The Daily Dose/October 4, 2021
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 – At the hotel, Sparrow feeds a captive bug. Today’s Diary. 

…ol’ Sparrow started feeling guilty because it didn’t have food or water…So I got an oat from an oatmeal packet and put it in there but was less successful measuring out water and almost drowned the poor thing…I managed to drain some of it out, tho and the bug was left with an oat and a drop of water, probably a veritable feast when you’re that small…Occasional spot checks throughout the nite showed the bug was likely to remain alive until someone flushed it down the toilet.  

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On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1957 – America collectively craps its pants when the Soviet Union becomes the first nation to send an artificial satellite into Earth orbit, when Sputnik I is launched from what is now southern Kazakhstan. A sphere 23 inches in diameter, it’s reflection was visible from Earth and amateur radio operators were able to pick up it’s radio pulses. Sputnik would remain active until its batteries ran out later in the month and would reenter Earth’s atmosphere on January 4, burning up after orbiting Earth 1,440 times. 

In 1873 – The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) are formed when the Argonaut Rowing Club forms a football/rugby team to stay in shape during the offseason. They would play their first game on the 18th, a victory over Hamilton, and over the years the Argonauts have won 17 Grey Cups, most recently in 2017, and remain the oldest professional team in North America still using their original name. 

In 1975 – David Bowie is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second and final non-consecutive week with Fame. It was the third of 14 Top 40 hits for Bowie, his first of six Top 10 hits and was his first of two #1 songs (Let’s Dance, one week, 1983). The song also peaked at #17 in Great Britain, at #21 on Billboard’s soul chart and was their 7th-biggest song of the year. Bowie wrote the song with Carlos Alomar and John Lennon. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Everyone has it within his power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow.
Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The first American League pitcher to hit a home run in interleague play was Bobby Witt of the Texas Rangers, against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 30, 1997. 

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

What was David Bowie’s biggest hit in Great Britain? – Answer next time!  

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The Daily Dose/October 3, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things. 

1. COVID-19 – America has left the building…Despite a way to prevent dying of COVID, there are still millions unvaccinated with thousands dying needless deaths…Hey Trump-o-philes, you’re killing yourselves and our country with your ignorance…Get with the program and get vaccinated, dammit.     

2. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jaguars third NFL team to lose 19-straight games, third-best – or worst, depending on your worldview – in league history…Jaguars now trail only Tampa Bay (26) and old Chicago Cardinals (29) in pantheon of NFL greatest losers.  

3. Donald Trump Supporters – The SB5 3-hole staple…Dear Trump-o-philes, our former president remains lying sexual predator who believes the moon is part of Mars…And – incredibly – that the Revolution was won by the securing of British airports, something middle-schoolers know are false…Which one of these elements continues to solidify your support???

4. Cleveland Indians – Indians play final game ever today, as nickname changes to Guardians in 2022…Purists whining, of course, but what if Indians had subjugated whites instead of the other way around and had teams nicknamed the Crackers or Whiteys or Honkies???…  Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters “pretty sure” others would have found those racist and demanded those be changed. 

5. Fake News – Click here for a recap of what some wizards amongst us were believing this week…From the Associated Press. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Enjoy today’s Diary entry with our compliments. It’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) after all. 

The Diary of a Nobody – There’s a guy in the lobby looking to score. Today’s Diary. 

…I know a guy on the prowl when I see one and it was plain the prospect of some nookie would not have been dismissed out of hand…Unfortunately, the bar was closed and the only people to scam on in the lobby were yours truly and the couple in the corner chatting and fortunately we were dismissed out of hand…He then regarded the sundry stand without enthusiasm before wandering out the front door to see if there were any chicks in the parking lot looking to put out, which was actually pretty funny. 

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———

On This Date
The long march to today. 

In 1963 – The Honduran military stages a coup d’etat, deposing President Ramon Villeda Morales and replacing him with Oswaldo Lopez Arrellano. Honduras would return to civilian rule in 1979, with a new constitution taking effect and the first elections held in November 1981. After the coup, Villeda was deported to Costa Rica, though he later returned to Honduras and served as their ambassador to the UN. 

In 1972 – Baltimore Orioles pitcher Roric Harrison hits the last home run by an American League pitcher before the designated hitter rule takes effect the following season. Harrison’s two-run home run in the 6th inning gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead in a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in the second game of a doubleheader. It was the sixth and final home run of Harrison’s career and was the final home run in the American League by a pitcher until interleague play began in 1997. 

In 1964 – Roy Orbison is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of three consecutive weeks with Oh, Pretty Woman. It was the eighth of nine Top 10 hits for Orbison and his second and final #1 song (Running Scared, one week, 1961). The song also went to #1 in ten other countries, including Norway and Great Britain and was Billboard’s 4th-biggest song of the year. In 1982, a version by Van Halen peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

One may talk of peace only with those who are peaceful. To talk of peace with him who holds a drawn sword is foolish unless one is unarmed, then one must talk very fast, indeed.
Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

John Mellencamp has had five hits on Billboard’s country chart, the biggest being What Say You, a duet with Travis Tritt that peaked at #21. 

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

After Roric Harrison, who was the next American League pitcher to hit a home run? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/October 2, 2021
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 – It’s a rare Friday off and Sparrow is lazy. Today’s Diary. 

The plan today was to celebrate the extra day off and go to the Mexican joint in the next county for lunch but ol’ Sparrow couldn’t be bothered to drive 20 minutes to stuff his face…

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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 2002 – What History refers to as the Beltway Sniper Attacks begin in the area around Washington D.C. One person was killed in two attacks and the following day four people were shot to death and overall the attacks would last three weeks and kill ten people. John Allen Muhammed and Boyd Lee Malvo were arrested on Oct 24, with both found guilty in Virginia. Muhammed was executed in 2009 and Malvo, a minor at the time, is serving numerous life sentences in Virginia.  

In 1921 – A variety of sources credit Chicago White Sox catcher Ray Shalk with recording a putout at every base in a 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians. Don’t believe it. A check of the box score and play-by-play account of the game shows Shalk only caught the first five innings and that were not any putouts by Shalk or any other member of the White Sox at second or third bases during that time. Research into how this legend started was inconclusive and not particularly interesting.

In 1982 – John Cougar – now John Mellencamp – is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks with Jack and Diane. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #25 in Great Britain and was Billboard’s 7th-biggest song of the year. It was the fifth of 22 Top 40 hits for Mellencamp, his second of ten Top 10 hits and remains his only #1 song. The song spent 22 weeks on the chart, including 17 weeks in the Top 40 and ten weeks in the Top 10. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

A ship does not sail with yesterday’s wind.
Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The most games Babe Ruth won in a season was 24, in 1917 with the Boston Red Sox.

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

How many hits has John Mellencamp had on Billboard’s country chart? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/October 1, 2021
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Editors Note: save for some minor factual corrections, today’s column runs as it did two years ago today. 

THE TIMES THEY WERE A-CHANGIN’: Today is the 59th anniversary of James Meredith becoming the first black to attend the University of Mississippi and he figures prominently in today’s column. Meredith is, obviously, the subject of this item, and the occasion is referenced in On This Date and Meredith has today’s Some Philosophy Crap selection as well. By any measure, it is a momentous day in American history, and it came only 97 years after the end of the Civil War.

Quote That Sucker: In an interview later in his life, Meredith had this to say:

Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my kind.

Why this quote is not on its way to living down the ages is beyond us because it should be embraced by blacks, whites, reds and greens. It cuts right to the heart of what the American experience should be about: a society where the only identity that matters is that of American.

Fly In The Ointment: Should be about, but isn’t. America has always made everyone except white males work like hell for every gain. Even today, 156 years after the Civil War, we relegate non-whites to second-class status by insisting that American identities be hyphenated.

This is wrong. Sure, all of us come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. Personally, half of our blood is as Mexican as a siesta with the other half as English as baked beans on toast. We don’t think of ourselves as anything other than American. And unless you are directly descended from the Indians that originally patrolled these lands, you are descended from someone who came from somewhere else.

USA! USA! But we are all American. To oblige some to further identify themselves by hyphenating their American identity is insulting and until we stop degrading our fellow citizens like this we will always be a racist country.

Some Philosophy Crap: Friends, we rise as a society and we fall as a society. As long as we mandate people refer to themselves as African-Americans or Asian-Americans – or anything other than American – we will always relegate those so required to second-class citizenship.

America The Beautiful: And as long as we keep doing that we will always be a second-class nation.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets some good sleep. Today’s Diary. 

A patented Sparrow Rollover probably could’ve yielded two or three more hours, but that would’ve thrown matters off and the cat was pleading for her morning canned yummy ration anyway, so we got up and put a pot of coffee going.  

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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 1962 – James Meredith, escorted by federal marshalls, becomes the first black to attend the University of Mississippi. The attendant rioting killed two people and injured over 300, including over 150 US Marshals. Meredith was welcomed immediately, with students in the dorm room above him bouncing basketballs all night and they allowed him privacy when using the dining hall. Meredith, an Air Force veteran, had previously attended Jackson State and graduated from Ole Miss the following year with a political science degree and he later earned a law degree from Columbia. Now 88, Meredith lives in Jackson, Mississippi. 

In 1933 – Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees makes his final major league pitching appearance, throwing a complete game in a 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. Ruth gave up twelve hits and walked three and finished his career with a 94-46 record and a 2.88 ERA in 163 games and 147 starts, totals which include 107 complete games and 17 shutouts. Ruth had won his first game with the Red Sox in 1914 and still holds the World Series record for most innings pitched in a game (14, Game 2, 1916, vs Brooklyn). 

In 1977 – Meco is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Stars Wars Theme/Cantina Band. It was the first of five Top 40 hits for Meco and remains his only #1 song. Despite its title, the song was not part of the Star Wars soundtrack, being written by Meco after he’d seen the movie a few times. Meco was born Meco Monardo in Pennsylvania in 1939 and served in the US Army after attending West Point. The song also went to #1 in Canada and peaked at #7 in Great Britain. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my kind.
James Meredith

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Ned Williamson of the Chicago White Stockings – now the Cubs – held the major league single-season home record before Babe Ruth, hitting 27 home runs in 1884. 

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

 What was the most games Babe Ruth won in a single major league season? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/September 30, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off is enjoying some time off while we work on a project. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the provisional end-of-month figures for the hotel. Today’s Diary.

…this might – or it might not – surprise those keeping score at home, but September 2021 has been a tad slower than September 2020…Because recall, despite Virus Era restrictions, the entire northwest part of the state was an inferno last year and we were sold out with firefighters left and right.

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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 1989 – The USS Blueback (SS-581) completes its final full day of commissioned service in the United States Navy, to be decommissioned the following day after almost 31 years of service. The last diesel submarine warship in the US fleet. Blueback had been launched in May 1959 and commissioned the following October and was named after a salmon common to the Pacific Northwest that is generally red in color. Today Blueback is enjoying a useful retirement telling sea stories of a bygone era at a museum in Portland, Oregon. 

In 1927 – Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees establishes a new major league record for most home runs in a season in a 4-2 win over the Washington Senators. Ruth hit his 60th home run in the eighth inning to break the record of 59 he had established in 1921. The record stood until broken by Roger Maris of the Yankees, who hit 61 in 1961 and the record is now held by Barry Bonds, who hit 73 in 2001. 

In 1964 – The Box Tops are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of four consecutive weeks with The Letter. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #5 in Great Britain and was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest song of the year. It was the first chart single for the group, their first of seven Top 40 hits and remains their only #1 song. In 1970, a version by Joe Cocker peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 and in 1969 a version by the Arbors had peaked at #20. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever. 

People are more disposed to suffer than right themselves by resistance.
John Locke

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Boston Braves were first known as the Braves in 1914. Before that they had been known as the Rustlers, Doves, Beaneaters, Red Caps and Red Stockings. They were known as the Bees from 1936-40. 

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

Who held the single-season major league home run record before Babe Ruth? – Answer next time!

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