Thursday, August 08, 2024
Peso falling
Peso falling: Back in 1994, the Mexican peso was devalued and it threw the Mexican economy into shock and awe. The drop happened, as it did in 1976 and 1982, because the currency was not allowed to float and it became overvalued. Mexicans always go….
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Peso falling - American Thinker https://t.co/20gBz8s24r
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) August 8, 2024
Remembering the very beautiful Esther Williams (1921-2013)
We remember Esther Williams who was born on this day in 1921 and died in 2013: She was 91.
I've seen some of her movies on TCM and they are a joy to watch. Esther was one beautiful woman as well.
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We remember Frank Howard (1938-2023)
Frank broke with the LA Dodgers in 1958 and became a regular in 1960 when he hit 23 HR and won the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Eventually, he was traded to the Washington Senators where he hit 246 HR in 8 seasons and led the AL in HR twice with 44 in 1968 and 1970.
From 1967 to 1970, Howard hit 198 HR over 5 seasons. He and Killebrew were the two biggest power hitters in the AL during that time.
In 1972, the Senators became the Texas Rangers and Howard hit the first HR in the team's history. However, he was traded to Detroit and his career was over in 1973.
Overall, Frank Howard hit a very decent .272 average with 382 HR & 1,119 RBI.
My one memory of Howard is a line drive HR that left the park in a heart beat. I have never seen a ball hit harder than that. It was amazing!
August 8, 1988: Lights at Wrigley Field
Well, let me steal an idea from The Beatles and the first line of "Sgt Pepper's": "It was 33 years ago today that Wrigley turned the lights to play ... "
Like many pre-woke baseball fans, I got ready to watch the national broadcast. Our second son was two weeks old, and the first one had a baseball jersey on, and our family was ready for a night game in famous Wrigley. How could my young sons miss history being made in Chicago? Such was the passion for baseball before the commissioner decided to go woke and turn off millions of us.
As I recall, the game was rained out, but the lights went on before the summer showers came.
It all started at 6:05 P.M.., when 91-year-old Cubs fan Harry Grossman began the countdown. "Three...two...one...let there be lights!"
Grossman pressed a button, and light towers were on. Wonder if Mr. Grossman was around for the 2016 World Series title? Hopefully yes, but I don't know for sure. Millions around the country were probably caught up in the whole thing.
For years, Cubs fans were raised on day baseball. It was charming, especially for kids off from school. One of my first summer memories in the U.S. was walking to a park and seeing this older couple listening to the Cubs on their front porch. As I recall, the lady was keeping score because she was holding a book and a pencil.
During my time in Mexico, one of my neighbors had an early version of a satellite antenna, and we would often light up the grill and catch the Cubs on TV.
It made afternoon rush-hour traffic a bit interesting listening to WGN radio and driving home. It brought morning baseball to West Coast fans. It allowed the players to play ball and have dinner with their families.
Eventually, economics caught up with the Cubs. It's hard to play daytime baseball when TV viewership is crucial to pro sports. It was fun while it lasted.
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1974: Nixon resigned the presidency
After the speech and his departure from Washington, President Nixon went into political exile but made a comeback in the 1980's with some great books, one of them his memoirs, RN. He became one of the premier foreign-policy statesmen in the world.
This is a great book.
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