The Daily Dose/September 25, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off is enjoying a brief holiday.

Today At The Site:
The Diary of a Nobody: It’s that time of year when Sparrow runs into grown men dressing like plants. Today’s Diary. 

Shortly after starting my duties four men dressed like shrubbery wandered into the lobby…Two of them were guests and the other needed a place to stay and after I checked them in they stayed in the lobby talking about hunting…I know squat about hunting – and couldn’t care less, either – but because ol’ Sparrow is all things to all people before you could say “antlers” the goof doing all the talking asked me if I knew of any other good spots and he seemed disappointed to find out I could contribute nothing to his conversation. 

And as sometimes happens with grown men dressing like Sherwood forest, one of them had an orange cap on…I’ve never understood this…You blow good money to blend in with bushes and you blow it with an orange hat…I’ve been told this is because the animals they are hunting are color blind, but if that’s the case, why not just wear bright orange clothing, too???

It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.

The Bottom Ten/NFL Week 5: Friends, the Week 5 NFL Bottom Ten will move on Thursday. Apologies are issued. 

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On This Date
In 1237 – The Treaty of York, which defines the border between England and Scotland, is signed. The agreement was between kings Henry III of England and Alexander II of Scotland and mainly settled sovereignty over three counties, which were mostly given to England. There have been only minor modifications since, and while History isn’t entirely clear on the matter, it remains one of the oldest border treaties still in force. Despite its significance, it is seldom mentioned at length in major historical works. 

In 1882 – The first major league doubleheader – two games for one admission – is played as Worcester and Providence split the two games. Worcester, on its way to finishing in last place in the National League, was in its last of three seasons in the league, while Providence folded after the 1885 season. While this was the first traditional doubleheader in major league history, teams had been playing two games in one day since the National League’s first year in 1876. 

In 1961 – Walk On By by Leroy Van Dyke is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot C&W Sides chart – for the first of 19 non-consecutive weeks. Walk On By would fall out of the top spot and return to it twice, for three stays at #1 and would not begin its final week at the top until March 3, 1962. At the time, it was the sixth-biggest song in country chart history and today remains one of only ten songs to spend at least 19 weeks at #1. The song also peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and even went to #1 in Norway. The song is one of three Top 10 country hits for Van Dyke, and remains his only #1. Van Dyke, now 89, still tours occasionally and is known for having never missed a performance.

Quotebook
He was not a scholar, but he was unusually open and curious…
Peter Massie
Peter the Great

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The United States Supreme Court first expanded from six members in 1807, when a seventh member was added.

Today’s Stumper
What teams were the first major league teams to play two games in one day? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/September 24, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site:
Read Free Fortnight continues. Enjoy The Diary with our compliments:

The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow confirms the existence of shifters with the bar manager. Today’s Diary. 

Actually, before he could get to that point, I asked him about shifters, the complimentary drink I heard we were entitled to after a tuff front desk shift…Chris, God bless him, confirmed this…They’re even available first thing in the morning and – and I am not making this up – he added we were entitled to 20% off our second drink, too!…Crap…I am not much of a drinker but I like to pretend I am and privately, I fretted about missing out on over 200 complimentary whiskey sours since I started here. 

It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.

The Bottom Ten/NCAA Week 5: It was steady as she goes in the Bottom Ten this week, as the medal stand – Rice, New Mexico State, Akron – stayed the same as the chase for the ESPNCup stumbles on. 

This week’s outtakes:

Zips with brutal remaining schedule in quest for first B-10 title, as future opponents have won only 35.5% of their games this year.

With average crowd of under 10,000, home-field advantage expected to be key in Akron showdown as intimate gathering expected to lull Zips to sleep.

Commodores continued to be hampered by turn-of-century decision to merge Athletic, Student Affairs departments as ROTC detachment calling defensive plays get “war games” and “football game” confused, drawing NCAA-record 2,345 penalty yards for Illegal Incoming Mortar Fire.

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On This Date
In 1789 – President George Washington signs the Judicial Act of 1789, which established the federal judiciary authorized in the recently-passed Constitution. Among other things, the Act set the number of supreme court justices at six, including a chief justice, and created 13 judicial districts and also established district and circuit courts. Edmund Randolph would take office as attorney general on Sept. 26 and the same day John Jay would take office as chief justice. The Senate had passed the bill on Sept. 19 and the House passed it two days later.

In 1919 – Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox establishes a new major league record for most home runs in a season, hitting his 28th in a 2-1, 13-inning loss to the New York Yankees. Ruth broke the record of 27 established by Ned Williamson of the Chicago White Stockings – now the Cubs – in 1894 and he would break the record again the following year, when he hit 54 home runs for the New York Yankees. The record has been broken several times since, including twice more by Ruth, and is now held by Barry Bonds, who hit 73 home runs with San Francisco Giants in 2001. 

In 1964 – The Temptations are at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot R&B chart – for the first of five consecutive weeks with Beauty Is Only Skin Deep. It was the third of four consecutive soul chart #1s for the group and their fourth of eleven #1 on that chart and the song also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The group’s song The Way You Do the Things You Do also went to #1 on the Cashbox soul chart in 1964, when Billboard did not publish a soul chart.

Quotebook
…and like all great men and a good many not so great, he had no modesty.
Gore VidalLincoln

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Harvard College, now Harvard University, held its first classes in 1636.

Today’s Stumper
When was the United States Supreme Court expanded to more than six members? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/September 23, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site:
Read Free Fortnight continues. Enjoy The Diary with our compliments:

The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow, in what is not the Upset of the Year – does some whining. 

Proof that ol’ Sparrow will whine about absolutely anything – as if further proof is required – can be found in the fact I was whining tonight when people didn’t ring the bell to my specifications. 

It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.

Click here to get in on the laffs. We offer 4Ever and Ever access, or cheapskates can purchase books and columns individually. 

On This Date
In 1642 – The first college graduation ceremony in what would become the United States is held at Harvard College. The college foisted nine men, then known as commencers, on the real world, and they thrilled the audience with speeches in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. The tradition of issuing diplomas didn’t start until 1813 and class rank was determined by the social status of the parents. 

In 1986 – Jim Deshaies of the Houston Astros establishes a new modern major league record when he strikes out the first eight batters of the game in a 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Deshaies broke the record that had been established by Joe Cowley of the Chicago White Sox earlier in the season and the record was tied in 2014 by Jacob DeGrom of the New York Mets. The all-time major league record is nine, done by Mickey Welch of the New York Gothams – later the Giants – in 1884. Deshaies, a rookie, finished with a two-hitter and struck out ten batters. 

In 1972 – Mac Davis is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks with Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me. It was the fifth chart single for Davis, the first of five Top 40 hits and the first of two Top 10 hits. The song also went to #1 in  Australia, peaked at #26 on Billboard’s country chart and was Billboard’s 8th biggest song of the year. Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me remains Davis’ only appearance at #1 on a Billboard chart as an artist.  

Quotebook
…the weak broken and torn for the profit and convenience of the strong.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Gene Tunney first won the heavyweight title from Jack Dempsy on September 23, 1926.

Today’s Stumper
When did Harvard College first start offering classes? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/September 22, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

The Sunday Bottom 5
The very best of the very worst of the week that was…

1. Whistleblower Scandal – President Trump hails it as false news of course and, Trump being Trump, the details are essentially meaningless…As long as Trump is in office all that matters to him is drawing as much attention to himself as possible…Next year you and me – we the people – can continue to tolerate this or we can make some changes. 

2. Sports In America I – Despite continued historic home run/strikeout figures, attendance dropping for fourth consecutive year and it would be eight straight years except for 2015, when attendance was up four (4) fans per game. 

3. Sports In America II – Decline in high school football participation continues and while it won’t happen tomorrow, America a generation or so away from a time when there won’t be enough good athletes playing football to stock major college, professional teams. 

4. United Auto Workers/General Motors Strike – Either Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters aren’t paying attention, this is the first big strike in America in a while, as union with declining membership wants bigger share of GM record profits…While Democrats bring donuts to picket lines, GOP prefers to keep quiet. 

5. President Trump Fact Check – Click here for a recap of the latest misinformation from a president and his administration either unwilling or unable to get his facts straight.

Today At The Site

Read Free Fortnight continues. Enjoy The Diary with our compliments:

The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow’s new uniform shirt at the hotel is in. Today’s Diary. 

Thing is, it’s a Large and not my usual 2x…God bless the manufacturers…I’d heard over the years that women’s clothiers have long marked labels down a size or two – “Oh look, madam is down to a 17!” – and it is nice to see us gents getting the same treatment.

It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.

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On This Date
In 1979 – An American satellite designed to detect nuclear explosions records two bright flashes near Prince Edward Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Though the exact cause of the flashes are either unknown or unreleased, the flashes are characteristic of other nuclear tests observed by the satellite and a common theory remains it was a joint nuclear test between Israel and South Africa. Prince Edward Island is located about halfway between Africa and Antarctica and has been administered by South Africa since its annexation in the 1940s. 

In 1927 – Heavyweight champion Gene Tunney retains his title with a unanimous decision over former champion Jack Dempsey at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fight is known to History as the Long Count Fight because after knocking Tunney down in the seventh round, Dempsey did not immediately flee to a neutral corner, and video of the fight shows Tunney was down for three seconds before the referee started his count. Tunney would get up at the count of nine. Tunney would later say he had picked the count up at two and could have gotten up at any time. 

In 1984 – John Waite is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Missing You. It was Waite’s first chart single as a solo act and the first of three Top 40 hits. The song also went to #1 in Canada and peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Dance/Disco chart and was Billboard’s 11th biggest song of the year. Waite, who had previously charted twice as a member of the Babys, would later return to #1 in 1989 as lead singer of the group Bad English (When I See You Smile). 

Quotebook
In nature there is no alienation. Everything belongs.
Deng Ming-Dao|
365 Tao

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Merle Haggard’s biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was If We Make It Through Decemeber which hit #28 in 1974.

Today’s Stumper
Who did Gene Tunney originally win the heavyweight title from? – Answer next time!

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