The Daily Dose/Wednesday, June 7, 2023
The Daily Dose/June 7, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off remains in time-out.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow notes Chris’ continued ascension at the hotel. Today’s Diary.
We’ve noted here how Chris is doing a nice job of consolidating power, and another aspect of this meteoric rise was revealed tonite: he has taken charge of cutting back office scrap paper…I am not making that up…
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4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1892 – Homer Plessy, a Black man, is arrested for refusing to leave the whites-only section of a train in Louisiana, a violation of Louisiana’s Separate Car Act. The arrest had been staged to become a test case, within May 1896 the US Supreme Court ruling against Plessy in 1896, reinforcing the separate but equal precedent that would remain in force until the 1950s.
In 1941 – Whirlaway, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, becomes the fifth horse to win the Triple Crown, winning the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York. Whirlaway ran the mile-and-a-half in 2 minutes 31 seconds to beat Robert Morris by 2.5 lengths. Whirlaway paid $2.50 to win and $2.10 to place, there was no show money, and Whirlaway earned $39,770 for the win, about $863,00 in today’s money. Arcaro would also win the Triple Crown in 1948 aboard Citation and he remains the only jockey to do it twice.
In 1980 – Lipps Inc. is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of four consecutive weeks with Funkytown. The song went to #1 in 13 other countries, including West Germany, Israel, and Norway, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, at #2 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 8th-biggest song of the year. It was the second and final chart single for the group and remains their only Top 40 hit. In 1987 a version by Pseudo Echo peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 and in 2008 a version by Alvin and the Chipmunks went to #86.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
It is a poor sort of man who is content to be spoon-fed knowledge that has been filtered through the canon of religious or political belief.
Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The following teams have allowed four home runs in a game by one player at least once and have had at least one perfect game pitched against them: the Chicago White Sox, the Philadelphia/Oakland Athletics, the Boston/Atlanta Braves, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What Supreme Court decision ended the separate but equal precedent? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Tuesday, June 6, 2023
The Daily Dose/June 6, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off remains in time-out.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow continues to get his rest. Today’s Diary.
7.0 hours for the day 18.0 hours for the week, the highest Monday total (MT) since Reconstruction…Good gravy, that’s an insanely high figure and already we’re fretting about it will affect the crucial Tuesday Sleep Session (TSS)…
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1971 – Soyuz 11, the first mission to send men to a space station, launches from what is now southern Kazakhstan. The crew would arrive at the space station Salyut the following day and, following a three-hour docking procedure, would spend three weeks there. The crew died while returning to Earth on June 29, when their capsule depressurized prior to reentry and Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Viktor Patsayev remain the only humans to die in space.
In 2017 – Scooter Gennett of the Cincinnati Reds tied the major league record for most home runs in a game in a 13-1 win over the St Louis Cardinals. Gennet hit four home runs, the 17th player to do so and the mark was later equaled by Arizona’s J.D. Marinez. The four home runs represented 15% of the 27 home runs Gennet would hit on the year and it was the second time the Reds and Cardinals had been involved in a four home run game; in 1993 Mark Whitten of the Cardinals hit for home runs in Cincinnati.
In 1992 – Kris Kross is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the seventh of eight consecutive weeks with Jump. It was the first chart single for the duo, their first of four Top 40 hits, and remains their only #1 song. The song went to #1 in six other countries, including Canada, Finland, and Ireland, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, at #2 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Bilboard’s 3rd-biggest song of the year and its 23rd-biggest of the decade. The duo consisted of James Christopher Kelly and Christopher Smith who were both 12 at the time. Kelly died in 2013 of a drug overdose
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
You don’t have much hope of getting the truth if you think you know in advance what the truth ought to be.
Robert B Parker
Pale Kings and Princes
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The song that spent the most weeks at #1 in the 1950s on either the Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart or the Hot 100 was Goodnight Irene by Gordon and The Weavers, which spent 13 weeks at #1 in 1950.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many major league teams have given up four home runs in a game by one player and had a perfect game pitched against them? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Monday, June 5, 2023
The Daily Dose/June 5, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off will return.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow discusses recent changes in the amount of sleep he gets on Sunday. Today’s Diary.
Those keeping score at home have, no doubt, noticed the seismic shift in the Sunday Sleep Session (SSS)…It used to be only a few hours, usually beginning in mid-afternoon, to be expected after ten or so hours of sleep the day before…
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1893 – The trial of Lizzie Borden, 33 and accused of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet begins in Fall River, Massachusetts. The killing had occurred the previous August, with Borden a suspect from the start. Though calm and poised during questioning, Borden’s answers contained inconsistencies and she was later arrested. Borden would be acquitted and remained in Fall River, slightly ostracized, until her death in 1927.
In 1925 – Willie McFarlane of Scotland and Bobby Jones of the US establish a new US Open record for the longest playoff in a tournament won by McFarland. The two played 36 playoff holes – a playoff is a complete round in the US Open – before McFarland defeated Jones by a stroke. Jones would’ve won in regulation, however, in the opening round he penalized himself a stroke for an infraction no one else seemed to see. It was the longest US Open until 1931 when four playoff rounds were required for Billy Burke to beat George von Elm, a record that still stands.
In 1954 – Kitty Kallen is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – one of several predecessors to today’s Hot 100 – for the first nine consecutive weeks with Little Things Mean a Lot. It was the fourth and final #1 song for Kallen on a Billboard pop chart, the song also went to #1 in Great Britain and was Billboard’s #1 song of the year, the final time a female solo act would have a year’s #1 song until Lulu’s To Sir, With Love in 1967. Kallen would later lose and then recover her voice and died at 97 in 2016.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
The chaplain had sinned and it was good…The chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization, and he was exhilarated by his discovery…It was almost no trick at all, he saw…Anybody could do it; it required no brains…it merely required no character.
Joseph Heller
Catch-22
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The following states rejected, at least initially, the 19th Amendment, which gave women the franchise: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. All would later ratify it.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What song spent the most weeks at #1 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart or the Hot 100 in the 1950s? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/Sunday, June 4, 2023
The Daily Dose/June 4, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.
1. US Debt Ceiling Deal – The details don’t really matter – it was merely devout partisans playing chicken – but the fact we are obliged to go through this on a regular basis shows, again, our elected leaders are only concerned with increasing wealth and power and that you and me – we the people – continue to tolerate it.
2. American Express Platinum Card – Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters latest Platinum Card holders in what they “strongly suspect” is the greatest upset in history of credit…It was fate, though, as Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters had been denied admittance to airport Centurion Lounge for only possessing the green card commonly possessed by riff-raff and found Platinum Card upgrade in mail upon returning home.
3. US Mass Shootings – The new 3-hole staple, following Lauren Daigle, Donald Trump, and #USA! #USA!…22 more shootings with at least four injuries/deaths this week (Sat-Fri) as Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters remain “pretty sure” 2nd Amendment was designed to allow citizens to possess weapons needed consistent with times, and not license to own every weapon mankind can produce.
4. Miami, Florida – Noted US city trying valiantly to become ninth city (10th if you count Oakland/San Jose region, which Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters do not, though they manfully concede some losers might) to have teams lose NBA Finals/Stanley Cup Finals in same year…Confidence high as both teams are #8 seeds off to 0-1 starts
5. Fake News – Click here for fake stuff some wizards amongst us were believing this week…Runs occasionally when Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters can’t come up with sufficient material…Courtesy of the AP?
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
Si, senor, it is Read Free Domingo (RFD) at El Diario.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow shows a complaining guest his error and is offered an apology. Today’s Dairy.
…a heartfelt apology means this little incident is dismissed without prejudice and he was returned immediately to ol’ Sparrow’s good graces.
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1919 – Congress passes the 19th Amendment to the Constitution – giving women the right to vote – and sends the amendment to the several states for ratification following approval by the US Senate, while the US House had passed the measure on May 21 after previous votes in both houses had failed. On June 10, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan became the first states to approve the amendment and ratification was completed in August 1920. The last state to ratify the 19th Amendment was Mississippi in 1984.
In 2008 – The Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in Game 6, to win the series 4 games to 2. It was the eleventh and most recent Stanley Cup win for the Red Wings and this remains the only loss in the Stanley Cup Finals for the Penguins, who have won it five times. The series marked the first time since the 1909 World Series that teams from Pittsburgh and Detroit had met in a postseason game or series.
In 1977 – Waylon Jennings is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the third of six consecutive weeks with Luckenback, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love). The song also went #1 country in Canada, peaked at #25 on the Hot 100, and was Billboard’s #1 country song of the year. It was the fifth of 15 #1 country songs for Jennings, who is on record as saying he didn’t like the song, though he knew it would be a hit. It was only the second song to spend six weeks at #1 since 1972 and the first since Convoy by C.W. McCall in 1975-76.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Marriage, the last refuge of men unable to fend for themselves.
Garrison Keillor
Leaving Home
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Six athletes have been drafted by professional basketball, baseball, and football teams: Dave Winfield, George Carter, Jo Jo White, Noel Jenke, Mickey McCarty, and Dave Logan.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many states rejected the 19th Amendment, including states that would later ratify it? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/June 3
Of course, it’s Read Free Sunday at The Diary. Enjoy today’s entry with Sparrow’s compliments.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Saturday, June 3
Boy, it was slow tonite, both in terms of business and the alacrity with which ol’ Sparrow went about his nite’s labors…Not only was their more than the usual Sparrow Dawdling (SD), but there was some admin stuff to take care of, which took ol’ genius here 45 minutes or so to complete.
The Daily Dose/Saturday, June 3, 2023
The Daily Dose/June 3, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off will return. Sometime.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is granted an audience with the Sunday Yapper. Today’s Diary.
…and it was actually refreshing, not to mention awe-inspiring, to hear a true yapping connoisseur ply his trade…If we got a complete sentence in, we’d be surprised.
———
Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1969 – The Australian aircraft carrier HMS Melbourne and the American destroyer USS Frank E. Evans collide in the South China Sea between Vietnam and Brunei. The ships were participating in a joint exercise when Evans, off to the left and ahead of Melbourne, turned to the right, with the resulting collision slicing the Evans in two. A joint board of inquiry determined both ships were at fault, a conclusion that in hindsight seems awfully biased in favor of the US. 74 sailors, all from the Evans, were killed.
In 1995 – The Montreal Expos select 17-year-old high school catcher Tom Brady in the draft, in the 18th round with the 507th overall pick. Brady was a good left-handed hitter with a strong arm but he declined to sign with the Expos, preferring to play football at Michigan before starting a pro career that saw him win seven Super Bowls. Brady was one of seven future NFL players drafted by baseball teams this year, including Dante Culpepper and Ricky Williams.
In 1989 – Michael Damian is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Rock On. It was the second chart single for Damian, his first of three Top 40 hits, and remains his only #1 and Top 10 song. Rock On also went to #1 in Canada and was Billboard’s 45th-biggest song of the year. In 1973 a version by David Essex, who wrote the song, peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.
Charles Caleb Colton
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Kenny Nolan and Bob Crewe wrote Lady Marmalade.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many US athletes have been drafted by professional football, baseball, and basketball teams? – Answer next time!