The Daily Dose/January 9, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

HUT, HUT, HIKE: College football ended Monday night, with Michigan handily defeating Washington 34-13 to win the College Football Playoff (CFP). The system came under deserved criticism, but it’s hard to argue the two best teams made the title game. 

By The By: Next year the CFP evolves into a 12-team tournament, when it’s expected the screwing of the 13th-ranked team won’t be as loud. Those keeping score at home will note this means eight fewer teams for the already diluted and increasingly meaningless bowl games. How meaningless? Several dozen players, including 25 Florida State Seminoles, deemed their bowl game to be so important they chose not to play in it. This made meaningless exhibition games even more meaningless exhibition games featuring no small number of second-string players. 

Dry Technical Matter: While doing its duty and making everyone money, the bowl season could use some help and we have some ideas.

Leading Off: First, play the national championship game on New Year’s Day because there is no reason for college football season to last later than either January 1 or Monday, January 2. This would go a long way to making their constant money grabs – like UCLA and Rutgers now being a conference game – more palatable.

Listen Up: And please, cut the number of bowls to 25. To start, get rid of cold-weather bowls and all bowls played in baseball stadiums. Then any bowl this season that featured two 6-6 teams can muster out. And while we can’t make players play, we can pay them for suiting up and the NCAA can forbid transfers until after the season is over.  

The Bottom Line: College football is in a box because everyone concerned – players, coaches, conferences, schools, networks – are in this solely to make as much money as possible. There is no common purpose, except to strafe the marketplace for as much money as they can. Ending the season on New Year’s Day and revamping the remaining bowls will go a long way to changing bowl season from interminable to somewhat tolerable. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s back in the lottery racket. Today’s Diary. 

Our two-week run playing the lucky numbers yielded us $13 in winnings and we combined that with some loose cash to play today…

———

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 1909 – Edward Shackelton, leading an expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (about 111 statute miles) away from the pole, the farthest south yet attained by humans. The expedition was not well-financed and was obliged to turn around, with man not reaching the South Pole until 1911 when an expedition led by Norwegian Roald Amundsen reached it. 

In 1977 – Roscoe Tanner of the US wins the Australian Open, defeating Guillermo Vilas of Argentina 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. It remains the only Grand Slam title for Tanner, who also reached the finals of Wimbledon in 1979, where he lost to Bjorn Borg. It remains the only loss in a Grand Slam final for Vilas, who would win the next two Australian Opens, as well as French and US open tiles later in the year. It was the first Australian Open men’s singles final since 1912 not to feature an Australian player. 

In 1993 – Whitney Houston is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for seventh of a Hot 100 record 14 consecutive weeks with I Will Always Love You. The song went to #1 in 20 other countries, including Panama, Norway, and Great Britain, was in its sixth of eleven consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s #1 song of the year and its 7th-biggest of the decade. It was the tenth of 13 #1 songs for Houston. The song broke the record of 13 consecutive weeks established by End of the Road by Bouz II Men in 1992 and the record is now 19 weeks by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus with Old Town Road in 2019.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Clarity and stillness set everything right.
Lao Tzu
The Tao Te Ching, #45

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Jimmy Carter was the last president to provide a written State of the Union message to Congress, doing so in 1981. At 33,667 words, it remains the longest in history. 

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

Who coined the term Antarctica? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 8, 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 is offered a bribe to open the hot tub. Today’s Diary. 

She whines about this a little before pointing at the blonde sitting at the table. 
“How about if she flashes you???…Would you open it for us then???”

———

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 1790 – President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address, in the Senate chamber of Federal Hall in New York City. Congress generally reacted favorably to Washington’s recommendations, soon producing patent and copyright legislation, but declined to form a national university. It remains the shortest State of the Union address, at 1,089 words. The original hall Federal Hall was demolished in 1812 and the current  building – originally a customs house – opened in 1842. 

In 1945 – The Kentucky Wildcats establish a new NCAA record for fewest points allowed in a game in a 75-6 win over Arkansas State. Research into whose record was broken was inconclusive and the mark was tied in December 1973 when Tennessee defeated Temple 11-6. The NCAA all-division record is 4, done twice in Division II.

In 1977 – Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with You Don’t Have To Be a Star (To Be In My Show). The song also went to #1 in Canada and on Billboard’s soul chart, and peaked at #7 in Great Britain. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. It was the first of two Top 40 hits for the husband and wife duo and remains their only #1 song; the duo also hit #1 twice as members of the 5th Dimension. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Peter simply approached religion like he approached everything else: What seemed reasonable? What was practical? What worked best?
Robert K Massie
Peter the Great

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The NHL record for the longest winless streak is 30 games by the 1980-81 Winnpieg Jets. 

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

Who was the last president to provide a written State of the Union message to Congress? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 7, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Friends, The Daily Dose will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

It’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is grateful for the knife. Today’s Diary. 

It was a hero tonite, what with two creamer boxes and fresh box of French roast coffee packets needing to be opened. 

———

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

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 6, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

CAPSULE BOOK REVIEW: Son of Holmes by John Lescroart: There is an element of art known as pastiche, which is a work that imitates the work of another and, as you might expect, Son of Holmes is about the son of fiction’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. And while we’ve read Holmes – all of it – years ago, this wasn’t why we picked up the book. 

Dry, Technical, Matter: Fans of the mystery genre know that Sherlock Holmes has long been suspected of being the father of another famous fictional detective, Nero Wolfe. (This is never mentioned in a Wolfe novel, though Wolfe keeps a picture of Holmes in his office.) We’ve been Wolfe fans for ages and picked up the book to see how Wolfe was portrayed. 

For The Record: The answer is brilliantly, with mannerisms and traits Wolfe fans will immediately recognize and appreciate. As this was our reason for reading the book, we didn’t even notice any similarities to Holmes. 

FunFact: Wolfe is known as Auguste Lupa in the book. Lupa is Italian for wolf. 

Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter: The setting is France in 1915. World War I has just started and Lupa is spying for the Allies. Someone gets murdered and Lupa solves the case, which isn’t easy because the dumb-dumb constables have tabbed him the prime suspect.  

Fly In The Ointment: There is one glaring discrepancy: Lescroart has Lupa born in America and moving to Europe shortly after birth. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and is a naturalized US citizen. It is, however, believable that Wolfe was spying for the Allies in World War I. 

Ladies And Gentlemen: Your Daily Dose Rating Scale: 1 – The very best; 2 – Very good; 3- Good; 4- OK; 5- A steaming pile.

Final Rating: 3: This is an objective rating. If it weren’t, we would have given it a 1 because of our long fandom of and affection for Nero Wolfe stories. This wasn’t the greatest mystery ever, but it was early in Lescroart’s career. In fact, the international intrigue angle that asserted itself at the end caught us by surprise but, frankly, this is hardly the Upset of the Year for us. Unless you are an ardent Holmes or Wolfe fan, it might not be for you. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow blows off workout. Today’s Diary. 

We’re not entirely sure why, but we were exhausted when we woke up this morning…It was as if we’d never gone to bed: we woke up groggy and yawning…

———

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 – Edgar Ray Killen is indicted for the murders a Black and two Jewish civil rights workers that occured in 1964 in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The three – who’d had the nerve to try and register Black voters – had been abducted, shot, and left in an earthen dam. The state declined criminal prosecution and Killen had no verdict returned in a federal civil rights trial. Killen would be convicted of three counts of manslaughter in June and died in prison in 2018 at age 93. History refers to the killings as the Freedom Summer Murders. 

In 1980 – The Philadelphia Flyers win the last of their NHL-record 35-game unbeaten streak in a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers last loss had been to the Atlanta Flames on October 13 and they went 25-0-10 during the streak. They had broken the record of the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens, who went unbeaten in 28 straight games.

In 1990 – Phil Collins is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third of four consecutive weeks with Another Day In Paradise. The song went to #1 in ten other countries, including Zimbabwe and Norway, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 7th-biggest song of the year. It was the 11th of 16 Top 10 hits for Collins as a solo act and was his 5th of seven #1 songs. The song was written by Collins and featured backing vocals by David Crosby. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

He means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise one, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his senses.
Benjamin Franklin
Regards John Adams

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Two other Christmas songs have hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100: All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey (2019-23) and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee (2023/24)

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

Who holds the NHL record the longest winless streak? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 5, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off will return. We’re not entirely sure when, though. It is not on hiatus, however. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has exciting news from the gym. Today’s Diary. 

In a technical note, the 20 lb medicine ball we use for twists has a hole in it…

———

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 1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces the implementation of a eight-hour workday and doubles wages to $5 a day, about $150 in today’s money. The move was not popular with rivals, though when it resulted in increased productivity and profits for Ford, most followed suit. The first eight-hour day in the US had been won by Boston ship carpenters in 1842 and the first eight-hour day had been implemented by King Phillip II of Spain in 1594.

In 1971 – The Harlem Globetrotters 2,495 game winning streak comes to an end in a 100-99 loss to the New Jersey Reds (one of the names played under by the Washington Generals) in Martin, Tennessee. The Reds led by twelve with two minutes left before the Globetrotters realized what was happening and they led by one point with ten seconds left.  The winning shot was made by Generals owner Red Klotz and Meadowlark Lemon missed a shot as time expired. It was the Globetrotters’ first loss since 1957.

In 1959 – The Chipmunks with David Seville are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third of four consecutive weeks with The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late). It was the second of three Top 10 hits for the group and their second and final #1. The song won three Grammy Awards: for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children’s Recording and Best Engineered Non-Classical Record. The song also peaked at #5 on Billboard’s soul chart and was the first Christmas song to hit #1 on the Hot 100. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Charles II became king when the English monarchy was restored in 1660. He was the son of Charles I. 

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

What other Christmas songs have hit #1 on the Hot 100? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!