The Daily Dose/October 1, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
You know, the tie-breaker games today to decide the champions of the National League West and Central divisions really should have us more excited than they do. But they don’t because of course all four teams, the Cubs, Brewers, Dodgers and Rockies are making the playoffs anyway. The winners of today’s games are division champions and start the Division Series on Thursday. The losers play in the wild-card game Tuesday, with the winner earning the final berth in the division series.

We’ve never really sold on the wild card game. We’ve never really been unsold on it, either. Sure, a one-game playoff has the feeling of the high school regionals, but it does do a good job of keeping more teams in the playoff hunt longer and baseball needs all the excitement it can get right now.

What baseball should really do is add a couple of teams and have either eight four-team divisions or four eight-team divisions. They could also regionalize everything so all teams in an area are in the same league. Baseball likes to make a lot of noise about not wanting to expand until stadium issues in Oakland and Tampa Bay are resolved but this is a bunch of hooey. If there were billionaires knocking down the doors waving checks at MLB headquarters then someone would be typing up franchise agreements right now. 

And they should also make the DH universal. Nobody wants to see pitchers hit and those who achieve and maintain states of arousal deciding whether to take a pitcher out or leave him can go play chess.

Today at the Site
Sparrow has a relatively busy night at the hotel on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody. Plus, he has some tips for shopping at the retailer and the Sleep Log has the weekly totals, plus the Monthly and Rolling Three Month averages.

Sticking the chip reader in and then taking it out as fast as you can three times does not work…Nor is living in denial and swiping your card thru the slot as fast as you can particularly productive, either…It only confuses the system…Please, do as your told…

James Meredith, the first black to attend and graduate from the University of Mississippi, has The Thought for the Day. It’s a repeat from October 1 of last year with Meredith talking about how he finds the concept of civil rights insulting.

…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.

On This Date
In 1962 –  James Meredith becomes the first black to attend the University of Mississippi. Meredith had been denied admission twice before and it took both the courts and the federal government to eventually persuade the state to admit Meredith. Meredith, who had previously served nine years in the Air Force and had attended Jackson State, would become the first black to graduate from Ole Miss the following year. Now 85, Meredith lives in Jackson, Mississippi. 

In 1903 – The first World Series begins as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Boston Red Sox – then known as the Americans – 7-3 in Game 1. The Pirates got off to a quick start with four first-inning runs off of Cy Young while Deacon Phillipe scattered five hits for the Pirates. Then a best-of-nine affair, the Americans would win the series in eight games.

In 1977 – Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band by Meco is the #1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of two weeks. It was not from the Star Wars soundtrack but was from Meco’s album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk. The song would spend two weeks at #1 and remains Meco’s only Top 10 hit. The song it was based on, Star Wars (Main Title) by John Williams charted at the same time, peaking at #1o.

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Bing Crosby won one Oscar in his career, in 1945, Best Supporting Actor in Going My Way. In his acceptance speech Crosby said he could not have been more surprised had he won the Kentucky Derby.

Today’s Stumper
Who was the first black football player at Ole Miss? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/September 29, 2018
By Gaylon Kent –
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
Baseball’s regular season ends today. It hasn’t been pretty. The game, of course, is changing, has changed, and not for the better.

While the final figures aren’t in yet, strikeouts will outnumber hits for the first time ever and the cumulative major league (ML) batting average will probably be below .250, the lowest mark of the designated hitter era. On average, starting pitchers do not make it out of the sixth inning, though the roots of this span a generation or so, when kids stopped playing sandlot ball. The average ML game has eight pitchers and the average game takes over three hours. It’s slow pace, once one of its charms, is now a drawback.

There are some bad teams, too, paced by the Baltimore Orioles, who started Saturday 60 games out of first place. They will fail in their attempt to set the American League record for finishing a season the most games back (64.5, St Louis, 1939) but wherever they finish they will set the ML record for most games behind a division winner.

Attendance is down, as baseball fans have shown they are not particularly pleased with the way the game is now played. 18 ML teams will end the season with fewer paying customers than they had in 2017 and only six will see an increase of more than 100,000 fans. Overall, ML attendance will be down 2.9 million fans and there is no reason to think the postseason TV numbers will do anything but continue their downward trend.

Between the NFL beginning it’s long-term self-destruction and nobody caring about big league baseball anymore, it’s hard not to think that a couple generations from now the professional sports landscape could, will, be considerably different than what it is now.

Today at the Site
Sparrow buys Susan some groceries because she’s a bit short before payday on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody…Plus there’s lots of news from the retailer.

The Thought for the Day will return.

On This Date
In 1962 – Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta found the National Farm Workers Association in California. Now known as the United Farm Workers, the union remains the foremost proponent of the working rights of field workers. Today the union represents about 8,200 members who pay an average of $869 annually for their membership.

In 1927 – Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees becomes baseball’s single-season home run leader, hitting his 60th home run off Washington’s Tom Zachary. Ruth broke the record of 59 established by Babe Ruth the previous season. His home run, with a man aboard in the 8th inning, was the difference in the 4-2 Yankee victory over the Senators. The game also marked the final major league appearance of Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson, who flew out batting for Zachary in the 9th inning.

In 1944 – Swinging on a Star by Bing Crosby with the Williams Brothers Quartet and John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra are at #1 for last of nine consecutive weeks on Billboard’s National Best Selling Retail Records chart, a forerunner of the Hot 100. The song was featured in the movie Going My Way and won an Oscar for Best Original Song and also won Crosby his only Academy Award, for Best Actor.

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Of the two constitutional amendments that did not become part of the Bill of Rights, Article One, dealing with how Representatives are apportioned, is still pending, needing the approval of 27 more states for ratification. Article Two was approved in 1992 and became the 27th Amendment. 

Today’s Stumper
How many Academy Awards did Bing Crosby win? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/September 29, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
Some Republicans in the House of Representatives suggested this week the federal government should get involved regulating the sports betting that is now legal for states to offer. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) said;

For Congress to do nothing is the worst possible alternative. We have some work to do. 

No, Congress, you do not have work to do. We know you constitutionally, so to speak, incapable of not butting in, but stay out of this. There is no role for the federal government regulating sports books that are sanctioned by a state. As Nevada has shown since Day 1, a state is more than capable of regulating their sports books without Congressional oversight.

Some like to talk about assorted protections the federal government can offer, but what protections can the federal government offer that a state cannot? None. Claims that federal oversight will prevent games being fixed are false. Anyone with any knowledge on this matter will tell you that legal sports books are the first to notice the betting shifts that attend fixed games.

Claims that leagues are entitled to integrity fees from sports books are both nonsense and dangerous because if the leagues make money off of sports books this gives them a vested interest in the amount wagered and the in the outcome of the games, which is not in the gambler’s best interest.

What states that are new to the sports betting racket should do is either steal the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s regulations or farm it out to Nevada and pay them a percentage to run it for them. No one does gambling like Nevada, providing a competitive marketplace for casinos and giving a fair shake to gamblers.

No matter what a state does, the federal government should butt out.

Today at the Site
Sparrow – who is running for Congress, of course – is invited to a candidates forum sponsored by the local newspaper next month on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody. Also, there’s some big fun at the retailer when a guy loses his wallet, though the new falsies cause Sparrow to talk funny most of the night.

The Thought for the Day is taking some time off. Today we offer a repeat from earlier this year, a quote from Thomas Edison about doing what we are capable of. Click here to read it.

On This Date
In 1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourns its first session in New York City after a useful few months. On April 6 both houses convened to certify the Electoral College’s election of George Washington as president. They also established the departments of State, War and the Treasury as well as establishing the federal judiciary and the office of the attorney general. A few days before adjourning the Congress submitted twelve constitutional amendments to the several states. Congress met at Federal Hall, where their second session would convene in January 1790.

In 1943 – Vern Stephens of the St Louis Browns become the first person to hit two home runs in extra innings, homering in the 11th and 13th innings of a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. The record still stands, though it has been equaled several times.

In 2018 – Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line are (still) at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. It is the 43rd consecutive week at #1 for the song, the longest any single has stayed at #1 on any Billboard chart. Though the song has garnered over 1.2 million downloads, it has spent only one week at #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, the week of April 28.

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Before Ted Williams, the last major league player to hit .400 for a season was Bill Terry of the New York Giants who hit .401 in 1930.

Today’s Stumper
Of the twelve constitutional amendments the First United States Congress sent to the several states, ten became the Bill of Rights. What happened to the other two? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/September 28, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
Republicans in the United States Senate are in a box. With one Brett Kavanaugh accuser having testified and two more women with accusations in the wings, they really only have two options: force feed the Kavanaugh nomination through right now or give all three women the hearings, not to mention the FBI investigations, their accusations warrant. Neither option is particularly attractive for the GOP.

Thursday’s extraordinary session before the Senate Judiciary Committee proved nothing. Ms Ford said this and Mr Kavanaugh said that. One Mark Judge, who was identified as having been in the room at the time, is on record as not remembering the incident. This is not completely believable nor is it entirely beyond comprehension, either.

Which is the problem here: nothing is completely believable or unbelievable. Ford’s testimony was compelling and there is really no reason not to believe her because what woman puts herself through this misery for a charade? Her story, though, remains uncorroborated.  Kavanaugh, for his part, was believable, too. Either he didn’t assault Ms Ford or he did and he’s convinced himself he didn’t. Who knows, though it is folly to believe that a drunk, teen-aged boy, in full possession of Mother Nature’s mandate to reproduce, could not do these things.

We’re humans, not images on stained glass windows and it is not reasonable to expect anyone – you, me, your aunt in Leadville – to be completely chaste. We all have smudges. On the other hand, it’s not unreasonable to expect those who serve us – anyone, really –  not to have committed sexual assault.

No matter what happens – whether Kavanaugh is torpedoed by uncorroborated testimony or whether the claims of three women are ignored and he’s ushered onto the Supreme Court – America is the lesser for yet another partisan, bickering episode. We deserve better.

Today at the Site
Sparrow and The Wife had some plans today on The Diary of a Nobody, but none of them happen, including Sparrow’s job interview at the Grand, which was moved to next week. Sparrow did manage to go out to lunch, though, giving the new falsies a field test at his favorite Mexican joint in the next county.

However, The Wife called a bit before I was going to head out for the interview to say she was tired and heading home…Then, with Movie of the Week timing, Jenny, the one I would be interviewing with at the Grand, called saying she had a “scheduling conflict”…

The Thought for the Day is a repeat from earlier this year, a quote from Charles Bukowski. It’s from Ham on Rye, one of the best books we’ve ever read and concerns being good company for yourself.

Others will come and go, but every day we must look ourselves in the mirror. It’s important we like and are comfortable with what we see.

On This Date
In 1066 – The Norman Conquest of England begins, when the Duke of Normandy, William II, invades with a multi-national army. In October William would defeat King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings and in December he would be crowned king. History now refers to the duke as William the Conqueror and he reigned over England as William I until his death in 1087.

In 1941 – Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox goes 6-for-8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s. He started the day batting .3995, which officially rounds up to .400 and finished the season batting .406. Williams remains the last major league hitter to hit .400 for a season.

In 1974 – Rock Me Gently by Andy Kim is #1 for its only week on Billboard’s Hot 100. Kim was without a record label when he wrote the song and financed the recording session himself before selling the record to Capitol Records. It was Kim’s second trip to #1. He also co-wrote, and sang back-up on, The Archies 1969 #1 song Sugar, Sugar. 

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Besides Washington DC, eight other cities have served as the capital of the United States: New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, York, Pennsylvania, Princeton, New Jersey, Annapolis, Maryland and Trenton, New Jersey.

Today’s Stumper
Before Ted Willams, who had been the last major leaguer to hit .400 for an entire season? – Answer next time!

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