The Daily Dose/January 9, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Editor’s Note: the Leading Off staff is seeing how long it can go without writing about the current presidential administration.

Scott Dozier, an inmate on Nevada’s death row, killed himself this week. This by itself isn’t particularly newsworthy, except for the fact death rows exist to ensure its occupants stay alive long enough to have their death warrants carried out and they generally make it as difficult as possible for an inmate to kill himself.

Dozier, however, was determined to die. He had been condemned for the 2002 murder of a drug associate and had long ago given up his appeals, preferring to have his sentence executed than spending any more time on death row. Usually giving up your appeals in Nevada is enough to ensure you’re taken out back and shot immediately, but most recently in Dozier’s case the company that made one of the drugs to be used to kill him objected to its use, leading to his death’s delay. Dozier had been on suicide watch off and on during his captivity in Nevada and was alone in his cell the afternoon he hung himself.

We are on record here at Leading Off as favoring the abolition of the death penalty because we’ve executed innocent people. If you do not believe that you are deluding yourself. Dozier’s battle to get himself killed is merely further proof of how broken our justice system is: we cannot even execute someone who is clearly guilty and who wants to die.

We deserve better. Dozier’s victims deserved better than to be murdered, Dozier deserved better than being obliged to hang himself to get the death he long wanted and you and me – we the people – deserve better than to have these humiliating imbroglios carried out at all.

We deserve a nation without the death penalty.

Today At The Site

The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow scams some pizza at work, in addition to moving a lot of Choco-Tacos.

The big sellers were those Choco-Taco ice cream deals, plus bottled water, both the regular and premium smart water…I want to tell guests don’t do this, some of the very best tap water on the planet comes out of your bathroom tap, but I’m not paid to tell people not to spend their money, so I keep this to myself because people like spending money on water…We sell air at the retailer for Pete’s sake, so this shouldn’t be too surprising.

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On This Date
In 1349 – The residents of Basel, Switzerland – then part of the Holy Roman Empire – murder their Jewish neighbors, locking 600 Jews in a barn on an island in the Rhine River and burning them to death. Almost as bad, 140 surviving Jewish children were forced to convert to Catholicism. Known to History as the Basel Massacre, residents believed the Jews were responsible for the Black Plague then currently decimating their town and Europe.

In 1930 – The Boston Bruins defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 to become the first NHL team to win 14 consecutive games. On January 4th the Bruins had established a new NHL record with their 12th straight win and the streak would end at 14 three nights later with a 3-2 loss to the New York Americans. The record was broken in 1982 by the New York Islanders (15) and is now held by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won 17 consecutive games in 1993.

In 1988 – So Emotional by Whitney Houston is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for its only week. It was Houston’s sixth consecutive #1 song, tying the Hot 100 record established by the Beatles and later tied by the Bee Gees. Houston would later extend that record to seven consecutive #1 singles, still the Hot 100 record.

Quotebook
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment.
Gandalf
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The University of San Francisco won the 1955 NCAA basketball championship, defeating LaSalle 77-63 in the title game.

Today’s Stumper
What acts have had the most consecutive #1 songs on the Hot 100 since Whitney Houston’s seven consecutive #1s? –Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 8, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off  will return.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Because nobody is paying attention to them, Sparrow reissues his safe winter driving tips and the days of four or five shifts at the retailer every week are officially over and he gets another gratuity at the hotel.

The biggest tip I’ve ever gotten was $800 dollars when working security on the Vegas Strip…This guy had gotten into trouble with a hooker and I managed to clear the matter up without either his wife or the media being alerted, which he appreciated more than he really needed to…Even after tipping out the bellman and my security officer who had been helpful, I still managed to slide $500 into my wallet.

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On This Date
In 2005 – The USS San Francisco, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, collides with an undersea mountain 364 miles southwest of Guam. The ship was at a depth of 525 feet and while there was some sonar and ballast tank damage, the pressure hull wasn’t breached. One crewman died from head injuries and 98 others were injured. As usually happens when ships run into things they shouldn’t, the investigation found that established navigation techniques and Navy procedures were not followed.

In 1955 – In college basketball, Georgia Tech defeats Kentucky 59-58, Kentucky’s first loss at home in 129 consecutive games, an NCAA record that still stands. Kentucky’s last home loss had been to Ohio State, 45-40, on January 2, 1943.

In 1955 – Mr Sandman by the Chordettes is the #1 song Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – predecessor of the Hot 100 – for the sixth of seven consecutive weeks.It is also at #1 on the Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts. It was the only #1 song for the Chordettes, who would have three other Top 10 hits including Lollipop, which went to #2 in 1958. In 1981, Mr Sandman was a Top 10 hit for Emmylou Harris on Billboard’s country chart.

Quotebook
The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.
George Bernard Shaw

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Billy “Crash” Craddock’s biggest hit on the Hot 100 was 1974’s Rub It In, which peaked at #16.

Today’s Stumper
Who would in the NCAA basketball championship in 1955? –Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 7, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off  will return.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow is starting to wonder what the deal is with his application for town council vacancy and it is dead slow at the retailer. Plus the latest from the Sleep Log.

Dead slow tonight at the retailer…Good gravy, it was if the town was deserted and not about as busy as it can get because this is the week the Texans travel 2,000 miles so they can stand in the cold and hear music they can get at their local tavern…

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On This Date
In  1999 – The trial of President Bill Clinton begins in the United States Senate, following his earlier impeachment by the US House. Clinton was tried on one article of perjury and another of obstruction of justice and he would be acquitted the following month. Clinton was the second president to face trial in the Senate. In 1868, Andrew Johnson was acquitted by one vote.

In 1972 – The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks 134-90, the final win in their NBA-record 33-game winning streak. The streak had started the previous November 5 with a win over the Baltimore Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, and they had broken the NBA record for Most Consecutive Victories on December 12 with their 21st straight win. It remains the longest winning streak in North American major league sports.

In 1976 – Billy “Crash” Craddock is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – with Broken Down in Tiny Pieces. It was Craddock’s 14th of 19 Top Ten country singles and his third and final #1 and before making it in America, Craddock had had two #1 songs on Australia’s pop chart. He earned the nickname Crash while playing high school football in his native North Carolina.

Quotebook
Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The longest NBA game played this century took four overtimes. It has been done three times.

Today’s Stumper
What was Billy “Crash” Craddock’s biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100? –Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 6, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Looking for some things to whine about for today’s column that didn’t involve our government we came across the tidbit that the Chinese have landed a spacecraft and accompanying rover on the far side of the moon, the first spacecraft to land there.

(One of the reasons we don’t get invited to any parties is we think it’s important you know the far side of the moon is sometimes and incorrectly referred to as the dark side of the moon. The far side, like the near side, can be either lit or dark. Furthermore, we never see the far side because the moon shows the same side all the time, a phenomenon known a tidal locking. This occurs because the moon rotates on its axis at the same speed it revolves around the earth, actually fairly common in the Solar System.)

Now, this is not a manned mission, of course. America remains the only nation to do that, this year being the 50th anniversary of the first one and, if you really wanna impress us go bring one of our flags back. Still, though, this is a fairly nice accomplishment because it involved sending another satellite into a halo orbit 40,000 miles past the far side of the moon so the spacecraft could communicate with Earth, because you can’t send signals to Earth directly from the far side of the moon.

50 years after Apollo we are left to get worked up over a third-rate space power landing a robot on the far side of the moon. Really, this should be a matter of no particular consequence, or at least had been accomplished 40 years ago, but – the same 50 years after Apollo – we still have not put man on Mars. And there is no prospect of it, either, for at least a generation. We have lost out on the technological advancements a manned Martian mission would have generated, plus other attainments those chasing this dream would have produced. We know what Mars is made of, but we have no one to tell us what it is like to be there.

Our loss.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow, for the first time, reaches the maximum number of items allowed for a single transaction at the retailer, plus The Wife makes a splendid dinner of salmon and rice. Plus, everyone is advised to keep quiet when Sparrow is offering expert advice.

When it’s all done I will tear the first receipt off and present it for your signature and while you are doing that I will staple the other two together…I will then present this like one of those girls on The Price is Right, telling you the top receipt is your copy of the actual transaction, noting the reference number your recipient will need, then I lift the top copy as if I’m displaying a sacred mystery of the Orient to show you the receipt for payment…

We have not forgotten about the final NFL Bottom Ten of the season, either. Promise.

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On This Date
In 1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511, carrying 34 people, explodes above North Carolina. The blast originated just ahead of the right wing, everyone was killed and all of the bodies were recovered, some at the crash site and one as far away as 16 miles, a man named Julian Frank. Frank had extensive injuries more consistent with an explosion than an airline accident, and he was under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney for fraud and the accident investigation showed Frank was also seated near the explosion, though the official investigation assigned him no blame and the investigation remains open.

In 1951 – The Indianapolis Olympians defeat the Rochester Royals 75-73 in six overtimes, establishing a new NBA record for Longest Game. The game was tied 65-65 at the end of the fourth quarter, neither team scored in the second or fourth overtimes and Rochester was shutout in the sixth overtime. The old record was five overtimes when Syracuse Nationals defeated the Anderson Packers 125-123 in November 1949. The record still stands. Red Holzman, who later founded long-time Harlem Globetrotter fodder the Washington Generals, had three points in the game.

In 1951 – The Tennessee Waltz by Patti Page is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – a predecessor of the Hot 100 – for the second of nine consecutive weeks. The song was also in its second of 13 non-consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Most Played in Jukeboxes chart and peaked at #2 on Billboard’s country chart. It was Page’s second of four #1’s on the Best Sellers in Stores chart. The song was originally released as the B-side to the holiday song Boogie Woogie Santa Claus. 

Quotebook
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The original name of the Peanuts comic strip was L’il Folks. 

Today’s Stumper
What is the longest NBA game played this century? –Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 3, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
The New Horizons spacecraft, which gave us our first close-up look at Pluto, has flown another billion miles since that 2015 encounter and flew past an object known as Ultima Thule New Year’s  morning. It is, of course, the farthest object visited by a spacecraft. That we’re aware of. Other world’s could have had us under observation for a while now. New Horizons came within 2,200 miles of the body, awfully close by space standards, and about three times closer than it got to Pluto in 2105.

Ultima Thule’s age is estimated at  4.6 billion years and is believed to orbit the sun every 298 years. Scientists are hoping that the flyby will yield some insights into how the Solar System was formed.

The spacecraft actually made its closest approach to Ultima Thule just after midnight Eastern Standard Time New Year’s morning, though it wasn’t until late morning that confirmation came that it had done so safely. The first pictures sent back show Ultima Thule more or less shaped like a bowling pin or a peanut. The best pictures won’t be sent back until February and all the date collected won’t be received for 20 months. Data takes over six hours to reach Earth.

Nothing else is schedule for New Horizons and its mission is schedule to end in 2021, thought it is expected to be extended if the spacecraft remains operational and there is another object to be explored.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow comps a room to a lost young woman.

She said she her phone is at some guy’s apartment but she doesn’t know where the guy lives, tho she does have his building number…She said earlier she had called 911 and they couldn’t help her, and I said sure, being lost hardly calls for the constables.

This was not what she wanted to hear at all…She is scared and frustrated and it’s below zero out and she has no place to stay, so gets snitty with me…

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On This Date
In 2000 – The comic strip Peanuts publishes its 15,391st and last daily comic strip. Produced by Charles M Schulz, Peanuts debuted in 1950 and at its peak in the late 1960’s ran in  over 2.600 newspapers in 75 countries and in 21 languages.  The final daily strip saw Snoopy sitting atop his dog house, with typewriter, and message from Schulz announcing his retirement. Schulz would die five weeks later, the day before the final Peanuts Sunday strip was published.

In 2010 – Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has 134 yards rushing and 20 yards receiving as the Titans defeat the Seattle Seahawks 17-13. Johnson finishes the season with 2,006 rushing yards and 503 receiving yards with the total of 2,509 establishing a new NFL record for Most Yards From Scrimmage in a Season. The old record had been 2,429 yards by Marshall Faulk in 1999.

In 1987 – Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of four consecutive weeks. It was the first of two #1s for the Bangles and also went to #1 in Canada, Australia, Spain, Belgium, South Africa and the Netherlands and was Billboard’s #1 song for 1987. Walk Like an Egyptian was the first song by an all-woman group playing their own instruments to hit #1.

Quotebook
Well, almost all government policy is wrong but…frightfully well carried out.
Sir Humphrey Appleby
Yes, Minister

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The United States Army Band is also known as Pershing’s Own, named after General John Pershing.

Today’s Stumper
What was the original name of the Peanuts comic strip? –Answer next time!

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