Sunday, December 23, 1990

A Christmas tree story from Communist Romania




It was Christmas week 1989, and the old Soviet bloc was falling apart and undergoing a birth of freedom.  In Romania, a communist dictatorship collapsed this week:
The end of 42 years of communist rule came three days after Ceausescu’s security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Timisoara. After the army’s defection, Ceausescu and his wife fled from Bucharest in a helicopter but were captured and convicted of mass murder in a hasty military trial. On December 25, they were executed by a firing squad.
Watching all of this was Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh, who left in the late 1970s looking for freedom.  She left her family behind.
She wrote about her Romanian memories, her parents, and a Christmas tree.
Here is the beginning of the article:
As long as I can remember, my Dad came home every December with a scraggly blue spruce, fragrant with the scent of winter, tiny icicles hanging from the branches. The frozen miniature crystal daggers would melt quickly on Mom’s well-scrubbed parquet floor. I never knew nor asked where he had found it, or how he could afford it.
His modest salary of $70 a month barely covered the rent, utilities, and food.
Mom had to work as well to afford our clothes. Prices were subsidized by the government and salaries were very low for everybody regardless of education and skill. We had to make do with very little.
It is a great article and should be read in full.
Merry Christmas!  It is especially meaningful to those of us who understand communism and efforts to celebrate Christmas.
Merry Christmas, and remember those who are not as fortunate as Americans are.

Saturday, December 01, 1990

1990: They started digging "The Chunnel"

It's incredible but true.   You can get on a fast speed train and go under The English Channel.   Here is the story:
After workers drilled that final hole on December 1, 1990, they exchanged French and British flags and toasted each other with champagne. Final construction took four more years, and the Channel Tunnel finally opened for passenger service on May 6, 1994, with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and France’s President Francois Mitterrand on hand in Calais for the inaugural run. 
Still sounds incredible many years later!

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Sunday, August 05, 1990

1990: Joe Morgan & Jim Palmer go into The Hall of Fame

Jim Palmer and Joe Morgan - SportsHistoryCollectibles.com

Jim Palmer, who won 268 games with the Orioles, and Joe Morgan, who won back to back MVP's with the Reds, were selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  

The induction ceremony was on this day in 1990.

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Thursday, August 02, 1990

1990: Iraq invaded Kuwait




On this day in 1990, we woke up to the news that Iraq invaded Kuwait.   It set off a chain of events that led us to The First Gulf War in 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.     
In both cases, Saddam Hussein did not believe that the US would kick him out of Kuwait and then later out of power.  Saddam was eventually captured and met justice in 2007.    

Aren’t you glad that we removed him now that you see what’s happening in North Korea?    Can you imagine Saddam with nuclear capabilities?    
A few years ago, CBS interviewed George Piro, the FBI agent assigned to interrogate Saddam Hussein after his capture.    This is a portion of that interview:
Piro spent almost seven months debriefing Saddam in a plan based on winning his confidence by convincing him that Piro was an important envoy who answered to President Bush.This and being Saddam’s sole provider of items like writing materials and toiletries made the toppled Iraqi president open up to Piro, a Lebanese-American and one of the few FBI agents who spoke Arabic.“He told me he initially miscalculated… President Bush’s intentions. He thought the United States would retaliate with the same type of attack as we did in 1998…a four-day aerial attack,” says Piro.
“He survived that one and he was willing to accept that type of attack.”“He didn’t believe the U.S. would invade?” asks Pelley,“No, not initially,” answers Piro.” (CBS)
Saddam came to the conclusion that the US did not have the stomach to take casualties. 
Why did he arrive at such point?  
1998—Saddam kicked out the UN inspectors.   

Eventually, President Clinton ordered a 4 day air war against Iraq and signed into law The Iraq Liberation Act.  
Last, but not least, billions of dollars from The Oil for Food Program went missing rather than going to the Iraq people. 
No wonder! Saddam thought that we would never invade him!     
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Tuesday, July 31, 1990

July 31, 1990: Nolan Ryan won # 300!

It was the evening of July 31st, 1990 and we were all watching Nolan Ryan go for # 300!

Where did the years go?   Nolan Ryan won # 300 on his second try in Milwaukee.
As I recall from the TV broadcast, Ryan got a huge ovation when he left the game in the 7th inning.   It was a classy move by the Brewers' fans.  He added no-hitter # 7 to his resume the next season!
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Friday, June 29, 1990

June 29, 1990: Dave Stewart and Fernando Valenzuela pitched no hitters

It was an ESPN Friday night doubleheader: The A's in Toronto and the Cardinals in LA.   

By the end of the baseball night, history was made when Dave Stewart and Fernando Valenzuela pitched no-hitters.

According to news reports, Valenzuela learned of Stewart's no hitter minutes before taking the mound.  Tommy Lasorda, the LA manager, joked with Valenzuela about pitching another no hitter that night.

To be honest, I saw Dave Stewart's last 4 innings but did not make it to watch the West Coast game.

A great night for two of the best pitchers of 1990.

Valenzuela won 173 games, primarily with LA.   He could have won 200 games but injuries caught up with him.   We remember him for a tremendous rookie season in 1981 and that complete game in game 3 of the World Series that year.    He was a workhorse and pitched 117 complete games.

Stewart won 168 games and enjoyed great success with the A's.   He won 119 games over a 7 year period with the A's, including 4 consecutive 20-win seasons.   He was also a workhorse with lots of high innings totals.
 
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Monday, June 11, 1990

1990: Nolan Ryan no-hitter # 6

On this day in 1990, the amazing Nolan Ryan pitched his 6th no-hitter in Oakland.  
Ryan pitched a no-hitter for 3 different teams (Angels, Astros & Rangers) and 3 different decades.

On a personal note, I did not watch the whole game.    It was a Pacific time game, or it started in Texas at 9 pm.   I fell asleep after 3 or 4 innings and did not watch it.  
I heard about it the next morning when when the alarm went off at 6 am.   It was one of the leading stories on the radio!    
Ryan flirted with no-hitters a couple of times in 1989, or his first year in Texas.   In fact, I was at one of those games when he took a perfect game into the 9th, or 25 outs!  Then he gave up a single!  
The amazing Mr. Ryan!
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