Green is bad

Green is bad:

Why is gasoline more expensive in LA than just about everywhere else?

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/green-is-bad/

The TV and major league baseball games

We take baseball on TV for granted these days.  In fact, I watch more games on TV than at the ball park.  

So when did "baseball on TV" start?  The answer is 1939:

"Red Barber, the long-time radio voice of the Dodgers, also called the game for the broadcast. In the first game, Reds ace pitcher Bucky Walters flummoxed the Dodgers, holding them to just two hits in a 5-2 win. The Dodgers got their revenge in the second game with a 6-1 victory. In that second game, Dodger pitcher Hugh Casey snagged his ninth win with help from first baseman Dolf Camilli, who hit a two-run game-winning home run, his 22nd of the year, in the second inning. 
The game was broadcast from New York City’s Empire State Building, completed just eight years earlier, and could be seen in homes up to 50 miles away."

And that was the first televised game!

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Chicago 1968 and the Democrats

It happened this week in 1968.  And what happened inside the hall and on the streets had a profound impact in the Democrat Party.  

The 4-day convention saw the police clash with students and distract from the events inside.  It was a political nightmare for VP Humphrey.

Former VP Nixon defeated VP Humphrey that year in a very close election.  The "Wallace" vote, almost 14% of the total popular vote, clearly helped Nixon.  

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August 26, 1987: Paul Molitor's streak ended at 39

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor went 0-for-4 and the streak was over.  He hit .415 during the streak.  It is still the 7th longest streak and the best since Pete Rose in 1978 and Joe DiMaggio in 1941.

Molitor broke with the Brewers in 1978.   He went on to have a marvelous career:  .306 average, 3,319 hits, & 1,307 RBI.  

He hit .355 for the Brewers in the 1982 World Series and was the 1993 World Series MVP when Toronto beat Philadelphia.

Just a great player and recently managed the Minnesota Twins.

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Ossoff 2028, US vs Canada trade & more

 

Ossoff 2028, US vs Canada trade & more....

Is Ossoff the ‘macho’ the Dems have been looking for?

Is Ossoff the ‘macho’ the Dems have been looking for?:

He wants to be "macho" but won't stand up to the party that wants his little girls competing with biological males.

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/is-ossoff-the-macho-the-dems-have-been-looking-for/

August 1967: Dean Chance pitched his second no-hitter of the month

Back in 1967, Dean Chance pitched 2 no-hitters in one month.   The first one was a rain shortened 5-inning game and the second was a 2-1 victory over Cleveland.

Chance broke with the Angels in 1964:   20-9, a 1.69 ERA, 11 shutouts and 15 complete games.   Later, he was traded to the Twins and had a great 1967 season:  20-14 and 2.73 ERA.     

My biggest memory of Chance was pitching for the Twins, specially when Boston and Minnesota played for the AL pennant in the last day of the 1967 season.

Overall, he won 128 games with a 2.92 ERA!    

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August 1914: The Panama Canal opened for traffic

A little history today.   The Panama Canal  has another birthday this month.   The engineers selected the location in 1906 and construction began in 1909.  As we understand, they moved 240 million cubic yards of earth and spent more than US$ 400 million.  It was finally opened for traffic on this day in 1914.

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Happy # 80 Rollie Fingers

We salute Roland Glen Fingers, who was born on this day in 1946 in Ohio.

Rollie Fingers broke with the A's in 1968 and became their closer in 1971.    

Fingers and the A's won the AL West in 1971, The World Series in 1972, 1973 & 1974 and one more division in 1975.

Charlie Finley blew up the team in 1976 and Fingers went to San Diego.   He pitched for Milwaukee in the 1982 World Series.

Fingers saved 341 games and was one of the key reasons for the A's incredible run in the 1970's.  He was selected to The Hall of Fame in 1992.

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August 25, 1968: "Hey Jude" was released in the US

How likely is it that a 7-minute song would end up as one of the biggest hits of the 1960's or released on a 45 rpm vinyl disc?  Not likely unless you are The Beatles.

"Hey Jude" was the first Apple single and released this week in 1968.  The B-side was "Revolution", a song that also got lots of airplay.  In fact, I remember a DJ saying that the B-side was often doing better than the A-side.

The song was a very nice ballad for about 4 minutes.  The second half of the song went on and on with McCartney "screaming" between Lennon & Harrison singing the chorus.

It was very different and became a rock classic.   It was the quintessential single of the age of "45's and singles".  In fact, the song was not released in an album until 2 years later.  A clean digital version was included in the CD "Past Masters".

Wonder how many people saved their copy of the "Hey Jude" single?  I did not and that's a shame.

Click for "Hey Jude" and "Revolution", both sides of a classic 45!

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.