza to Toronto for Michael Young and another pitcher.  The "other pitcher" was gone quickly and Loiza has been around a few teams.

It took a couple of years but Michael Young turned into one of the best players in the league: .300 average, 2,375 hits and a few Gold Gloves!

Michael retired in 2015 and now works in the Rangers' office.

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October 1961: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" made its debut on TV

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" made its debut this month in 1961.    It was around for a few seasons (1961-66)  and very active in reruns.    The show was about a TV comedy writer, his beautiful wife Laura and co-workers Morey & Rosemarie.    

What great show and it makes me laugh every time.

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Luis Tiant: 163 pitches and complete game in game 4 of the 1975 World Series

It was quite a 1975 World Series for Tiant.

He pitched a Game 1 shutout of the Reds; and, 

In game 4, Tiant came back and beat the Reds, 5-4.    He threw an amazing 163 pitches and got out of trouble several times in the game.  It also tied the series at 2-2.

What an an effort by “El Tiante”, one of the great Cuban pitchers of recent memory. 

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Minnesota 2026, Slotkin said what and more

 

Minnesota 2026, Slotkin said what and more....

CANTO TALK podcasts from last week

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Click to listen:

Minnesota nice to Tafoya

Minnesota nice to Tafoya:

Could this be the Republican to finally seize a Senate seat in the Land of 10,000 Lakes?

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There is something happening in that beautiful land of 10,000 lakes.  I remember going with my parents to the Twin Cities to catch some Twins baseball many years ago, and we loved the place.  We quickly learned why they call it Minnesota Nice.

Well, things are not so nice today.  The state has a ton of problems, and the Democrats can’t explain how it happened and what they are going to do about it.  It’s all about blaming Trump with these people!

Enter Michelle Tafoya.  You say the lady who reported from the NFL sidelines?  Yes, that one.  She is running a great campaign by just talking common sense to voters who have not seen much of that lately.  The result is that the U.S. Senate race is super-competitive:

Minnesota is often seen as the reddest blue state in America, which places it high on the list of places that Democrats are closely watching that could harbor signs of trouble if a blue wave fails to materialize.

The race to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith has largely flown under the radar compared to an unexpectedly long list of competitive races in other Midwestern states. The contest between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat, and former sportscaster Michele Tafoya, a Republican, is “far too close for comfort,” a state Democratic official told CNN.

Too close for comfort?  I think that it’s closer than comfort after watching clips from the debate.  Her best line is comparing Minnesota politics to pro-football:

I spent 30 years covering football and I learned one thing: When you fail this badly, you get fired. Hundreds of millions stolen, money meant for hungry kids gone.

I think that Vikings fans understand that simple logic.  How many games do you have to lose in the NFL to get fired?  Everybody in Minnesota knows it’s time to fire these Democrats and bring in a new coach and staff.

I’m not sure if Tafoya will win this race, but she is running one of the best GOP campaigns that I’ve seen in years.  She speaks plainly, and that’s what they need up there.

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When two young people exchanged wedding rings in Spain

When two young people exchanged wedding rings in Spain: Like some of you, I have a Spanish connection. My maternal grandfather was born in Asturias and came to Cuba in the 1920s. He met my future grandmother Adelina, also of Spanish stock. My other “abuelos” have Spanish heritage as well. 

Click to read:

When two young people exchanged wedding rings in Spain - American Thinker https://t.co/Wv9kHFSJYk

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) October 19, 2024

  Like some of you, I have a Spanish connection. My maternal grandfather was born in Asturias and came to Cuba in the 1920s. He met my future grandmother Adelina, also of Spanish stock. My other “abuelos” have Spanish heritage as well.  The Canto side came to Cuba in the 1860s. Cool story, as my sons would say.

Spanish history is interesting to me. So it is shocking for me to hear of low Spanish birth rates and how Spain — the people that is — may disappear. Who replaces them? I hope it’s people who appreciate the country and the language.

So let’s look at a marriage that mattered a lot. On this day in 1469, 20-year-old Ferdinand of Aragon married 18-year-old Isabella of Castile. On the surface, it sounds like another wedding between a couple of young royals. In reality, it turned out to be one of the most consequential marriages in world history. 
First, it united all the dominions of Spain into what would become the world’s foremost military power.

Years later, they sponsored Columbus’s trip, and the rest is the good history we used to learn in school before the P.C. crowd decided to spoil our celebrations of Columbus Day. The trips convinced the royal couple to encourage colonial activity in the New World, leading to a period of great prosperity and imperial supremacy for Spain. 

A more dubious action occurred in 1492 — incredibly, the same year that Columbus departed on his trip, when they ordered all Spanish Jews to convert to Christianity or face expulsion from Spain. The Muslims were also driven out of Spain during their very consequential reign.

They were what we would call today a power couple, as Kathy Copeland Padden wrote:

They had an incredibly modern relationship in many ways, with Isabella on an equal par with her husband. They enjoyed a profound love and mutual respect in their relationship, tirelessly working together to achieve their aims.
In Ferdinand and Isabella’s estimation, their crowning achievement wasn’t expanding their empire to include the New World, or uniting the various dominions that would become modern Spain. They believed their greatest accomplishment was driving out all Muslims from their country.

They both died young: Ferdinand died in 1516 and Isabella in 1504. Who knew that the grandson of a Spaniard, born in Cuba and raised in the U.S. would remember this? My grandparents up in heaven are probably thrilled.

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We remember Barbara Billingsley (1915-2010)

Like many of you, I grew up watching “Leave it to Beaver”.   I still love the reruns and watch them whenever I have the time.

Barbara Billingsley, the lady who played Mrs Cleaver or “Beaver’s mom”, was born on this day in 1915 and died after a long illness in October 2010.

Who didn’t love Mrs Cleaver?  She reminded me of my mom and every other mom that I came in touch with during those “growing up” years.

Thanks for all of those wonderful shows that generations will love forever!

Go watch an episode.

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