The Daily Dose/June 16, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. Elon Musk  – $56 billion pay packet sounds exborbitant, but he is not being given that amount in cash…Musk does not receive a salary and package – which was initially passed in 2018 – is actually stock options that would be issued when certain market capitalization and earnings marks were/are hit. When you are willing to bet on yourself like that, it’s OK to collect big. 

2. College Sports Private Equity Deals – The Allstate Big 12 and Apple Pac 8 are coming, folks, and with colleges on the hook for $20 million in salaries now, it’s about time…College football and basketball due to collapse sooner or later as everyone – coaches, players, conferences, schools, networks – all out to get as much money as they can…SB 5 pollsters “pretty sure” this is not sustainable. 

3. USA! USA! – The 3-hole staple…US facing worst choices for US president ever, two old men either one will be the oldest president ever on Election Day…One is a partner in Israel’s continuing genocide against women and children and the other an idiot who believes moon is part of Mars and that Colorado borders Mexico…We deserve better than this, but we aren’t demanding better right now. 

4. NCAA – Organization – who somehow simultaneously manages to be pimp, whore, and john – pushing Congress to pass bill that would declare the athletes who make them billions of dollars are not employees…The government must butt out of this: the NCAA made this bed and can lie in it…Let them solve their own problems. 

5. Fake News – Click here for a summary of falsehoods some wizards amongst us were believing this week…Courtesy of the AP. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary rolls on. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow lays the hammer down. Today’s Diary. 

We didn’t even blink: we headed out immediately because this is unacceptable…We walked out with some purpose, and we have some size, and you could hear a murmuring or two as I walked up, before I even opened the gate…

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1846 – Pius IX is elected pope at a conclave in Rome, replacing Gregory XVI, who died on June 1. History remembers Pius for convening the First Vatican Council in 1868 – known for promulgating the papal infallibility doctrine – and losing the Papal States to Italy in 1870. He served for 32 years, the longest reign besides that of St Peter (37 years). 

In 1992 – Jeff Reardon of the Boston Red Sox establishes a new major league record for most career saves in a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees. It was the 342nd save for Reardon, breaking the record of 341 established by Rollie Fingers between 1968-85, the record was broken the following year by Lee Smith and is now held by Mariano Rivera with 652. 

In 2012 – Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the eighth and final consecutive week. The song went to #1 in 25 other countries, including their native Australia and New Zealand, plus Israel, and Great Britain.  It was Billboard’s #1 song of the year, its 8th-biggest of the decade, and won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo of Group. It remains the only #1 for each singer, and Kimra is one of 18 acts whose only chart single went to #1 on the Hot 100.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery was established on November 11, 1921. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Who was the winning pitcher in the game Jeff Reardon got his 342nd save in? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 15, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

 Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

THERE YOU GO READIN’ AGAIN: As happens from time to time, the headline – in Al Jazeera – caught our eye: 

250 Days of Israeli War on Gaza: 15,694 Kids Killed, 17,000 without parents. 

Calling A Spade A Spade: Any doubt that this war has long been a genocide – and there really hasn’t been any doubt for a while, now – is erased. This really isn’t a bulletin, though, because Israel has been killing women and children for a long time now. This is as wrong as it is sad. The purpose of war is to kill as many enemy combatants as you can. Killing children is an outrage and everyone in Israel concerned with it must be held accountable. 

Standard Internet Disclaimer: Israel had every right to defend itself, of course. But they long ago established military and tactical superiority over Hamas. This is no longer war, merely an attempt to slaughter as many civilians as possible.

USA! USA!: And we are complicit in this, too. Our government has been sending arms to Israel from the get-go. Under the guise of supporting Israel, we are standing by while the atrocities continue. This is wrong. It is possible to support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself while opposing their wholesale slaughter of children and their parents. 

Gaylon For Congress: Vote Early, Vote Often: It would be nice if the US gave other nations the dignity of conducting their affairs without the benefit of US interference. We don’t, though, and as a result, we have violent citizens and a violent world. 

The Bottom Line: We’re not foolish enough to think war will ever go away. It won’t. It’s been man’s calling card since time immemorial, and that will not change. But what is going on in Israel is genocide and US support of it is unconscionable. We all have blood on our hands. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s favorite meatloaf sandwich is changed. Today’s Diary. 

She didn’t say that the changes involved the addition of pesticides to the meatloaf sandwich,  so we decided to give it a go…

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Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

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 1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sets aside 200 acres at what used to be the estate owned by Confederate General Robert E Lee, who no longer had any use for it. Currently, about 400,00 people are interred at Arlington, including two presidents, 396 Medal of Honor recipients, and 32 British subjects. It is expected to run out of room by the 2060s and it is run by the US Army. 

In 2014 – Martin Kaymer of Germany wins the US Open, shooting a final round 69 to defeat Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler by eight strokes at Pinehurst #2 in North Carolina. Kaymer led wire-to-wire for his only US Open title and his second and most recent major win (2010 PGA) and this remains the highest US Open finishes for Compton and Fowler. Pinehurst #2 is currently hosting its fourth US Open. 

In 1974 – Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Billy Don’t Be a Hero. It was the second of five chart singles for the group, their first of three Top 40 hits and remains their only Top 10 appearance. The song also went to #1 in Canada and was Billboard’s 21st-biggest song of the year. Also in 1974, a version by Paper Lace went to #1 in Great Britain, Australia, and Ireland and peaked at #96 on the Hot 100.  

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

You have to believe. You have to play brave.
Martin Kaymer

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning have each won two Stanley Cups, the most of any current NHL coach. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

When was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier established at Arlington National Cemetery? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose will return.

Click here to read today’s Diary of a Nobody entry.

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The Daily Dose/June 12, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow deals with a fussy cat. Today’s Diary. 

Some research showed that cats crap outside the box for any one of 700 different reasons…

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Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

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 2005 – Singer Michael Jackson is acquitted of all charges in his sexual molestation trial. Jackson had been indicted on four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation, plus conspiracy charges. A 1993 molestation accusation had resulted in a civil settlement. Jackson died in 2009 at age 50. 

In 2002 – The Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 to win the series in five games. It was the tenth of eleven Stanley Cup titles for Detroit and remains the only runner-up finish for Carolina, to go along with winning the title in 2006. Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman won his ninth Stanley Cup title, breaking a tie Toe Blake for the most by an NHL head coach, a record that still stands. 

In 1987 – Atlantic Starr is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Always. It was the second of three Top 40 songs for the group, their first of two Top 10s, and remains their only #1. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #3 in Great Britain, at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was their 14th-biggest song of the year. The band last appeared on a Billboard singles chart in 1994 when I’ll Remember You went#55 pop and #58 soul. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

What has gone wrong with the people that they can’t see what’s happening to them?
Gore Vidal
The Golden Age

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Medgar Evers was a field representative for the NAACP when he was murdered. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What active NHL coach has won the most Stanley Cups? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 12, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

 Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

PLAY BALL: Today is the 144th anniversary of the first perfect game in major league history, by Lee Richmond of Worcester in an 1880 National League game. There have been 23 more thrown since, and it remains a rare accomplishment, rarer even, than a goal being scored in soccer.  

If Dry, Technical Matter Is Inevitable…: Any perfect game is an extraordinary accomplishment, but one in the 19th century might be even more so because the game was played under different rules, rules which both benefited and hindered pitchers. 

Here We Go: For example, eight balls for a walk helped, as did balls being caught on a bounce being an out, something Richmond had four of in his perfect game. 

Fly In The Ointment: Richmond, though, was hindered by the rule that required him to pitch underhand and the fact that gloves were not common. The ones that were used were meant to cover the palm and were not the baskets they have today. 

Dry, Technical Matter: The question we’ve always had is how they pitched underhanded: was it like slow-pitch softball, where there’s a high arc, or was it like fast-pitch softball, where it’s zipped in at a high speed? Few know baseball history like we do, and we’ve never seen it clarified. 

To Boldly Go…: So, it now being the 3rd decade of the 21st century, we googled the matter and found some videos of vintage baseball games, and they pitched like it was slow-pitch softball. Now, this wasn’t definitive, but it does make sense because batters then could request a high or a low pitch. 

The Bottom Line: Richmond’s perfect game – 27 up and 27 down – as well as Monte Ward’s five days later, remain almost unfathomable feats. Taking into consideration the fact they pitched underhanded and had to deliver the batter’s requested pitch and the fact gloves were for protection and not for catching is balanced somewhat by the rules benefiting pitchers, but not too much. They remain incredible accomplishments. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports the hotel is drying out. Today’s Diary. 

The parking lot flooding (PLF) was all but gone tonite…

———

Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

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 1963 – American civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, is murdered, shot to death in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Byron De La Beckwith, a KKK member, was arrested for the murders, with his first two trials resulting in hung juries. In 1994, De La Beckwith was tried and convicted and sentenced to life in prison. An appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case. De laBeckwith died in prison in 2001, age 80. 

In 1880 – Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs throws the first perfect game in major league history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Blues at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds. The rules were different back then: the pitchers pitched underhand from a flat area whose front edge was 45 feet from home plate, and in the fifth inning what would’ve been a hit turned out to have the right fielder throwing the batter out at first base. Worcester left the National League in 1882 and the Blues in 1884. 

In 1971 – The Honey Cone is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Want Ads. It was the third of seven chart singles for the group, their first of four Top 40 hits, and remains their only Top 10 song. The song was in its third and final consecutive week at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart and was its 13th-biggest pop song of the year and their 3rd-biggest soul song. The song featured 17-year-old Ray Parker, Jr, on guitar. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Every living creature on this earth can do something great.
Minnesota Fats

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The other artists besides Santana to have had multiple songs spend at least ten weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 are: Adele, Drake, the Black Eyed Peas, Boys II Men, Marian Carey, and Pharrell. The Black Eyed Peas are the only act to have one such song replace the other at #1, and Drake and Carey are the only ones to do it three times. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What was Medgar Evers’ position at the time of his assassination? – Answer next time

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