Saturday, June 29, 2024

Saturday's podcast: The debate analysis with Frank Burke, businessman and author

 Saturday's podcast:   

The debate analysis with Frank Burke, businessman and author....

I'm looking through you

I'm looking through you: The debate was over as soon as President Trump said that he didn't know what President Biden was saying and that he didn't know either. Hard to recover from that, as Mark Penn wrote: Democrats exited the presidential debate Thursday...
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We remember Harmon Killebrew (1936-2011)


The great Harmon Killebrew, one of great baseball sluggers of our youth, was born on this day in 1936.   He passed away in 2011 of cancer.  He was 74.

Killebrew started with the original Washington Senators who became the  Minnesota Twins in 1961.  He won the AL MVP in 1969, played in the 1965 World Series plus the ALCS in 1969 & 70.

From 1964 to 1971, Killebrew and Tony Oliva, who usually batted in front of Harmon, were one of the best hitting combinations ever.   Tony won 3 batting titles and Harmon just hit a ton of home runs.   

We remember those "titanic home runs" that got lost in the clouds all over baseball parks.    Killebrew was indeed one of my all time favorite players.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.




The other Perón woman that history forgot






We all know the story of Eva (Evita) Perón, perhaps the most influential woman in modern Argentina. They made a Broadway play and movie about her! By the way, the movie did not misrepresent her beauty and class. She made a point to be super elegant because Evita knew that Latin women like their First Ladies to look that way. Sexist? No at all. I know my culture.

A few years ago, President Trump visited Argentina and then President Mauricio Macri. The Argentina media went crazy with Melania's look. In the end, Melania Trump and the other First Lady, Juliana Macri, stole the show with their fashions. It was a duel of First Ladies that Latin women could not get enough of!

We remember Isabel Perón, who became president of Argentina in June 1974 and overthrown in March 1976. 

The common denominator with the women was Juan Perón, husband and president. Isabel Perón was VP and assumed the presidency when President Perón died. Isabel was 36 years younger than Juan Perón. There was also a big age difference between Evita and Juan Perón.

Mrs. Perón's presidency was very difficult.  She was not able to form coalitions and the country's economy went from bad to worse. Frankly, I am not sure that any other person could have done any better. Argentina's economic problems came home to roost in the mid-1970s and threw the country into years of turmoil.  Her husband left her a mess and she had no chance to survive it.

Perón was overthrown in March 1976 and eventually moved to Madrid. She turned 92 a few months ago and has stayed out of public view.  I can't remember the last time that Isabel was in the news.

Who was the first female president of Argentina?  The answer is Isabel, not Eva, Perón. Of course, no one made a play about Isabel and that may explain that history has largely forgotten her.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.





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.
 
P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
 
 

June 29, 1941: DiMaggio reached # 42

On this day in 1941, the amazing Joe DiMaggio singled in the sixth inning in the first game of a doubleheader to tie George Sisler’s A.L. consecutive-game hit record of 41 games. 
In the second game, he set the record at 42 games with a single in the seventh inning.   
What makes DiMaggio so great is that he’d play doubleheaders.  My guess is that the manager offered to give him a game off but he went out and played.
After getting # 42, his next goal was the N.L. record of 44.    As you probably know, he got to 44, 45 and finished at 56. 
P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

The great music of the summer of 1968!


My brother and I started collecting records in 1966. 

My parents bought us a GE record player and we rushed to the store. We used to buy 45's back then, which sold for 69 cents! (Gas was 19 cents!)

1968 was a very crazy political year. It was reflected in the music. I don't remember any love songs that summer. The music was rough but it was also great rock.

Let's start with the greatest record of the summer of '68.  Years later, this is still one of the best rock songs of the rock era. It was also one of the last songs that included Brian Jones, who died in '69 in an accident.

"I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
And I howled at my ma in the driving rain,But its all right now, in fact, its a gas!But its all right. Im jumpin jack flash, Its a gas! gas! gas!"
My second selection is "White Room" by Cream. This was a group created by Eric Clapton, along with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. They didn't record a lot of LP's but this was their greatest single.

It was a summer for hard rock bands. However, The Bee Gees gave us wonderful harmonies in "I've gotta get a message to you". This is still one of my favorite songs from The Brothers Gibb.

The Beatles' "Hey Jude" was released later or at the end of summer. It actually charted in the fall.  Nevertheless, it was the #1 song of the year!

It was a good summer to collect records!

The Beach Boys recorded a lot of interesting songs in 1967, such as "Good Vibrations" and "Darlin"! In 1968, they went back to their beach sound with "Do it again"!


The Seekers had a pop-folk flavor. They were probably too romantic for the crazy summer of '68. However, they recorded many songs and "I'll never find another you" was my favorite:

I guess that the events made in Prague made The Rascals' "People got to be free" a little more than just a song:

It was indeed a good summer to collect records!

I did not care that much for Sergio Mendes but the girls were very attractive. They took the Beatles' "Fool on the hill" and gave it a different sound:


Looking back, it was indeed a great summer for a couple of teens to collect records.


P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.



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