1851: "Moby Dick" is published

Some of us saw the movie first and others read the book.    No matter what, Moby Dick is a great read or movie.   It was written by Herman Melville and published on this day in 1851.    

The movie version is also great.   In 1956, a movie with Gregory Peck was released.   Many of us saw that version growing up.

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Caravans and let’s finish Iran

When Mexico enforced immigration laws

When Mexico enforced immigration laws:

The Mexican caravans are their problem, not ours.

We remember Buck O'Neill (1911-2006)

The great Buck O'Neill was born in Florida on this day in 1911.  He died in 2006.

Most baseball fans were introduced to the late Buck O'Neill in Ken Burns' baseball series. Buck related so many stories of the old Negro Leagues.

O'Neill was a pretty good player in the Negro Leagues' greatest team, the Kansas City Monarchs.

O'Neill won't get in the Hall of Fame because of stats. He did not hit titanic home runs like Josh Gibson or cut down batters like Satchel Paige.

Buck gets my vote because he became a wonderful ambassador for baseball with kids.    For example, he came to Dallas and spoke to inner city kids about integrity, character, and even playing baseball for a living.   It's hard to think of a greater spokesman for the game than the late Buck O'Neill!

Let's hope that the writers put him in next year!

I should add that baseball created The Buck O'Neill Award in 2008.  

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We remember Mel Stottlemyre (1941-2019)

We remember Mel Stottlemyre who was born in 1941 and pitched for the Yankees, 1964-74.   He died in 2019.

Stottlemyre pitched during a very difficult time for the Yankees.   He came up in 1964 and pitched very well for the AL Champs.   Unfortunately, he never pitched for another contender after that.    In fact, the Yankees did not return to the post season until 1976. 

Stottlemyre won 164, completed 152, threw 40 shutouts and retired with a fantastic 2.97 ERA.   Wonder how many games he'd won with better Yankee teams?   It's hard to say but 250 is a real possibility.   

After baseball, Mel served as pitching coach for the Yankees.

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1982: The Vietnam War Memorial Wall

On this day in 1982, the Vietnam War Memorial Wall went up in Washington DC.   It was a tribute to the 57,939 Americans who died in the conflict.  The names of the men are arranged in order of death.

It is an amazing place to visit, specially for those who remember that very controversial war.

My favorite book about the Vietnam War was written by President Nixon in 1983 after leaving office.

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Tariffs & new plants plus a word about caravans

 

Tariffs & new plants plus a word about caravans....

What about those tariffs?

What about those tariffs?:

Do we really want to cancel the tariffs? Which plant do you want to close? 

Happy # 81 Neil Young

We say happy birthday to Neil Young, one of our favorite rock performers.   Neil was born in Toronto on this day in 1945.   He recorded with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and on his own.     

"Heart of gold" is one of my real favorites....

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1967: "Incense and peppermints" on the radio

We remember Strawberry Alarm Clock, a one-hit wonder, and "Incense and peppermints".    We called it "Psychedelic music".   The song is a fantastic arrangement:    2 minutes & 55 seconds.    The intro is super and I love the ending.

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