June 2008: Ken Griffey, Jr. hit # 600!

Back in June 2008, Ken Griffey joined Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays and Sosa in the 600 HR club.    (A-Rod got there later)

Griffey stayed away from controversy but not injuries.   Wonder how many more home runs he would have hit?  He hit 408 home runs in first 11 seasons with Seattle but only 222 over the next 10 years with Cincinnati, Chicago and then back to the Mariners for a season.

I remember how popular he was in the late 1990's when every kid wanted to wear #24 or Griffey's number.

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Was Marichal the greatest Latino pitcher?

Who are the greatest Latino pitchers?   You can choose from Marichal, Cuellar, Tiant, Valenzuela, Martinez, etc.  It is a very impressive list.

My top five are:

1) Juan Marichal----243 wins and a 2.89 ERA. He started 451 games and completed 244 of them, pitching 52 shutouts. Marichal has one more complete game than wins. That's amazing! Marichal's career was played in the shadows of Sandy Koufax and Warren Spahn.

2) Mike Cuellar----In 15 seasons, Cuellar went 185-130 with a 3.14 ERA, 1,632 strikeouts, 172 complete games and 36 shutouts over 453 games......won 139 games in a 7 year span with Baltimore (1969-75) plus game 5 of the 1970 World Series pitching another complete game. Cuellar won't make the Hall of Fame but he is the most successful lefty from Latin America.

3) Camilo Pascual---the most underrated pitcher of his era. He was a 5 time All-Star starting in 1959 to 1962 and in 1964.......won 174 games yet pitching for bad teams for much of his career......a 3.75 ERA and 36 shutouts in 18 Major League seasons....led the league in strikeouts from 1961 to 1963 and was among the leaders in shutouts in 1959, 1961 and 1962.....struck out 2,167 batters in 2,930 innings.

4) Luis Tiant---He led the league with a 1.60 ERA in 1968 and a 1.91 ERA in 1972.....won 229 games with a 3.30 ERA over 19 seasons......won 20 games four times and led the American League in shutouts three times.

5) Pedro Martinez----A three-time Cy Young Award winner---1997, while with the Expos, and in 1999 and 2000 with the Red Sox.  Hall of Fame 2013.

Honorable mention goes to Fernando Valenzuela and Dennis Martinez.

Imagine a fantasy baseball team with a rotation of Marichal, Cuellar, Pascual, Tiant and Martinez.   I think that I'll do OK!

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World War II: The long and difficult year of 1942

Guest:   Barry Jacobsen, military historian and blogger..........we go from the German invasion of the USSR to the very difficult year of 1942.........the US is now in the picture......

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We remember Hugh Masekela (1939-2018)

We remember Hugh Masekela who was born in South Africa on this day in 1939.

Years ago, I bought a 45 by Hugh Masakela called "Grazing in the grass".   It was a great arrangement.  

We learned in January 2018 that Hugh Maeakela passed away. 

Great sound and super talent.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.

2008: We lost Cachao

Israel “Cachao” López died on this day in 2008. 

This is a little bit about Cachao: 

“Born in Havana in 1918, he came from a family of musicians and studied classical music. He began his public career at 8 years old, playing bongos in a children’s group.

A year later, he had stood on a crate to play bass for the Cuban pianist and singer, Bola de Nieve, accompanying silent films.

At 13, he became the bassist of the Havana Philharmonic, and he performed with the orchestra from 1930 to 1960.

But he also played Havana clubs with his brother Orestes, working with a noted Cuban dance orchestra, Arcaño y Sus Maravillas, and with their own groups.”

In recent years, Cachao recorded several albums and collected many awards. He was a master arranger of Cuban music.  

Rest in peace Cachao! 

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"Descarga:........Cachao....1918-2008........ https://t.co/6YqRBD9Ctv via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) March 22, 2019

Dick Clark's American Bandstand (1957-89)

On this day in 1989, Dick Clark announced his retirement from "American Bandstand".   It started in 1957 and went on for 33 seasons on ABC-TV.

Like some of you, I spent a few Saturdays in my life watching Dick Clark introduce one of the week's top songs and watching young couples dance.

He died in 2012 and "American Bandstand" is available for new generations to see what life was like back then.

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1973: Roberto Clemente and Hall of Fame

On this day in baseball history, Roberto Clemente was elected to The Hall of Fame.   

It was a big move by MLB.  They waived the "5 year rule" following Clemente's death a few months before.  A few weeks later, # 21 was retired by Pittsburgh.

Clemente got # 3,000 on his last at-bat of the 1972 season.  He was one of the best hitters in baseball history:   .317 average, 3,000 hits in 2,433 games, 240 HR, 1,305 RBI, 4 NL batting titles, 1966 NL MVP and 12 straight NL Gold Glove Awards.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.

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Something "green" for St Patrick's Day!

We say hello to all of our Irish friends, here and over in Ireland.    Today, we all remember the life of St Patrick, who lived a long time between 387-461 AD.

It was originally a Catholic holiday but it has grown into a lot more than that.

I think that St Patrick's Day is that one day of the year when it's OK to wear "green".

I've got a green shade tie.  It looks good with a white shirt and dark pants.  Add a blue jacket and that's my St Patrick's Day attire.

I'm not bragging but at least I've got some "green"!

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The Milwaukee Browns?

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On March 3, 1953, Milwaukee almost became the home of the baseball Browns of the American League.

It did not happen because The Boston Braves, owners of the Milwaukee minor league franchise, blocked the move. 

Lou Perini, owner, invoked his territorial privilege.  Not much later, the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee.

The Browns became the Orioles in 1954.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.

Washington, the greatest American!

Dr. Peter A. Lillback, author and educator, wrote a book about George Washington, the greatest man in US history.

Mr. Lillback is concerned that our kids are not learning enough about Washington. He fears that political correctness is hurting Washington's place in history.

In my view, George Washington was the indispensable figure in the early days of US history. He led the rebels, served as the first president and left power gracefully after two terms. He did it all with the upmost integrity.

What more can we learn about this man?   A lot more: