President Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809. We will have many celebrations across the land. Lincoln was a great man. The Lincoln monument was the highlight of my visit to DC many years ago. It's hard to pick a favorite quote from Lincoln. I like this one from the 2nd inaugural speech, about a month before his assassination:
"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."
It was years ago today (1924) that George Gershwin performed "Rhapsody in Blue. You can get a "digital" version of the original and let me also recommend Deodato's version.
Joseph Henry “Joe” Garagiola was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on this day in 1926. My first memory of Garagiola was when he hosted the pre-game show on NBC. He was also on The Johnny Carson show once in a while. Garagiola was a catcher with the Cardinals before going to the TV booth. He was a great ambassador for the game, as well. He died in 2016.
We remember Pat Dobson who was born in Buffalo, NY, on this day in 1942. He died in 2006. In 1971, he was one of the four 20-game winners in the Orioles' starting rotation. Overall, he was 122-129 with a 3.54 ERA over 11 seasons.
We remember Lyon Himan “Chaim” Green who was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on this day in 1911. We know him as Lorne Green, or the man who played Ben Cartwright in “Bonanza”.