The Daily Dose/October 17, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things from the week that was.

1. USA! USA! – Get vaccinated people…Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters still “pretty sure” America’s contrarian streak – which dates back to Revolution – has now been replaced by ignorance and now “strongly suspect” a once-proud country is now closer to the oblivion than the stature it once had. 

2. Baseball Playoffs– Eleven (11) days between end of regular season and final division series game is too long…Play both wild card games on Monday and only make teams travel once for a 5-game series…Or if they must travel twice, make division series’ best-of-seven…Or, better yet, expand to 32 teams and have eight (8) division champions open with best-of-seven series. 

3. Donald Trump – The 3-hole staple…He remains a lying sexual predator who believes 1) the moon is part of Mars and 2) that the Revolution was won by the securing of British airports…Plus his only talent, interest, is in drawing attention to himself…A question for his supporters: which one of these elements continues to earn your support???

4. John Gruden – With Gruden’s resignation as Raiders head coach showing lookback window for stupid emails now ten (10)-years, Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters wondering if use of “fucking cocksucker” some years back will come back to haunt them.  

5. Fake News – Click here for a look at what some of the wizards amongst us were believing this past week…Courtesy of the AP. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary is just waiting for you. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow consults the internet. Today’s Diary. 

I googled “fo ti” and “hair growth” just for funsies and got some hits, but it’s the internet, of course, and you could probably search for “yak piss” and “hair growth” and still get a few results…

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On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1777 – British General John Burgoyne surrenders his troops to General Horatio Gates of the Continental Army in Saratoga, New York. Burgoyne had moved south from Quebec in June and lost two battles at Saratoga, the last one on Oct 7. The surrender marked a turning point in the Revolution as the win earned America the foreign support required to ultimately defeat the British. The Revolution would end with an American victory in 1783. 

In 1964 – Betty Cuthbert of Australia becomes the first Olympian to win 100-, 200- and 400-meter races, winning the 400-meter gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Games. Cuthbert’s time of 52.0 seconds established a new Olympic record and came four years after she had won the 100- and 200-meter races at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and an injury prevented her from placing at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Cuthbert remains the only Olympian to win all three sprint races. 

In 1970 – The Jackson 5 is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of five consecutive weeks with I’ll Be There. The song also peaked at #4 in Great Britain, was in its second of six consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, was Billboard’s seventh-biggest song of the year and its biggest soul song of the year. It was the fourth chart single for the group and their fourth and final #1 song. In 1992 a version of the song by Mariah Carey went to #1 on the Hot 100 and to #11 on Billboard’s soul chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Talent is nothing but long patience.
Gustave Flaubert

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Besides the US, five other nations have had athletes win the Olympic gold medal in the 200 meters: Jamaica (4), Canada (3), Italy (2), Greece (1) and the Soviet Union (1). The US has won 17. 

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

Which was the first country to confer diplomatic recognition on the United States? – Answer next time!  

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The Daily Dose/October 16, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

HEY BATTER, BATTER…SWING…OR NOT: It was bound to happen sooner or later, a major league baseball playoff series ending on a controversial check-swing call by a base umpire. It happened Thursday in Game 5 of the Dodgers/Giants series: the last out was a check-swing ruled strike three by first base umpire Gabe Morales. It was the last out in a game won by the Dodgers and the win sent them to the National League Championship Series. 

The general consensus amongst those who did not have to make the right then was that Morales was wrong. 

Warm, Personal Remembrance: We’ve made this call a lot, both behind the plate at on the bases and swings are like pornography and other works of art: you know them when you see them. I tended to give the benefit of the doubt to the batter, but other umpires were different. Sue us. Or, better yet, go umpire yourself and see how much fun these calls can be. 

Dry, Technical Matter: For years this call was made by the plate umpire. Then TV announcers started yapping about things like wrists breaking and bat heads crossing the plate – elements not mentioned in the rule book – and baseball caved in and allowed appeals to the first or third base umpire. 

Fly In The Ointment: Almost interesting is the fact the rule book does not define a swing, the only real criteria is the unwritten one of whether or not you thought the batter attempted to hit the baseball. 

But We Digress: Morales has been making this call in professional baseball games for years and has long known what he thinks is and is not a swing. He had to make it right then and without the benefit of consulting Twitter on the matter and from over 100 feet away to boot.  

The Bottom Line: You oblige umpires to make calls from a hundred feet away and you’re going to get this from time to time. Could you imagine a basketball official making a call from the other end of the court or a back judge making a roughing the quarterback call? Of course you couldn’t. Baseball should never have buckled to the pressure that demanded an appeal for half-swings. We speak from experience: the plate umpire is in the best position to make this call. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow goes to the college dining hall for lunch. Today’s Diary. 

ALL YOU CAN EAT CORN DOGS!!!…SWEET MOTHER OF CHRIST!!!…I AM NOT MAKING THAT 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
The long march to today. 

In 1946 – Ten of the twelve Nazis convicted at the Nuremberg Trials and sentenced to death are executed in a gymnasium adjacent to the prison they were being held in. 24 Nazis had originally been indicted on four charges, though some ended up not being charged, or they were acquitted or convicted and issued lesser sentences. The two who were not executed were Martin Borman, who had been convicted in absentia and was who was actually already dead and Hermann Goring who, peeved he was going to be hanged and not shot, had killed himself earlier in the evening. 

In 1968 – Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists while The Star-Spangled Banner is played during the medal ceremony for the 200-meters at the Mexico City Olympics, an event History now refers to as the Black Power Salute. Australian Peter Norman joins the protest, wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights patch on his sweatsuit. For their efforts, Smith and Carlos are kicked out of the Games while Norman was not selected for the 1972 Olympics despite having a qualifying 200-meter time and when Norman died in 2006 Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at his funeral. The famous photograph of the protest was taken by John Dominis of Life magazine. 

In 1961 – Ray Charles is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second and final consecutive week with Hit the Road Jack. The song also went to #1 in New Zealand, peaked at #6 in Great Britain and was also in its third of five consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart. It was second of three Hot 100 #1s for Charles and was his seventh of eleven #1 soul hits. The female lead was sung by Margie Hendrix, a member of the Raelettes, Charles’s backup singers. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

I spent the whole day without food, the whole night without sleep…My mind was a perfect blank…I understood nothing at all. That is why I think it is better to study real things in a real world.
Gore Vidal
Creation

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The two men born in what is now China to precede Lang Liwei into space were Americans Taylor Wang (Shanghai, space shuttle mission STS-51-B) and William Anders (Hong Kong, Apollo 8). 

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

How many other nations besides the US have won gold medals in the Olympic men’s 200 meters? – Answer next time!  

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The Daily Dose/October 15, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off is running intermittently while we work on a project. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has a tough time remembering when he bought the snow tires. Today’s Diary. 

These are, I think, the fourth season for these puppies…It could be the third, but I seem to recall thinking last year was the third and being surprised there was more than enuff tread for a fourth, but now that I think about it, snow tires for the new ride could not have been bought before the new ride itself was purchased and a check of the title shows it was purchased in November 2019, so this will be the third season for these particular snow tires.

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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
The long march to today. 

In 2003 – China sends its first astronaut into space, as Yang Liwei is sent into orbit aboard Shenzou 5. Liwei would spend 21 hours in space and orbited the earth 14 times, making China the third country behind the Soviet Union/Russia and the US to send humans into space.  China has sent explorers into space six times since the most recent a 91-day mission this past summer. This would be Liwei’s only space voyage and he later retired as a major general in the Chinese army.  

In 1988 – The Oklahoma Sooners establish a new NCAA major division record for most rushing yards in a game in a 70-24 win over Kansas State. The Sooners rushed for 768 yards to break the record of 758 yards they had established in a 1980 win against Colorado. The record still stands and the all-division NCAA mark is 789 by Davidson of the FCS in 2018. 

In 1966 – The Four Tops are #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Reach Out I’ll Be There. It was the seventh of 24 top 40 hits for the group, their third of six top Ten 10 hits their second and final #1 song. The song also went to #1 in Great Britain and would later spend two weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart and was Billboard’s 4th-biggest song of the year. Versions by Diana Ross and Gloria Gaynor would hit the charts in 1971 and 1975 respectively. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

We can only add our efforts…until we slowly move the mountain.
Deng Ming-Dao

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Grammy Award in 1968 for Album of the Year went to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles. 

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

Yang Liwei was the third person born in China to go into space. Who were the first two? – Answer next time!  

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The Daily Dose/October 14, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off is running intermittently while we work on a project. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Geography Master Sparrow establishes his street cred. Today’s Diary. 

Now, I am in the upper percentile in geography knowledge so I’d heard of Moldova, but for the life of me couldn’t remember if it was part of the old USSR or if it was part of the old Yugoslavia, evidently confusing it with Montenegro…I admitted this and further confused matters by throwing in some topographical features like “Ural Mountains” and “Black Sea” and she was actually fairly impressed with my knowledge of the area. 

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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
The long march to today. 

In 1968 – Apollo 7 performs the first live TV broadcast from a US spacecraft, on its third of eleven days in space. During the seven-minute broadcast, the crew of Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and R Walter Cunningham gave a tour of the spacecraft and recited old radio catchphrases and relations between the crew and mission control were so contentious it was the last space flight for all three. The mission, though, was a complete success, allowing Apollo 8 to fly to and orbit the moon in December. 

In 1964 – Billy Mills of the United States establishes a new Olympic record in the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Summer Games. Mills, a graduate of Kansas and a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, used a strong finishing kick in the home stretch to finish in 28 minutes 24.4 seconds and he remains the only American to win an Olympic gold medal in this race. 10,000 meters is about 6.2 miles and this remains Mills’ only medal in a major international meet. 

In 1967 – Bobbie Gentry is at #1 on Billboard’s album chart – then known as the Top LPs chart – for the first of two consecutive weeks with Ode To Billy Joe. It was her first chart album and remains her only #1 and yielded one Top 40 hit, the title track which went to #1 on the Hot 100. The album also went to #1 on Billboard’s country album chart and peaked at #5 on its soul album chart. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Album, and contributed to Gentry earring the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all His laws.
John Adams
Letter to Thomas Jefferson

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

NFL kicker Nick Lowery was the first professional athlete to graduate from Dartmouth. 

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

Which album won the Grammy Award for Best Album in 1968? – Answer next time!  

Share Gaylon! Go!