The Daily Dose/May 21, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things. 

The Sunday Bottom 5 will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Say hi to Read Free Sunday at The Diary. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has news from around The Shire. Today’s Diary. 

The rhubarb in the back garden is already huge, too…Recall it grows every year and we never use any of it, preferring to allow it to return to Mother Earth and you don’t have to be Mr Garden to strongly suspect this might be the reason why…We don’t know, however, if this is the case nor, honestly, are we going to do further research into the matter. 

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Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

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

In 1455 – England’s War of the Roses between the Houses of Lancaster and Tudor against the House of York begins at the First Battle of St Albans north of London. The battle saw troops under Richard, Duke of York defeat the House of Lancaster, led by King Henry VI, who was captured. The War of the Roses would last until 1487 and result in a House of Lancaster victory. 

In 1977 – Seattle Slew, ridden by Jean Cruguet, wins the 102nd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race track in Baltimore, defeating Iron Constitution by 1.5 lengths and running the mile and 3/16ths in 1:54-2/5ths. Previously, Seattle Slew had won the Kentucky Derby and would later win the Belmont Stakes, becoming the tenth Triple Crown winner. It remains the only Triple Crown for Cruguet and trainer Billy Taylor. 

In 1955 – Perez Prado and his Orchestra is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – a predecessor of the Hot 100 – for the fourth of ten consecutive weeks with Cherry Pink (And Apple Blossom White). The song also went to #1 in Great Britain, was Billboard’s biggest song of the year, and the song also went to #1 on Billboard’s Most Played By Jockeys and Most Played In Jukeboxes charts. Though the song had both French and English lyrics, Prado’s version was instrumental and was his first of two #1s on a Billboard pop chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Philosophy directs us first to seek the goods of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or not much wanted.
Francis Bacon

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The major league record for most career errors by a pitcher is 90, done twice, by Joe McGinnity (1899-1908) and Nolan Ryan (1966, 1968-93). 

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

How long was the reign of Henry VI of England? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/May 20, 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 goes to the doctor. Today’s Diary. 

…the big news is the lab work from Thursday’s blood draw had outstanding news, with Dr D – who in November said I was a walking heart attack – actually giving me a thumbs-up.

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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. 

Editor’s Note: due to time constraints, today’s entries have run previously.  

In 1983 – The existence of HIV is first published in the journal Science. The article was written by Luc Montagnier of France who, working with others at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, discovered the virus in a lymph node biopsy of a man who had AIDS, then known as gay-related immune deficiency (GRID). Montagnier later co-founded the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention and was awarded, along with  Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, the 2008 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, an award shared with Harald zur Hausen, who had discovered an exciting new cause of cervical cancer. 

In 1946 – Pitcher Claude Passeau of the Chicago Cubs plays his 145th and final consecutive errorless game in a 6-4 win over the Boston Braves. During the streak, Passeau accepted a major league record 273 consecutive errorless chances, a record for pitchers that still stands. Passeau would make an error on his first play in his next game, his first error since 1941. Passeau’s record still stands and research into whose record he broke was inconclusive. 

In 1989 – Paula Abdul is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Forever Your Girl. It was Abdul’s second of three #1 songs for the year, following Straight Up and preceding Cold Hearted and all told Abdul spent six weeks at the top in 1989. The song also went to #1 in Canada but, interestingly, did not crack the Top 10 in any other country or on any other Billboard chart. Forever Your Girl was one of 32 #1 songs in 1989, tied for the most #1s in the Hot 100 era.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Ars longa, vita brevis- art is long and time is fleeting. This is the tragedy of every great soul.
Will Durant
The Story of Philosophy

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The first perfect games of the 19th and 20th centuries were pitched by Lee Richmond (Worcester, National League, 6/12/1880) and Cy Young (Boston, American League, 5/5/1904). 

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

Who holds the major league record for most errors by a pitcher? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/May 19, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Daily Dose is taking a day off.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets admonished for going too long between oil changes. Today’s Diary. 

He then scolded me for going ten thousand miles between oil changes, noting the oil tends to burn up and disappear and that we were almost out, which caused the oil lite to come on…We promised not to wait ten thousand miles ever again. 

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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. 

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/May 18, 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 attempts to use the internet to acquire information. Today’s Diary. 

…we weren’t able to decode [the site] any better than he could because the site could not be any more confusing had it been written in Sanskrit.

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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 1860- Abraham Lincoln earns the Republican Party’s presidential nomination on the third ballot at their national convention in Chicago. Frontrunner William Seward led after the first ballot, which saw twelve candidates receive votes. Lincoln closed the gap to three votes on the second ballot before winning on the following ballot. Lincoln would defeat John C. Breckenridge for the presidency in November and would be reelected in 1864. Hannibal Hamlin of Maine was the vice presidential nominee. 

In 2004 – Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws the 17th perfect game in major league history in a 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves. Johnson was 40 years old, three years older than Cy Young when he threw his perfect game in 1903 and Johnson remains the oldest player to accomplish the feat. It was the first of seven perfect games in the 21st century and Johnson struck out 13 batters and threw 117 pitches. 

1974 – Cal Smith is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the only week with Country Bumpkin. The song spent 15 weeks on the country chart, including ten weeks in the Top 40 and five weeks in the Top 10. It was the second of three #1 country songs for Smith (The Lord Knows I’m Drinking, one week, 1973; It’s Time to Pay the Fiddler, one week, 1975) in a chart career that spanned from 1966-87. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

This is our diamond and must be treated like a diamond. Never settle. It’s never good enough until it is your best.
Michael Bennett
Creator, A Chorus Line

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Otis Redding had the first posthumous #1 song on the Hot 100 – (Sittin’ On) The Dock of a Bay, 1968 – and the most recent was by XXXTentacion (Sad!, 2018).

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

Who pitched the first perfect games in the 19th and 20th centuries? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/May 17, 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 is a couple of days early for cleaning the house. Today’s Diary. 

When we got home, we completely lost our mind and gave the cabin a pretty good Level I cleaning…

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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 1995 – Shawn Nelson, 35, steals a tank from a National Guard armory in northern San Diego and goes on a driving rampage for 25 minutes. Nelson, who had served in the Army from 1978-80, took out, among other things, fire hydrants, utility poles, and automobiles. Nelson had assorted discipline problems in the Army, though his discharge was honorable, and had long struggled with alcohol and drug use. There were no injuries, except for Nelson, who was shot and killed by police while still in the tank. 

In 1875 – Aristides, ridden by Oliver Lewis, wins the first Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Aristides took the lead after a quarter mile and ran the 1.5 miles in 2 minutes 37.75 seconds, then a world record, and won by two lengths and earned $2,850. A field of 15 horses raced and this remains Lewis’ only win in what would become a Triple Crown race. 

In 1997 – The Notorious B.I.G. is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third and final consecutive week with Hypnotize. It was the second of four Top 10 hits for The Notorious B.I.G., his first of two #1s, and the song also went to #1 on Billboard’s soul and rap charts. The Notorious B.I.G. had been shot to death in March and the song with the fifth of nine posthumous #1s in Hot 100 history. He was born Christopher Wallace in Brooklyn in 1972.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Who can ask more of a man/Than giving all within his span/Giving all, it seems to me/Is not so far from victory.
George Moriarty
The Road Ahead of the Road Behind

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Ray Parker, Jr. has had one #1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100, Ghostbusters, which spent three weeks at the top in 1984. 

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

Which act had the first posthumous #1 on the Hot 100 and which act had the most recent one? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!