Happy # 89 Don Buford

Don Buford was born in Linden, TX on this day in 1937.   

Buford was the O's lead off hitter and left fielder when they won the AL pennant in 1969, 1970 and 1971.     They won the World Series in 1970.

Don started out with the Chicago White Sox and traded to Baltimore for the 1968 season.   Overall, he was a very professional player and productive lead off hitters in 5 seasons with the O's:   .270 BA and a .385 OBP.     He stole 200 bases for his 10-year career with Chicago and Baltimore.

In other words, he did his job by getting on base for the power hitters coming up down the lineup.  By all accounts, he was a great team guy and fan favorite.

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.

We remember Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009)

We remember Mary Ferrah Leni Fawcett.   She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on this day in 1947.  She died of cancer in 2009.

In the 1970's, she became a TV superstar as Jill Monroe in "Charlie's Angels".   It was a show about 3 beautiful girls battling crime and bad people.    She left the series and enjoyed a lot of success in other movies.

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.

1974: Barbra Streisand's "The way we were" was # 1 this week

"The way we were" was released in 1973.    It quickly became a very popular romantic film starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.   The movie's title theme was # 1 this week in 1974.   

As far as I'm concerned, this is Streisand's finest song.    Alan Bergman and his wife Marilyn wrote the lyrics to this song, and Marvin Hamlisch wrote the music.

Her voice is incredible.

We remember the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis with Frank Burke

Guest: Frank Burke, businessman, author...........we discussed the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis..........I shared some of my personal memories in my book "Cubanos in Wisconsin" linked below.

click to listen:

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.

Listen to "We remember the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis with Frank Burke" on Spreaker.

Nixon 1968 and shorter campaigns plus West Virginia and ICE.

Nixon 1968 and shorter campaigns.  West Virginia and how ICE worked with local agencies.  Lincoln 1865 and the 13th amendment.

February 1968: Maybe we should start campaigns in February again

Presidential campaigns used to be short and sweet, taking place in actual election years, instead of becoming a perpetual backdrop to American life.

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/02/maybe_we_should_start_campaigns_in_february_again.html

 

We remember Paul Blair (1944-2013)

We remember Paul Blair born in Oklahoma on this day in 1944.    

Blair played center field for the Orioles, a team that won 2 World Series championships, 4 AL pennants, and 2 division titles.      He was traded to the Yankees and played on the 1977 & 1978 teams that won the World Series.

Blair hit .250 over 17 seasons and won 8 Gold Gloves.    

His best season was 1969:   .285, 26 HR & 76 RBI.

Blair died in 2013.    He left us with a lot of memories chasing down those fly balls in center field.     He was great!

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.

Happy # 85 Garrett Morris

A few days ago, I read that Garrett Morris was born in New Orleans on this day in 1931.

Back in the late 1970’s, Garrett Morris was on the “Saturday Night Live” cast. He played various roles and developed quite a following.

His career took off one Saturday night in November 1978. This is when he played Chico Escuela, a New York Mets’ outfielder from Dominican Republic. He became famous for one line:

“Thank you berry much. Baseball been berry, berry good to me. Thank you. God bless you. Gracias!”

He followed that up with another great line:

“Keep you eye… keep you eyes… on de ball.”

And he had everyone of us laughing to tears.

Would that be allowed on the air today? Would it be censured for mocking a Latino baseball player? What advertisers would be contacted to boycott the segment?

P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1896: Puccini’s La bohème debut in Italy

"La Boheme" made its debut on this day in 1896.

And we've been watching the story and listening to the music ever since.

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 World's Fair, The Beatles, The Ford Mustang and a few stories of 1964

Our family landed in Miami on September 4, 1964, or my brother’s birthday.  I guess that we had double reasons to celebrate that day.  

A week later,  we found our way to Wisconsin where a church was kindly sponsoring our family.  We reunited with my Uncle and his family up there.

All of us learned a lot about the US that year:

The Beatles and lots of other rock groups, were on The Ed Sullivan Show.  It seem like every Sunday there was a new band, from The Beatles to The Dave Clark Five to the Animals and more.  Like most kids back then, my brother and I got our music from AM radio and then saw the groups on that memorable show; 

The Ford Mustang was introduced.  I remember going with my father to a Ford dealer and admiring this wonderful new car;

We watched our first World Series on TV. The Cardinals beat the Yankees in what would be Mickey Mantle’s last post-season game.   He won game 3 with a HR and then hit his last (# 18) World Series HR in game 7.

and perphaps the biggest event of 1964: The New York World’s Fair.

It was a showcase for companies and future technology, such as a touch tone phone!

One big change is that we were a manufacturing nation in 1964. We made cars, telephones, TV’s and lots of other things.   It would have been inconceivable back then to go to the store and find nothing made in the USA.   No one would have believed that it’d be the exact opposite 50 something years later.

We don’t do that anymore and that is something to think about, specially after this pandemic that came from China.

You can hear my 1964 World Fair chat with our friend Frank Burke.

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.

Listen to "We remember 1964 New York World's Fair with Frank Burke, author" on Spreaker.