Sunday, November 30, 1980

1963: The UK version of "I want to hold your hand" was released by The Beatles

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In late November 1963, "I want to hold your hand" was released in the UK.   A few weeks later it was heard in the US.   

By mid-January, the song was # 1 on Billboard and "Beatlemania" was off and running.     The group appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th and you know the rest of the story.

In the UK, the B-side was "This boy".   In the US, it was "I saw her standing there".    

A few weeks later, "Meet the Beatles", the first Capitol LP was also released.  

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We remember Dick Clark (1929-2012)

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We remember Richard Wagstaff Clark who was born in Mt. Vernon, NY, on this day in 1929.   On April 18, 2012, Dick Clark died of a heart attack.  He was 82.

Dick Clark's American Bandstand was on the air until the late 1980s.  He went from one generation to the other, from Elvis to U2.  I guess that he connected so well because he never "aged".  He looked as young in 1987 as he did in 1967 when we used to watch those Saturday shows.

Dick Clark was great and we thank him for all of the memories.  I used to love that "rate the record" segment and the interviews.

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Friday, November 28, 1980

We remember Gato Barbieri (1923-2016)

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He was born Leandro Barbieri in Rosario, Argentina, on this day in 1923.  He died in 2016.

Leandro got the nickname "Gato" because he would go from one club to another in Buenos Aires.   

Over time, he recorded over 30 albums and won many awards, including a Latin Grammy lifetime achievement.

Your music was excellent!  By the way, he composed the music for "Last tango in Paris".

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Wednesday, November 26, 1980

Charles Schulz (1922-2000), the man who gave us Charlie Brown

Charles Monroe Schulz was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on this day in 1922. He died in 2000. Schulz created Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang.

Back in the early days of “el exilio”, we learned English going to school, playing baseball with our new friends and watching TV. I don’t want to show my age but TV circa 1970 was “mucho mejor” than what we have today. Back then, we had 3 or 4 channels and something worth watching. Today, we have 300 channels and “mucha basura” as my late mother used to say.

We loved Mr. Schulz’ characters so much that we watched them on TV and holiday specials. What would Thanksgiving be without Charlie and the gang planning their celebration? What would a Christmas’ playlist be like without “Snoopy’ Christmas”?

Happy San Giving and catch Snoopy this weekend.

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Friday, November 21, 1980

1980: Who shot J R Ewing of the Dallas TV series?


The "Dallas" TV series was a huge success in the 1970's.  

On March 13, 1980, the season ended with someone shooting JR Ewing, the character that everybody loved to hate.  

The show's fans, and a few others spent most of the summer wondering "Who shot JR"?

On this day in 1980, millions of people around the world tuned in to answer the question:  Who shot JR?  

83 million people in the country saw the show or an amazing 76% of all of the TVs in the US.

As I recall, it was Kristin who shot him!





Monday, November 17, 1980

1980: John Lennon's "Double Fantasy" released in the US


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John Lennon released "Double Fantasy" on this day in 1980.  It turned out to be his last LP because John was killed a few weeks later.    I guess that I must be getting old because I remember the new LP and the night he was killed like it was yesterday.

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Thursday, November 13, 1980

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)

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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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Saturday, November 08, 1980

We remember Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949)

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We remember Margaret Mitchell who was born on this day in 1900.  Her classic "Gone with the wind" was published in 1936.   

Mitchell died in 1949.

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Friday, November 07, 1980

What a weekend to remember Reagan!


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Back in November 1980, I was almost packed to move to Mexico.  My company was transferring me to the bank branch in Mexico City.  It was an exciting time, especially as I went through the last details of my Mexico work visa and other matters related to the change.
I was also a volunteer on the Reagan-Bush team.  On Friday night, I recall working a phone bank and hearing all the senior people talking about a close election.  A few days before, we had seen Mr. Reagan debate President Carter, but the impact of “there you go again” was still unclear.  I guess we did not see the impact of that debate until election day.
On election day, I voted early, went to work, and then listened to the radio for any detail I could find.
At 7:00 P.M., I tuned in to the TV, expecting to stay up all night, as I had in 1976, when the Ford-Carter election literally went into early morning.
Around 7:00 P.M., the Eastern results came in, and Carter looked weak.  By 9:00, the Southern results started projecting a Reagan victory.  By 11:00, the Western results made it a landslide.  
The Reagan-Bush team got 489 electoral votes and almost 44 million votes.  It was amazing, to say the least.
Of course, the next part was even better.  The GOP picked up Senate seats and ended up with a majority for the first time in years.
The GOP won open seats in Alabama, Alaska, and Florida.  The real fun was defeating our favorite liberals, such as Frank Church of Idaho; Birch E. Bayh II of Indiana; George S. McGovern of South Dakota, the 1972 party nominee; and Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.  It was not a good night to be a liberal Democrat between the coasts!  I guess we were seeing the beginning of what we would later in the red states!
Over time, I’ve tried to read as much as possible about that election of 1980, especially the last week, where millions of votes moved to Reagan.  Victor Davis Hanson explained it in a good post back in 2012:
Finally, in late October, Reagan capitulated to Carter’s preconditions and met him one time, face to face, without Anderson present.
In other words, until the very last week of the campaign, Reagan had an uphill fight. True, he eventually won a landslide victory in the Electoral College (489 to 49) and beat Carter handily in the popular vote. Yet Reagan only received a 51-percent majority.
What had saved Reagan from a perfect storm of negative factors – gaffes, additional conservative candidates on the ballot, a single debate, and a biased media – was not just the debate. Voter turnout was relatively low at only 53 percent. If Reagan’s conservative base was united and energized, Carter’s proved divided and indifferent.
One way or another, millions of voters that year made up their minds late.  In the end, I had a wonderful time celebrating the results and watching some of those liberals like Church and McGovern go down!
A few days later, everyone in Mexico was curious as to how Reagan did it.  I had a lot fun explaining the victory south of the border.
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Wednesday, November 05, 1980

November 1980: Reagan elected


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Many years ago, I was following the 1980 presidential election results on radio and TV. 

The last minute polls were calling for a close race.  It was confusing, to say the least.

Around 7 pm, the Eastern results came in and Carter looked weak.  


By 9 pm, the Southern results started projecting a Reagan victory.  

By 11 pm, the Western results made it a landslide. 

Some things don't get old. Instead, they get better with age. Reagan's 1980 landslide victory is one of those things.

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Tuesday, November 04, 1980

Reagan 1980 many years ago this week!


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As we count the 2020 vote, let me tell you a story about another election that meant a great deal to me.   Like many Cuban Americans, I had grown up hearing that it was better to vote Republican.  It was Ronald Reagan who took it to the next level.  He made it cool to talk about free markets and small government.

Back in November 1980, I was a volunteer on the Reagan-Bush team.  On Friday night, I worked a phone bank and all the senior people were talking about a close election.  A few days before, we had seen Reagan debate President Carter but the impact of “there you go again” was still unclear.  I guess we did not see the impact of that debate until real people voted.

On election day, I voted early, went to work, and then listened to the radio for any detail I could find.  

At 7:00 P.M., I tuned in to the TV, expecting to stay up all night, as I had in 1976, when the Ford-Carter contest literally went into the middle of the next day.

Around 7:00 P.M., the Eastern results came in, and President Carter looked weak.  By 9:00, the Southern results started projecting a Reagan victory.  By 11:00, the Western results made it a landslide.  

The Reagan-Bush team got 489 electoral votes and almost 44 million votes.  It was amazing, to say the least.

Of course, the next part was even better.  The GOP picked up Senate seats and ended up with a majority for the first time in years.

A few days later, I moved to Mexico City to start a banking assignment.  Down south of the border, everyone in Mexico was curious as to how Reagan did it.  I had a lot fun explaining the victory.  Last, but not least, President Carter was seen as a very weak leader and many remembered that Reagan had been a good and popular Governor Reagan of California. 

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