You Have To Hear It To Believe It…
Shatner, The Transformed Man, continues his musical career. His new album is called, Continue reading
William Shatner Sings Deep Purple’s Space Truckin’
Leave a reply
Jackie Robinson Packs Up And Retires
A Classy Man Calls It A Career – January 7, 1957
55 Years Later- Remembering The December 13, 1956 Trade That Shocked New York
In this January 7, 1957 photograph Jackie Robinson packs up the contents of his locker from Ebbets Field, his home for his entire ten year major league career.
After the 1956 season Jackie Robinson’s legs were gone. He was no longer the player he once was and he knew it. He batted a respectable .275 with ten homers. But rather than continue playing with eroding skills, Robinson would retire at the age of 37.
One problem: except for his family and future non-baseball employer, Robinson didn’t tell anyone of his decision.
The Trade
The Dodgers shocked everyone including Robinson, with a December 13, 1956 trade to the New York Giants for Dick Littlefield and $35,000 for the Dodger legend. After the trade announcement, fans of the Dodgers were outraged. Brooklynites believed that Robinson would retire rather than play for the hated crosstown rival Giants. But they did not know Robinson had already decided before the trade that he was retiring.
All Robinson would publicly say was he would “inform the Giants by January 14, if he would play in 1957.”
The reason Robinson couldn’t announce his retirement was because he had signed a contract to write an exclusive article for Look magazine, about his retirement in December which would not hit the newsstands until January 8.
Announcing his retirement on January 7, many Dodger fans were happy Robinson would not be playing for the Giants. Robinson said he had decided to take a position with Chock full O’Nuts as Vice President of personnel rather than play baseball.
Whether Robinson would have played for the Giants had he not retired is open to speculation.
click to read Robinson’s letter
Robinson’s January 14, 1957 letter to Giants owner Horace Stoneham takes the high road. Robinson says he appreciates being offered the chance to play for the Giants, but he has “decided to devote his full time to business opportunities.”
That’s One Large Drug Cocktail
Before The D.E.A.
This news photograph is entitled, “Government agent mixing and weighing heroin and morphine.” September 20, 1938.
All they needed was some cocaine for a giant speedball.
Why the government needed an agent to mix these massive quantities of drugs I do not know. Continue reading
December 7, 1941
Waiting To Enlist
Sunday afternoon on “a day that will live in infamy.” Volunteers for military service stretch around the block after the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor. Continue reading
Tombstone Humor
Have You Lost Your Marbles?
1930 Marbles Champion Vincent Sullivan
Marbles is a game that I have never seen anyone play in person in my entire life. When I was a young boy, I had a collection of marbles that my grandparents gave me. I would roll them around and marvel at the beautiful orbs of color, but no one ever taught me how to play marbles. Somewhere among my many apartment moves I did lose my marbles. American children seem to have lost their marbles too, for the game is clearly not popular anymore.
click to enlarge
Marbles as a competitive game is still played, but there are probably more collectors of marbles than there are players worldwide. Continue reading
MTA Propaganda
Open For Business ** Shop 2nd Ave ** It’s Worth It!
A cryptic poster on a city bus that says absolutely nothing. Typical of the MTA.
The punishment for the person who wrote this slogan should be to live in an apartment adjacent to the constant construction.
Below is the text of this MTA sign pictured above that “encourages” shoppers.
The many interesting shops, restaurants and services on Second Avenue are open while MTA Capital Construction builds the Second Avenue Subway. Shop Second Avenue. It’s Worth It!
Visit mta.info and click on the Capital Construction link for more about your local shops, restaurants and services.
The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce is a partner with MTA Capital Construction in support of local establishments as construction continues on the Second Avenue Subway.
This is going to convince anyone to shop in the construction zone?
Lame signs do not get people to shop in an area that is having many of its businesses being decimated by the constant construction for the Second Avenue Subway project. The poor business owners and residents along the construction route have suffered since 2007 and many stores have gone under in the intervening four-plus years.
Solutions, Not Signs
More people might patronize the establishments on Second Avenue if the MTA didn’t in a prima facie way, block access to the stores along the construction path. One side of certain streets appear to be inaccessible. Maybe the MTA could cut down on the hours that allowed filth and noise to be generated. Or just make a conscious effort to make the streets more inviting by not chopping the sidewalks to half their normal width and blocking re-routing crosswalks, making it difficult for pedestrians to stroll.
Plus the area is just plain ugly. It seems little or no thought was given into making the avenue look more appealing. The fences, walls and temporary banners give Second Avenue a very shabby appearance. In many places Second Avenue looks more like a post-war zone, not a construction zone.
Originally the MTA projected the first phase from 105th Street to 72nd Street of the Second Avenue subway would be completed in 2014. It is of course delayed and over budget. If they don’t run out of funds it might be completed by June 2018.
One side note: the entire first phase of the original New York City subway from City Hall to 145th Street, (almost nine miles) was built in just over four years from March 27, 1900 – October 26, 1904.
Old New York in Photos #13 -Herald Square Before The New York Herald
Herald Square, Before It Became Herald Square circa 1888
34th Street where Sixth Avenue and Broadway intersect is known as Herald Square because the New York Herald newspaper had their building located there. It was designed and completed in 1894 by the famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. The building was torn down in two phases, 1928 and 1940. Continue reading
The Day (Almost) Everyone Remembers
November 22, 1963 President Kennedy Is Assassinated
Richard Nixon Forgets Where He Was When He Heard The News
Almost everyone in the United States who was living on November 22, 1963 can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the shocking news that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.
That is everyone except Richard Nixon.
Forget the conspiracy theories and all the other unsolvable aspects of the JFK assassination. Nixon’s supposed amnesia of that day is one of the oddest stories related to the assassination.
When I say everyone remembers where they were, I mean everyone. If you think I am mistaken about this, ask anyone who is over the age of 55, and you shall see this is no exaggeration. Continue reading
Additional Baseball Playoff Wildcard Is An Abomination
New Watered Down Playoff System Brings Lesser Teams New Hope
In 2011 the team that tied for the tenth best record in major league baseball won the World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals were a good team at 90-72, but were they the best team in baseball? If your measurement is winning the World Series the answer is yes. Using any other criteria the answer is definitely not. They were a team that got hot at the end of the year and that carried over throughout the postseason.
The real question is: should a team that has the tenth best record in baseball have the right to play in the World Series? Continue reading