The Daily Dose/August 29, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. USA! USA! I: Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters “pretty sure” that if America had been at peace every day for past 30 years instead of at war, 9/11 wouldn’t have happened, ISIS wouldn’t exist and 13 US Marines, among others, would still be alive. 

2. USA! USA! II: Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters “pretty sure” that if America had had prompt, competent response to COVID-19 and if America was properly vaccinated, total US COVID-19 deaths would be less than 20,000 and the virus would be in our rearview mirror.

3. Donald Trump Supporters – Friends, our former president remains a lying sexual predator who believes the moon is part of Mars…And that the Revolution was won by the securing of British airports…Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters remain “pretty sure” asking Trump supporters which of these elements continues to solidify their support still reasonable question. 

4. Baltimore Orioles– Close but no cigar as Orioles lousy but not lousy enough to claim all-time major league losing streak…Still though, Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters remain “pretty sure” recent 19-game skid “still, like, a pretty big deal and stuff”… Orioles on track to win 51.03 games this season, which isn’t very many. 

5. Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC Alliance – Three also-ran major college conferences team up to “protect the collegiate model”…Nobody really believes that, of course, because current collegiate model is to win as many football games as you can and strafe as many people as you can for every last possible dollar, the model the SEC is currently giving a clinic in. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

You scamps, of course it’s Read Free Sunday at The Diary.

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest gas mileage figure for the new ride. Today’s Diary. 

The big question now is do I put some more gas treatment in to keep the average up, or do I wait until it starts dropping again???…I think if the new ride were going to start topping 41 MPG regularly it would’ve already done so but, on the other hand, why wait???…Grab the bull by the horns now and prevent the drop in the first place. 

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It’s easy reading on any device. 

Columns, books, shopping lists, click here to get in on the laughs.
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———

On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1758 – The first Indian reservation in the American colonies is established in New Jersey with the signing of the Treaty of Easton between the colonies and 13 Indian nations. The reservation was at what is now the town of Indian Mills and today there are 326 reservations for the 574 federally recognized tribes. The largest by area and population is the Navajo Nation in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, which is about the size of West Virginia and in 2010 had a population of about 173,000 living on the reservation.  

In 1966 – Robin Roberts of the Chicago Cubs becomes the only pitcher to defeat the Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in a 4-2, 14 inning Cubs victory pitching the final two innings for his 286th and final major league win. On July 4, 1948, Roberts picked up his third major league win for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 5-2 win over the Boston Braves and beat the Milwaukee Braves for the first time on June 6, 1953. 

In 1960 – Cowboy Copas is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot C&W Sides chart – for the second of twelve consecutive weeks with Alabam, his eighth of nine Top 10 country hits and his only #1. The song also peaked at #63 on the Best Sellers in Stores pop chart and Copas was 49 when he died in the same 1963 plane crash that killed Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. The song was one of only five #1 country songs in 1960, the second-fewest ever on a major Billboard singles chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Courage is…{to}…beard the lion in his den.
Sir Walter Scott

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The United States has a 72-3 record in Olympic women’s basketball. 

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

What calendar year holds the record for the fewest #1 songs on a Billboard, pop, country or soul chart? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/August 28, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off is running intermittently for the time being. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – At the hotel, Sparrow has to make his own pot of coffee. Today’s Diary. 

[Amy] mentioned she’d been awfully busy and had been unable to get a pot of coffee started, mentioning something about some company with multiple rooms whose rates had been screwed up…This was funny because at the moment she appeared to be doing some online shopping…She apologized profusely and in jest, I threw a palm up with verbal instructions to address it and not me, which was pretty funny. 

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

Columns, books, shopping lists, click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

———

On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1957 – South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond begins a speech to the United States Senate at 8:54 pm against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The address turned into a 24 hour, 18 minute filibuster which Thurmond stopped the following night due to doctors concerns about his kidneys and remains the longest filibuster in Senate history. Despite Thurmond’s opposition, the bill later passed the Senate by a 60-15 margin and was signed into law by President Eisenhower on September 9. 

In 2004 – Argentina and the United States win basketball gold medals at the Athens Summer Olympics. Argentina defeated Italy 84-69 for the men’s gold medal while the US defeated Australia  74-63 for the women’s gold medal. It remains the only men’s basketball gold medal for Argentina and was the fifth of nine gold medals for the US women’s team. 

In 1976 – KC and the Sunshine Band is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot Soul Singles chart – for the only week with (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty. It was the third of four #1 soul singles for the group and their third of seven soul Top 10 hits. The song also went #1 pop in Canada and later would spend a week at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It was Billboard’s fourth-biggest soul song of the year and its 26th biggest overall. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Courage is…doing without witnesses that which we would be capable of doing before everyone.
François de la Rochefoucauld

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Four Americans have won Olympic marathon gold medals: Thomas Hicks (St Louis, 1904), Johnny Hayes (London, 1908), Frank Shorter (Munich, 1972) and Joan Benoit (Los Angeles, 1984) 

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

What is the record of the US women’s basketball team in the Olympics? – Answer next time!

Go Gaylon! Visit Gaylon on Facebook here. 

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/August 27, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off is running intermittently for the time being while we work on a project. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – The second test of which creamer is used the most hits a snag. Today’s Diary. 

A humongous wrench was thrown into the second Creamer Use Field Test (CUFT) this morning…I was replenishing the half & half tray in the back coffee room and one of the buggers turned out to be open, which spilled creamer all over the ones in the tray…Now, it’s a relatively small amount of creamer but I’m too busy – well, no I’m not, but still – to determine which creamers were contaminated and which were OK, so I dumped the whole tray out…

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

Columns, books, shopping lists, click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

———

On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1896 – Mankind’s shortest war is fought when Great Britain defeats Zanzibar in the Anglo-Zanzibar War in Zanzibar Town, the Zanzibar Sultanate, in what is now Tanzania. At 9:02 am elements of the British navy began bombarding a palace on the island of Zanzibar and the battle also included a skirmish in the harbor that featured the sinking of a Zanzibari yacht. A cease-fire was declared at 9:40 am, 38 minutes after the battle started.

In 1952 – Emil Zatopek of Czechoslovakia sets a new Olympic record in the marathon at the Helsinki Summer Games. Zatopek won in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 3.2 seconds, breaking the old record by almost six minutes. It was the first marathon ever for Zatopek who earlier in the Games had won both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and he remains the only person to claim gold medals in all three races at the same Games. 

In 1977 – Crystal Gayle is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the first of four consecutive weeks with Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. The song also went #1 pop and country in Canada, peaked at #5 in Great Britain, at #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and was Billboard’s second-biggest country song of the year. It was the third of 18 #1 country hits for Gayle and remains her biggest pop hit.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Courage is…taking hard knocks like a man when occasion calls.
Plautus (fl. 1st century BC)
Roman playwright

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The major league record for most at-bats in a season without hitting a triple is 683, done by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees in 2012. 

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

How many Americans have won the marathon in the Olympics? – Answer next time!

Go Gaylon! Visit Gaylon on Facebook here.  

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/August 26, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off is running intermittently for the time being. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – At the hotel, Sparrow gets to use his funny line about the crime scene room again. Today’s Diary. 

There wasn’t anything in the logbook and, of course, there wasn’t an email and Mark not only didn’t have anything on it but he also didn’t know why the room was out of order in the first place, only that it was…I filled him in and took advantage of the opportunity to reissue my classic line from yesterday about how letting blood in a hotel room isn’t really a crime unless it isn’t yours.

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

Columns, books, shopping lists, click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

———

On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1926 – The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution – guaranteeing women the right to vote – is certified by US Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. The Amendment had become part of the Constitution on Aug 18 when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify it as certification is not part of the ratification process but serves as official notification that the process was successful. Certification – and the entire ratification process – is now the province of the Archivist of the United States. 

In 1912 – Owen “Chief” Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates ties and then establishes a new major league record for triples in a season, hitting his 30th, 31st and 32nd triples as the Pirates split a doubleheader with the Boston Braves. Wilson broke the record of 31 that had been done in 1886 and 1894 and would finish the season with 36 triples, a record that still stands.

In 1989 – Richard Marx is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third and final consecutive week with Right Here Waiting. It was the sixth of seven consecutive Top 10 hits to start Marx’s career and was his third and final #1 song. The song went to #1 in five other countries including Poland and Australia, peaked at #2 in Great Britain and was Billboard’s eleventh-biggest song of the year. A version by Monica peaked at #32 on Billboard’s soul chart in 2000. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Courage is……fear that has said its prayers.
Dorothy Bernard (1890-1955)
American Actress

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Besides Don’t Be Cruel and Hound Dog by Elvis Presley, the other four songs to go to #1 on Billboard’s pop, soul and country charts are: Jailhouse Rock and (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear by Elvis and Wake Up Little Susie and All I Have To Do Is Dream, both by the Everly Brothers. Billy Ray Cyrus is the only other act with #1s on all three charts, doing so with two songs. 

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

What’s the most at-bats a major league player has had in a season without hitting a triple? – Answer next time!

Go Gaylon! Visit Gaylon on Facebook here. 

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/August 25, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off is running intermittently for the time being. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow visits Doc and wakes him up from his nap on a picnic bench. Today’s Diary. 

I thought she had already started in on the day’s drinking but no, there Doc was, napping on the picnic bench and seconds later Marsha’s waking him up, telling him he has company…Doc had gotten a couple of pillows from a couch and was stretched out and he said he did that from time to time because he gets dirty working his ranch and doesn’t want to muss something up inside. 

———

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

Columns, books, shopping lists, click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

———

On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1609 – Italian astronomer Galileo shows his first telescope to lawmakers in Venice. Galileo was then a teacher at the University of Padua and in November became one of the first to view the moon clearly and in January of the following year discovered three moons orbiting Jupiter. His telescopic observations confirmed Copernicus’ view that the planets revolve around the sun, a view that led to a heresy conviction and permanent house arrest in 1633. 

In 1922 – The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies establish a new major league record for most runs in a game in a 26-23 Cubs victory. The Cubs got ten runs in the second inning and 14 in the fourth to lead 25-6, but the Phillies got 14 runs in the last two innings, leaving the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning. The 49 runs broke the record of 43 done twice in the 19th century and the record still stands. The plate umpire was Bob Hart, who also worked the bases for the longest game in major league history, 26 innings, in 1920. 

In 1956 – The double-sided hit Don’t Be Cruel and Hound Dog by Elvis Presley is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – a predecessor to the Hot 100 – for the second of eleven consecutive weeks. The eleven weeks at the top would establish a Rock Era record that stood until Boyz II Men spent 13 weeks at #1 with End of the Road in 1992. Both songs also went to #1 on Billboard’s country and soul charts, making them two of the six songs to go to #1 on a Billboard pop, soul and country chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Courage is…fear holding on a minute longer.
Gen. George Patton

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Eric Clapton has had one #1 album as a solo act in his native Great Britain, From The Cradle which spent one week at the top in 1994. 

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

What are the other four songs that went to #1 on a Billboard pop, soul and country chart? – Answer next time!

Go Gaylon! Visit Gaylon on Facebook here. 

Share Gaylon! Go!