Boy, has America changed In 67 years.
In 1951 a Cleveland Plain Dealer photographer captured young Rickey Harbold of Cleveland, OH pointing his toy gun out of the car window.
If your child were to do this today, the adult driving the car would probably be arrested or possibly shot at by the police. Continue reading
Led Zeppelin never got to perform Carouselambra live. It’s a ten minute thirty four second synthesizer driven opus.
This version of Carouselambra performed by Zebra’s Randy Jackson is absolutely spectacular.
Carouselambra is one of the radio’s least played Led Zeppelin songs. Maybe it is because of the length of the song or maybe it is the mix which is not up to the usual Led Zeppelin standards. Whatever the reason, besides its enigmatic and haunting lyrics, Carouselambra has some very strong points.
Randy Jackson (lead singer and guitarist of Zebra) not only does the song justice, but turns in an amazing solo performance. Remember, this song was originally recorded with swirling keyboards, guitars, bass and drums. (At end of our story is the original Zeppelin recording.)
The Story of Carouselambra
After the sudden death of Robert Plant’s five-year-old son Karac from a virus in 1977, touring came to an immediate halt and the band went on hiatus. Robert Plant distanced himself from his band mates.
After a long period of self-introspection, Plant decided he was ready to make music again. In December 1978, Led Zeppelin convened to make their final studio album, In Through The Out Door. Three weeks of recording time in Stockholm’s Polar Studios, owned by members of ABBA, were mainly consumed by bassist John Paul Jones and singer Robert Plant. The pair, who had never been the closest of friends, spent a lot of time together and ended up writing almost all of the music and lyrics for the album.
John Paul Jones told Zeppelin biographer Barney Hoskyns, “The band was splitting between people who could turn up at recording sessions on time and people who couldn’t,” Continue reading
Late autumn at Green-Wood Cemetery
Besides the tombstones, monuments and mausoleums in Green-Wood Cemetery there is an abundance of natural beauty.
These photographs were taken over the past few years. (click on any to enlarge.)
Many of the plantings near the old monuments and obelisks are carefully cultivated.
Other bucolic views have developed naturally over 170 years.
William Williams elaborate Celtic cross is behind these flowers.
A lonely winter scene in which Stephen Whitney’s large mausoleum dominates the top of the hill.
Two roads converge here and a tree canopy forms a natural tunnel.
When the trees are in bloom, it is an amazing sight.
Many of the roadways are lined with trees like this.
A setting fit for eternity. Continue reading
One of the worst innovations in baseball telecasts has been the managers interview in the dugout during the game.
Without fail the meaningless banter yields no insight and distracts viewers from the game itself.
Listening to new Yankee manager Aaron Boone during spring training, has been especially annoying. In about eight interviews I’ve heard with Skipper Boone, nearly every Yankee has been renamed by placing a “Y” sound at the end of their first or last name. Not being in the Yankees clubhouse I cannot be certain that the Yankees don”t rechristen themselves as Boone has done, but I somehow doubt it.
So during the MLB, YES or ESPN broadcast interviews this spring, Boone sounds more like a schoolboy, than a major league manager.
When Boone is referring to Aaron Judge, he is “Judgey.” Brett Gardner has become “Gardy.” Aroldis Chapman is “Chappy.” Greg Bird is “Birdy.” Aaron Hicks has become “Hicksy.” Chad Green is “Greeny.”
Jordan Montgomery is now the British expeditionary leader of WWII, “Monty.” Like our 40th president Ronald Torryes is “Ronnie.” Chasen Shreve is “Shrevey” which sounds like something akin to a short pervert. Jacoby Ellsbury who could have remained Jacoby or Ellsbury, is not a cow, but must represent Borden milk, as he has become “Elsie.”. Continue reading
Johnny Mize hit the most home runs in a season, having more homers (51) than strikeouts (42)
As baseball commentators rave about all the power hitters with their prodigious home run numbers, few broadcasters and writers will allude to the obscene strikeout totals put up by these same power hitters.
Not that most players are capable of hitting a lot of home runs and avoiding striking out, but the great players of the past could.
This list from baseball-reference.com shows the top 37 players with more home runs than strikeouts in a season.
| Rank | Player | HR | SO | Year | Tm | G | AB | H | RBI | BB | BA |
| 1 | Johnny Mize | 51 | 42 | 1947 | NYG | 154 | 586 | 177 | 138 | 74 | .302 |
| 2 | Ted Kluszewski | 49 | 35 | 1954 | CIN | 149 | 573 | 187 | 141 | 78 | .326 |
| 3 | Lou Gehrig | 49 | 46 | 1936 | NYY | 155 | 579 | 205 | 152 | 130 | .354 |
| 4 | Lou Gehrig | 49 | 31 | 1934 | NYY | 154 | 579 | 210 | 165 | 109 | .363 |
| 5 | Ted Kluszewski | 47 | 40 | 1955 | CIN | 153 | 612 | 192 | 113 | 66 | .314 |
| 6 | Joe DiMaggio | 46 | 37 | 1937 | NYY | 151 | 621 | 215 | 167 | 64 | .346 |
| 7 | Barry Bonds | 45 | 41 | 2004 | SFG | 147 | 373 | 135 | 101 | 232 | .362 |
| 8 | Mel Ott | 42 | 38 | 1929 | NYG | 150 | 545 | 179 | 151 | 113 | .328 |
| 9 | Ted Kluszewski | 40 | 34 | 1953 | CIN | 149 | 570 | 180 | 108 | 55 | .316 |
| 10 | Johnny Mize | 40 | 37 | 1948 | NYG | 152 | 560 | 162 | 125 | 94 | .289 |
| 11 | Joe DiMaggio | 39 | 30 | 1948 | NYY | 153 | 594 | 190 | 155 | 67 | .320 |
| 12 | Stan Musial | 39 | 34 | 1948 | STL | 155 | 611 | 230 | 131 | 79 | .376 |
| 13 | Ken Williams | 39 | 31 | 1922 | SLB | 153 | 585 | 194 | 155 | 74 | .332 |
| 14 | Ted Williams | 37 | 27 | 1941 | BOS | 143 | 456 | 185 | 120 | 147 | .406 |
| 15 | Andy Pafko | 36 | 32 | 1950 | CHC | 146 | 514 | 156 | 92 | 69 | .304 |
| 16 | Willard Marshall | 36 | 30 | 1947 | NYG | 155 | 587 | 171 | 107 | 67 | .291 |
| 17 | Al Simmons | 36 | 34 | 1930 | PHA | 138 | 554 | 211 | 165 | 39 | .381 |
| 18 | Ted Kluszewski | 35 | 31 | 1956 | CIN | 138 | 517 | 156 | 102 | 49 | .302 |
| 19 | Joe DiMaggio | 32 | 21 | 1938 | NYY | 145 | 599 | 194 | 140 | 59 | .324 |
| 20 | Lefty O’Doul | 32 | 19 | 1929 | PHI | 154 | 638 | 254 | 122 | 76 | .398 |
| 21 | Joe DiMaggio | 31 | 30 | 1940 | NYY | 132 | 508 | 179 | 133 | 61 | .352 |
| 22 | Yogi Berra | 30 | 29 | 1956 | NYY | 140 | 521 | 155 | 105 | 65 | .298 |
| 23 | Yogi Berra | 30 | 24 | 1952 | NYY | 142 | 534 | 146 | 98 | 66 | .273 |
| 24 | Joe DiMaggio | 30 | 13 | 1941 | NYY | 139 | 541 | 193 | 125 | 76 | .357 |
| 25 | Joe DiMaggio | 30 | 20 | 1939 | NYY | 120 | 462 | 176 | 126 | 52 | .381 |
| 26 | Bill Dickey | 29 | 22 | 1937 | NYY | 140 | 530 | 176 | 133 | 73 | .332 |
| 27 | Ted Williams | 28 | 24 | 1955 | BOS | 98 | 320 | 114 | 83 | 91 | .356 |
| 28 | Yogi Berra | 28 | 12 | 1950 | NYY | 151 | 597 | 192 | 124 | 55 | .322 |
| 29 | Ted Williams | 28 | 21 | 1950 | BOS | 89 | 334 | 106 | 97 | 82 | .317 |
| 30 | Tommy Holmes | 28 | 9 | 1945 | BSN | 154 | 636 | 224 | 117 | 70 | .352 |
| 31 | Bill Terry | 28 | 23 | 1932 | NYG | 154 | 643 | 225 | 117 | 32 | .350 |
| 32 | Yogi Berra | 27 | 20 | 1955 | NYY | 147 | 541 | 147 | 108 | 60 | .272 |
| 33 | Yogi Berra | 27 | 20 | 1951 | NYY | 141 | 547 | 161 | 88 | 44 | .294 |
| 34 | Bill Dickey | 27 | 22 | 1938 | NYY | 132 | 454 | 142 | 115 | 75 | .313 |
| 35 | Johnny Mize | 25 | 24 | 1950 | NYY | 90 | 274 | 76 | 72 | 29 | .277 |
| 36 | Joe DiMaggio | 25 | 24 | 1946 | NYY | 132 | 503 | 146 | 95 | 59 | .290 |
| 37 | Ken Williams | 25 | 14 | 1925 | SLB | 102 | 411 | 136 | 105 | 37 | .331 |
It’s a rarity today to find players with a great batting eye and good power like, Joey Votto. Continue reading
In the article, “The Art of Selecting a Mistress” it is pointed out right at the beginning, “Love has nothing to do with it says this expert. You pick her like a car – for performance.”
Here is the quiz you are supposed to take before reading the article:
A great number of topics written about in the 1960s would almost certainly be considered politically incorrect today. For many people, Selecting a Mistress from Monsieur Magazine by Mel Bennett would fall into that P.I. class.
Monsieur was a nudie titillation magazine published from 1957 through the mid- 1960s which was several notches below Playboy in literary quality. Monsieur’s typical articles such as “Manhattan – Island of Sex Starved Men”, “Women Love To Be Unfaithful”, “Girl-Pinching Goes International” and “Making a Dame on A Plane” was not meant to attract many female readers.
While the answers to the quiz are on page 71 of Monsieur, unfortunately we can’t provide them.
The article image is from the New York Historical Society. As the Historical Society points out about this donated collection: “While not your standard scholarly fare, the Harvey Rosen and El Borracho Collection provides valuable insights into the supper club scene in New York as well as the decidedly un-feminist perception of women that characterized this era.”
When Aaron Judge makes contact with a baseball it can be an breathtaking sight. His home runs are the definition of tape measure shots, some balls traveling 500 feet or more. Not since Mickey Mantle has a ballplayer hit such long distance bombs with such regularity.
When Aaron Judge doesn’t make contact, the big swing breeze he creates can cool off fans in the first ten rows near the dugouts. And Judge’s propensity for striking out in 2017 was prodigious.
Last season Judge struck out 236 times, 208 strikeouts in the regular season and 28 times in the postseason establishing a new major league record for most total strikeouts in a season. No news outlet bothered to point this out.
Granted, Judge’s strikeout record gets an asterisk because of his postseason participation. Continue reading
The “classic” Motorhead line-up on stage circa 1980 (l-r) Phil Taylor, Eddie Clarke & Lemmy Kilmister photo: Simon Fowler
When “Fast” Eddie Clarke (October 5, 1950 – January 10, 2018), guitarist with Motörhead from 1976-1982 died from pneumonia last week at the age of 67, it closed the book on what many consider Motörhead’s greatest line-up.
In the space of a little over two years, Eddie Clarke, singer-bassist and founder Lemmy Kilmister and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, all died.
The trio put out albums that are considered the high points of Motörhead’s career: Motörhead (1977), Bomber (1979), Overkill (1979), Ace of Spades (1980), No Sleep ’til Hammersmith (Live 1981) and Iron Fist (1982).
After being forced out or leaving Motörhead in 1982 (stories conflict on the departure), “Fast” Eddie formed Fastway with bassist Pete Way of UFO. Continue reading
A photographer from the Montauk Photo Concern decided to photograph the scene inside the Cafe Martin, at 26th Street and Fifth Avenue on New Year’s Eve December 31, 1906.
As midnight approached the revelers at Cafe Martin noisily whooped it up, raised their glasses and toasted the coming New Year of 1907. This photograph captures a singular moment: right before the stroke of midnight the lights were put out and at exactly twelve, were put on again. The guests then sang along as the band broke into the Star Spangled Banner. Afterwards guests blew horns and confetti was strewn everywhere. Young men filled with the idea of making a speech got up on chairs and spoke to the heart’s content without anyone to stop them.
The guests, all elegantly attired, look like they are having an extraordinary time.
Outside the restaurant it was supposed to be quieter. A city ordinance forbidding horn blowing in the streets had been on the books for years. Earlier in the day Police Commissioner Theodore Bingham informed the newspapers that the bells of Trinity and Grace Church would be heard when they tolled the midnight hour.
Bingham instructed the police to enforce the noise law. All horn blowing was prohibited on New Year’s Eve! Continue reading
Here’s how the CBS Evening News covered the death of the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. This three minute clip reflects the simplicity of Harry Truman.
https://youtu.be/6qQXaJSzu8M?si=52pXjqVOnzyZvAK7
Throughout his life Harry Truman spoke his mind and was honest and ethical, highly unusual traits for a politician.
How much of a straight shooter was Harry Truman? The following story clearly illustrates it.
President Nixon tours Truman Library with President Truman March 21 1969 photo: Harry S. Truman Library
When he retired from public life in 1953, President Truman and his wife Bess moved into his mother-in-law’s house in Independence, MO. They had almost no money.
Truman had been offered many jobs, but turned them all down. Truman had not exploited his fame or former power of the high office he had held for monetary gain.
“I could never lend myself to any transaction, however respectable, that would commercialize on the prestige and dignity of the office of the presidency,” Truman would later write of his refusal to influence-peddle to get by.
No president received a pension until 1958 when Congress established a law giving former presidents a pension of $25,000 per year.
Truman would frequently recite this prayer…and mean it:
“Oh! Almighty and Everlasting God, Creator of Heaven, Earth and the Universe: Help me to be, to think, to act what is right, because it is right; make me truthful, honest and honorable in all things; make me intellectually honest for the sake of right and honor and without thought of reward to me. Give me the ability to be charitable, forgiving and patient with my fellowmen—help me to understand their motives and their shortcomings—even as Thou understandest mine! Amen.”
To get a sense of Harry Truman, Continue reading